The Florida History Podcast

We discuss the Tallahassee Sit Ins, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement.

For Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday we discuss Civil Rights and 1964 in Florida including the St Augustine Movement and legislative fights over Civil Rights. 

Claude Pepper's second political career as a member of the US House of Representatives from 1963 until his death in 1989 stands as one of the greatest second acts in American political history. 

We discuss President Jimmy Carter's history with the State of Florida. 

MSNBC contributor Fernand Amandi joins us to discuss the extensive ties between President John F. Kennedy and the state of Florida. 

Former Secretary of State Bruce Smathers joins us to discuss the legacy of his father the late US senator George Smathers.  We discuss Senator Smathers time in the US House, the 1950election and his  ascendency into the Democratic Party leadership in the US Senate.

MSNBC contributor Fernand Amandi joins Kartik Krishnaiyer to discuss the surprisingly extensive links between the Beatles and the State of Florida. Outside the United Kingdom and perhaps India, it can be argued Florida contributed more to the Beatles story than any other place on the planet. 

Current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis embraced the motto "Let Us Alone" in introducing his new Florida Guard idea.  On this edition of The Florida History Podcast, Robert Buccellato and Kartik Krishnaiyer discuss Democratic Governor William Dunn Moseley who originated the motto and used it on his personal state flag. Moseley was a leading establishment Democrat who became the state's first Go...

We've talked a lot about George Smathers on previous podcasts, but why is The Florida Squeeze and this podcast launching a project to look comprehensively at Smathers career? We answer that question this week. 

Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis in response to the idea of systemic racism in highway building said "a road is a road." Well, on this week's podcast we will demonstrate that is not the case with several examples from the state of Florida where roads were built right through African-American neighborhoods. Brook Hines joins Kartik Krishnaiyer to discuss this sorry history. 

We look back at the life of Congressman Charles Bennett with a special contribution from Florida Squeeze writer and former Bennett staffer, Scott Gaillard. We also discus our upcoming Florida Squeeze series on Senator George Smathers.

On this episode we look back at Congressman and Governor Millard Caldwell who led the state during World War II.

Reubin Askew originally didn't want to run for re-election. He eventually choose to run for a second term as Governor. In the race, he overcame a well-funded Democratic primary challenge from the right and a party-switching former Senate President in the General. 

On Episode 127 we discus Florida's first African-American statewide elected official, Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs. 

On today's episode we debut our new audio studio mixing setup - Kartik Krishnaiyer flies solo in discussing the career of Josiah Walls, Florida's first African-American member of Congress who served the state in Washington during the 1870's. Smalls was a freed slave who won the Republican nomination for House in 1870 after serving briefly in the State Senate. He returned to the State Senate after...

We give an audio update on improvements we are currently undertaking to the podcast. 

We discuss one of Florida's greatest authors, Patrick D. Smith author of A Land Remembered and more. 

On this week's Florida History Podcast we discuss the devastating 1926 hurricane that (adjusted for inflation) is the most costly hurricane in terms of economic damages in American history. 

The Florida land boom and bust of the 1920's led directly to the Great Depression. 

Why are a group of parishes in Louisiana called "The Florida Parishes?" We answer that question and discuss the short lived Republic of West Florida in this episode. 

We discuss some of the greatest Florida artists, the African-American Highwaymen this week. 

We discuss the decision to secede from the union and the politics of Florida during the Civil War in this espisode.

On this episode we discuss railroads during the Civil War period in Florida 

We discuss former Florida LT Governor and Governor Wayne Mixson who recently passed away.

We discuss the great freeze of 1894-95 it’s impact on the citrus industry and it triggering a growth of citrus in California while also promoting Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami. Florida’s citrus industry recovered eventually but citrus production was cut by almost 600% at one point due to the freeze’s impact and even five years later Florida was only producing 20% of the citrus crop...