Welcome to Florida
218 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago -Best selling author, award winning reporter and Florida native Craig Pittman is joined by radio personality and Florida transplant Chadd Scott to discuss the state's history, people, politics, environment, animals, current events and weirdness. You'll hear great storytelling and have great fun in each weekly episode.
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Episodes
Episode 204: Tampa Bay
May 14, 2024 11:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBCould golf courses hold a solution for conservation in Florida? Tampa Bay is surprising young, and shallow, and NOT the name of a city. Our guest this episode is Evan Bennett, author of "Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People."
Episode 203: Sacred Steel
May 07, 2024 11:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBOur episode begins with a $400 million mystery in the state budget. Folklorist and musician Robert Stone joins us. He helped bring the steel guitar music popular in the House of God and Church of the Living God communities in South Florida and around the South to greater prominence.
Episode 202: Lauren Groff
April 30, 2024 11:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBFormer Florida governor Bob Graham wasn't born an environmentalist, he became one. Our guest this episode is New York Times best-selling author, TIME magazine 100 most influential people for 2024, Gainesville resident, and now bookstore owner Lauren Groff. Groff's new bookstore, The Lynx Books, opened in late April 2024 with an emphasis on selling banned books and Florida authors.
Episode 201: The Rise and Fall of Jai-Alai in Florida
April 23, 2024 11:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBWe begin this week's episode remembering former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham who passed away recently. Our guest is Marty Fleischman who worked in the Jai-Alai industry across Florida for more than 40 years. He explains how the sport came to Florida, its rise to incredible popularity in Miami and Tampa, and the factors which have rendered it largely forgotten today.
Episode 200: Indigenous mounds and middens
April 16, 2024 11:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBDid you know there's oil drilling in Florida? Now you do. Our guest for this episode is archaeologist and professor in the anthropology department at USF Nancy Marie White. White researches ancient Indigenous people and cultures in the Florida Panhandle and has authored a pair of books on the subject. We're specifically discussing Indigenous mounds and middens. Visit sites along the Trail of Florida's Indigenous Heritage.
Episode 199: A. Philip Randolph
April 09, 2024 11:00 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBJourney along with Craig to Gilcrest Blue Springs. Our subject today is a giant of 20th century activism and equal rights: A. Philip Randolph. Randolph helped push through federal equal employment legislation, had a hand in integrating the American armed forces, and organized the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. Our guest is Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society.
Episode 198: Hamilton Disston (who?)
April 02, 2024 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBCraig has a vision for the Museum of Florida History. Few people recognize the name Hamilton Disston. Our guest this episode, Josh Ginsberg, explains why Disston is essential to a complete understanding of Florida's history.
Episode 197: Orlando
March 26, 2024 11:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBThe Florida legislature has appropriated $25 million to study a problem it already knows the causes of and solutions for. Everyone knows Orlando for Disney, even though the theme park isn't inside the city limits, but there's a lot more to the Magic City than rides and tourists. Scott Maxwell has been writing for the Orlando Sentinel since 1998 and joins us to discuss the myths and realities of Orlando.
Episode 196: Dave Barry
March 19, 2024 11:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBThe Florida legislature is sacrificing outdoor workers to climate change. Read Florida corporate and government watchdog Jason Garcia's outstanding "Seeking Rents." The great Dave Barry joins the show this episode. His humor column ran from 1983 through 2005 in the Miami Herald. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his commentary in 1988. He's authored over 30 books, the most recent, "Swamp Story." Click here to read Craig's favorite column by Barry.
Episode 195: Florida in the Civil War
March 12, 2024 11:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBWhen does "permanent" have an expiration date? When the term is applied to a conservation easement in Florida. Our guest is Florida historian and author Robert Redd who's written numerous books on Florida, including two on the state's role in the Civil War.
Episode 194: Book Bans
March 05, 2024 12:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBThe Florida legislature is attempting to solve climate change by ignoring it. Florida is the epicenter of right wing efforts nationally to ban books, discriminatory efforts targeting books with LGBTQ+ as well as Black and brown characters. Katie Blankenship is the Director of PEN America Florida, a new outreach effort to combat the government suppression of free expression here. More information on PEN America's Free to be Florida Network can be found here. Katie's favorite banned books: ...
Episode 193: Janet Reno
February 27, 2024 12:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBGreat news for conservation in Florida starts this episode! Janet Reno is best known as being the first female U.S. Attorney General during the Clinton Administration. She was also a Floridian, born and raised in Miami. Judith Hicks Stiehm has written the definitive biography of Reno, "Janet Reno: A Life." Judith Hicks Stiehm's daughter Jamie Stiehm joins us to discuss Reno.
Episode 192: Sinkholes
February 20, 2024 12:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBThis episode begins in Estero Bay. Florida's geology, it's sandy surface soil, abundance of surface water and ground water, and limestone karst bedrock make it the sinkhole capital of America. Ann Tihansky studied sinkholes for many years in Florida with the U.S. Geologic Survey and put together the "Sinkholes 101" guidebook. She joins us to explain why and how sinkholes form. Graphic of water distribution on, in and above the earth. Another one. How much water there is on earth. New Yor...
Episode 191: The Dozier School (A Century of Evil)
February 13, 2024 12:00 - 53 minutes - 36.8 MBMembers of the Florida State Legislature want to protect the rights of single use plastics. Journalist Ben Montgomery worked as a reporting duo helping expose the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, a facility with a horrifying 100 year history of torture. The story is graphic and gruesome, details we'll discuss in this episode. Additional reading on the Dozier School: https://www.quillmag.com/2019/08/05/qa-ben-montgomery-the-reporter-whose-work-led-to-colson-whiteheads-novel-the-nickel-...
Episode 190: Tom Petty
February 06, 2024 12:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBNow that his presidential campaign is over, Craig Pittman has some advice for Ron DeSantis. Warren Zanes played music with rock icon Tom Petty and was his friend for decades. He also wrote Petty's biography, "Petty: The Biography." Zanes joins us to discuss Gainesville's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Episode 189: The Johns Committee
January 30, 2024 12:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBThe Florida legislature is attempting to make it more difficult for home inspectors to do their jobs in securing the safety of residents moving into new construction. The era of the Johns Committee was one of the darkest in Florida's history. Stacy Braukman's book "Communists and Perverts Under the Palms: The John's Committee 1956-1965" details the political witch hunt for Communists and gays centered on the University of Florida in Gainesville. She joins us to discuss.
Episode 188: The Florida Man Games
January 23, 2024 12:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MBDevelopers and state politicians want to cram more homes into the Keys despite state law prohibiting them from doing so. The inaugural Florida Man Games will be held February 24, 2024, in St. Augustine. Founder Pete Melfi joins us to discuss.
Episode 187: Carnivorous Plants
January 16, 2024 12:00 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MBA Levy County resident wants to put a sand mine on his property endangering the University of Florida's planetarium. We're discussing carnivorous plants this week with Kenny Coogan, owner of Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan nursery in Tampa specializing in carnivorous plants, and author of "Florida's Carnivorous Plants." Follow Kenny on Instagram at @crittercompanionsbykennycoogan. Anyone interested in plants should look into membership with the Florida Native Plant Society. Details on ...
Episode 186: Randy Wayne White
January 09, 2024 12:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBLegendary Florida author Randy Wayne White joins us for this episode to discuss how he came to Florida, making the transition from newspaper man to charter boat captain, and eventually on to becoming the New York Times bestselling writer of the Doc Ford series of novels. We'll also talk about his decision to ride out Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island and the traumas he faced for that choice in the moment and after. For more information on how Sanibel Island became a favored enclave for ex-CI...
Episode 185: Dick Pope & Cypress Gardens
January 02, 2024 12:00 - 35 minutes - 24.1 MBCraig has a list of New Year's Resolutions to pass out around the state, starting with our idiot Department of Transportation secretary. Author Lu Vickers is our guest this episode. She joined us back on Episode 100 along with an original Weeki Wachee mermaid. This time, we're talking about Dick Pope, founder of Cypress Gardens. If you'd like to support the show as we enter our 5th season, you can do so by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida for just $5 per month.
Episode 184: Marjory Stoneman Douglas
December 26, 2023 12:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBWhen did "environmentalist" become a dirty word to Republicans? Our guest for this episode is author Jack Davis. Davis has joined us twice before to discuss the recovery of the bald eagle and the Gulf of Mexico. Check the archive for those two outstanding shows. This time, we're discussing a Florida icon, a feminist icon, a conservation icon, and an Everglades icon: Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Douglas coined the term "river of grass" to describe the Everglades, founded the Friends of the Eve...
Episode 183: Spanish Florida
December 19, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBA pair of proposed mega-developments in southwest Florida would prevent the Florida panther from ever expanding its numbers if approved. Critical to an understanding of Florida history is its roots as a Spanish colony, not a British colony like Georgia and South Carolina. Kevin Kokomoor is an historian and the author of "La Florida: Catholics, Conquistadores, and other American Origin Stories" published in 2023. We discuss the Spanish origins of what is now Florida.
Episode 182: The Most Important (Florida) Man You've Never Heard Of
December 12, 2023 12:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBGlobal Warming is causing the oceans to acidify creating an existential threat to the ocean food chain and the seafood industry and Florida politician's largely don't care. Hank Asher is the most important man you've never heard of. He's a Florida man who moved to the Sunshine State in the 70s. His life would intersect with the drug trade, the 2000 presidential election and 9/11, largely because of his work in the field of data mining. McKenzie Funk's 2023 book, "The Hank Show: How a House-...
Episode 181: 'Scarface' (1983)
December 05, 2023 12:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBWe begin this episode with sad news and the passing of Florida author Tim Dorsey. Dorsey joined us on Episode 73. Did you know the longest private airstrip in America is in Florida? The Brian DePalma-directed 'Scarface' from 1983 starring Al Pacino as Cuban immigrant turned Miami cocaine kingpin Tony Montana alongside Michelle Pfeiffer celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2023. Marking the occasion, movie critic and film historian Nat Segaloff has written "Say Hello to My Little Friend: A C...
Episode 180: Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Lord of the Rocks)
November 28, 2023 12:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MB"Welcome (back)to Florida" Jeff Bezos. We're getting wet on this episode and learning about the Atlantic Goliath Grouper. Our guest is marine scientist, researcher and conservationist Sarah Frias-Torres who spent 20 years in Florida studying this magnificent fish. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @GrouperDoc. In the episode, she mentioned a scientific paper, here is a link to that study.
Episode 179: Florida leads the way in ending greyhound racing
November 21, 2023 12:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBThere is no love affair as strong as the one between the Florida legislature and developers. Politicos in Tallahassee just gave the industry another major gift. In 2018, Florida voters in overwhelming fashion put a stop to greyhound racing by voting for a constitutional amendment outlawing it. Carey M. Theil helped lead the grassroots effort to ban the "sport" which had murdered and abused hundreds of thousands of dogs in Florida over its 100 year history here. Theil has co-authored a book...
Episode 178: Kingsley Plantation & Anna Madgigine Jai
November 14, 2023 12:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MBWe enjoy every episode of "Welcome to Florida," but enjoyed this one more than most. This story takes us to Fort George Island about midway between Jacksonville and Amelia Island by the St. John's River and Atlantic Ocean. This is the location of Kingsley Plantation, named for its owner Zephaniah Kingsley. His, however, is not the most interesting story to be told there, that story belongs to Anna Madgigine Jai. To learn more about Jai, Craig recommends the book "Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsl...
Episode 177: Gator Poaching
November 07, 2023 12:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBWas it simple incompetence or something more sinister which cost Florida the chance to receive millions of dollars in federal funding to apply toward residential solar power. Our guest this week is Rebecca Renner who's new book "Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades" tells the story of an undercover Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sting to catch gator poachers. Rebecca will be featured in this year's Miami Book Fair. Thanks to Windstorm Produ...
Episode 176: The Case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee
October 31, 2023 11:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBManatees in Florida could be placed back on the Endangered Species List. One of the greatest miscarriages of justice in America occurred in Port St. Joe, Florida in the case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee. The two Black men were convicted of a double homicide despite no physical evidence, no credible eyewitness, confessions forced via police torture, and a subsequent confession shortly after from the actual murderer. The pair were eventually pardoned after serving 12 years. Spearhead...
Episode 175: Jimmy Buffett's Key West
October 24, 2023 11:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBValerie Vande Panne fills in again for Chadd Scott on this episode and she and Craig start off by discussing his latest Flamingo magazine article about airboats. Find Valerie and follow her work on her Substack page. This episode's guest is William McKeen, author of "Mile Marker Zero: The Moveable Feast of Key West," which details the cultural, anti-establishment peak of the city in the 1970s which featured an upstart musician, Jimmy Buffett. "Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented ...
Episode 174: Univision & Telemundo's Florida roots
October 17, 2023 11:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBValerie Vande Panne filled in for Chadd Scott on this episode of "Welcome to Florida." She and Craig began by discussing his latest Florida Phoenix column on airboats. Keep up with Valerie on Substack. This episode's guest is Craig Allen, author of "Univision, Telemundo, and the Rise of Spanish-Language Television in the United States." Both networks were headquartered mere miles from each other in Miami for decades. "Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Windstorm Products.
Episode 173: The Ghost Orchid
October 10, 2023 11:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBWhy reinstituting a bear hunt, which failed ignominiously in 2015, is not the solution for increased human-bear interaction in Florida. In this episode we discuss the ghost orchid with longtime Fakahatchee Strand Preserve park biologist Mike Owen. "Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Windstorm Products and windstormproducts.com the No. 1 online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Episode 172: Florida Museum of Natural History
October 03, 2023 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBRon DeSantis wants MORE fossil fuels and fewer regulations on fossil fuel companies. The Florida Museum of Natural History on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville possesses one of the largest, most comprehensive and finest collections natural history in the world. Heather Dewar's gorgeous coffee table book, "All Things Beautiful: Wonders from the Collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History" celebrates the collections and shares the museum's history. She joins us t...
Episode 171: Mr. Miami Beach, Carl Fisher
September 26, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBThis episode begins by remembering a legend in Florida journalism. Had a development for the Big Bend area of Florida been proposed in recent years, it would have been approved, and the recent hurricane damage there would have been much worse. Our guest is Paul George from the History Miami Museum who tells us all about the founder of Miami Beach, Carl Fisher. The biography Craig mentioned is "Castles in the Sand" and the documentary we mentioned is "Mr. Miami Beach." Here's more informa...
Episode 170: Sarasota's Black History
September 19, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBA closed meeting in Israel resulted in Ron DeSantis allowing a foreign company to disperse its supposed miracle cure for blue green algae in waters across the state without the product previously being tested for potential negative environmental or human health effects. Our guests this episode are Vickie Oldham, president and CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition and founder of the Newtown Alive trolley tours in Sarasota, and Brenda Watty, a member of the Marvelettes Moto...
Episode 169: Conch, Conchs and the Conch Republic
September 12, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBThis episode begins by paying our respects to Jimmy Buffett and his conservation work in Florida. Our guest is Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli who tells us all about conch, the gastropod, conchs, the people, and the Conch Republic, better known as the Florida Keys. His Florida Keys history Facebook group is a wonderful resource and community for lovers of the Keys. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com, the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Episode 168: Castillo de San Marcos
September 05, 2023 11:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBJacksonville used to stink. Literally. Bad. That was a result of paper mills. What turned Jacksonville around serves as a model for how the state can solve its toxic algae bloom crisis. The Castillo de San Marcos is one of the top tourist attractions in St. Augustine. The Spanish fort at one time served an important military purpose for Spain's colonial ambitions in North America. Our guest for this episode is a historian and researcher specializing in the Colonial period in the Southeast a...
Episode 167: Fireflies
August 29, 2023 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBWe begin this episode with county commissioners in Manatee County favoring sprawl over wetlands. Our guest is University of Florida professor of insect systematics and taxonomy and firefly researcher Marc Branham who tells us all about these fascinating insects. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products the leading online retailer of hurricane hardware at www.windstormproducts.com. Protect your home or business from the effects of hurricane wind damage with Windstorm Products...
Episode 166: Florida Humanities
August 22, 2023 11:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBWhile the world burns and Florida scorches as a result of global warming driven by carbon emissions, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is working to prevent fossil fuel power plants from having to clean up their act. Former "Welcome to Florida" guest Diane Roberts wrote a wonderful column for the Florida Phoenix recently titled, "GOP Death Cult is holding Earth hostage to White Privilege." Roberts' article serves as a wonderful combination punch in conjunction with Jeff Van...
Episode 165: Lighthouses
August 15, 2023 11:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBThis week's episode begins with Florida's connection to the Endangered Species Act. Our guest is Josh Liller, historian and collections manager at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Josh edited the Florida Lighthouse Trail book and is a member of the Florida Lighthouse Association, which you can join as well. We discuss the history of lighthouses and lighthouse keepers in Florida. Thanks for Windstorm Products for helping sponsor "Welcome to Florida." Use Windstorm Products helpful 800-number...
Episode 164: Mennonite and Amish community of Pinecraft
August 08, 2023 11:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBWe begin our episode with a Florida location we've not discussed previously: Alva. Our guest is JB Miller, a Mennonite who grew up in Pinecraft next to Sarasota in the 60s and 70s. A community of Mennonite and Amish farmers started coming to the area to farm in the 1930s and has persisted ever since. No longer farming, tourism is now the top draw. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com, a Florida company and the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware to ...
Episode 163: Rumrunners and Moonshiners
August 01, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBWe begin with a follow-up to last week's episode in which we talked to legendary Florida conservationist Jack Rudloe. Our guest this episode is author and historian Robert Bucellatto whose book "Rumrunners and Moonshiners of Old Florida" recalls the Prohibition era in Florida. If you'd like to personally support the production of "Welcome to Florida," you can do so by visiting patreon.com/welcometoflorida and for as little as $5 per month receive access to exclusive bonus episodes of the s...
Episode 162: Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory
July 25, 2023 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.4 MBWhat is "environmental racism?" It goes on all over Florida (BIG SUGAR). Craig Pittman explains. Jack Rudloe has been observing marine life on the Gulf of Mexico around Panacea, FL since the 1950s. He's an author. An environmental activist. And founder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory. We mention Jack's abuse at the hands of law enforcement; here's more information regarding local efforts to protect Wakulla Springs from development. Thank you PATRONS! For as little as $5 per month ...
Episode 161: Florida Horse Country
July 18, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBNot only is climate change adversely impacting those of us on land, it's warming waters around Florida taking a toll on marine life. Our guest this episode is Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership. Ocala is "the Horse Capitol of the World." Kevin explains how the city earned that moniker, when Florida became a horse destination, and we discuss the jewel in Ocala's horse crown, the World Equestrian Center. World Equestrian Center offers a non...
Episode 160: The Cuban Missile Crisis
July 11, 2023 11:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBThis week's episode begins with a look at the series of disastrous bills signed into law by Ron DeSantis that will imperil Florida's environment for decades to come, if not forever. Our guest this week is author Michael Tougias whose book "Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America's Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission" centers around the Cuban Missile Crisis. His most recent book, "Extreme Survival," shares lessons learned from individuals who survived the most perilous of situations. We...
Episode: 159: AARP & Florida retirees
July 04, 2023 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.4 MBWe begin today's show with some shady developer dealings in Captiva. Florida is as well-known as a haven for retirees as anything. Helping people make that transition is the American Association of Retired Persons - AARP. Jeff Johnson is the state director for AARP Florida and he joins us to discuss AARP's work in Florida. Thanks again to Windstorm Products for supporting the podcast. Windstorm Products is a small Florida company that has grown into the largest online retailer of hurricane...
Episode 158: Planned Parenthood & Abortion in Florida
June 27, 2023 11:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBWe have hit the 3rd anniversary of the "Welcome to Florida" podcast and we want to thank you for listening. If you'd like to take your support of the show further, you can do so by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. For as little as $5 a month you'll help us continue producing the show and have access to exclusive bonus episodes. Our guest this week is Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. We discuss the current abo...
Episode 157: Weird Florida + 25
June 20, 2023 11:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBWhat's weird? A Florida city council suing its citizens over the topic of clean water. Eliot Kleinberg is the father of "weird Florida." In 1998, he published "Weird Florida," a compilation of Florida oddities which would eventually spawn the weird Florida and Florida man genres. Eliot joins us this week, his second appearance on the show. Thank you "Welcome to Florida" patrons! Another exclusive bonus episode of the show will be coming your way soon. If you'd like to help support our pr...
Episode 156: Anita Bryant's Anti-Gay Crusade
June 13, 2023 11:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MB"What the f*uck happened here!?!" If you're a nature lover in Florida, chances are you've said - or screamed - these words upon discovering a beloved tree or beach or meadow destroyed without warning by your city or county, a developer or a resident. We begin the episode exploring "what the f*uck happened here" in Port St. Lucie. Our guest is writer John Birdsall who joins us to discuss one-time America's sweetheart and Florida orange juice spokeswoman turned anti-gay villain Anita Bryant...
Episode 155: Hurricane Andrew
June 06, 2023 11:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBYou can't tell the story of Florida without the story of Hurricane Andrew. That's what we're doing on this episode with the help of longtime University of Miami professor, Hurricane Andrew survivor, and author of "In the Eye of Hurricane Andrew," Eugene Provenzo. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products, a Florida small business and the world's No. 1 online retailer of hurricane hardware products.