Florida Spectacular

Send us your Florida questions! Nichole Delafield-Bromme and Lief Bromme talk about their book, Little Wekiva Memories: Kayaking & Other Adventures . Links We Mentioned Little Wekiva Memories: Kayaking & Other Adventures NicholeDelafield.com Maffrey's at Ivanhoe Village Brick and Mortar Places Selling Little Wekiva Sunshine Book Co.   647 Lake Ave., Clermont, FL 34711  Maffrey’s   (se...

Send us your Florida questions! Mary McLeod Bethune founded the school that became Bethune-Cookman University, but why — and how? Ryan and Cathy take a look. Find Submerged Stories on Facebook. Find Ryan and Cathy on Instagram. Links We Mentioned Bethune-Cookman University The Zorg Support the show Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com . Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular...

Send us your Florida questions! As Rick and Cathy look to the new year, they talk about the podcast's origin story, what Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings would have sounded like as an influencer, and the ways social media can help Florida research. Links We Mentioned Ann McCutchan Desperately seeking information on: Mary Mae Campbell (Most likely: South Florida/Homestead, ca. 1967) Donald W. Sill (Wi...

Send us your Florida questions! A search for legendary Key West fire chef Bum Farto led historian David L. Sloan down a path that led to how Key West played a large part in the assassination of JFK in Dallas. His detailed research helps prove a conspiracy that has long plagued Americans. Links We Mentioned David's website telling the story of JFK, the CIA, and the mafia in Key West Bum Farto...

Send us your Florida questions! Tibbals Curator of Circus, Jennifer Lemmer Posey, talks about the history of the circus in Florida, where it's going, and the state of things today. Links We Mentioned The Ringling Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil's  Drawn to Life International Independent Showmen's Association Showmen's Club The Ringling collection at FSU Support the show Quest...

Send us your Florida questions! Ross Allen's daughter, Betty Allen Bashaw, talks about growing up around her father's menagerie, some of her most interesting tasks at the Ross Allen Institute, and how to get a gator to take a nap. Pictured: A young Betty Allen with her father Ross Allen. Photo courtesy of Betty Allen Bashaw. Support the show Question or comment? Email us at cathy@florida...

Send us your Florida questions! Have you been to Havana? No, not that one — the one near Quincy, in North Central Florida. Mark Pettus, co-owner of 16 newspapers in North Florida, gives insider tips for visiting Havana and Quincy. Things To Do in Gadsden County Visit Quincy Havana Main Street Antiques in Havana Havana Main Street Sist3r Chicks Oscar's in Havana Heroes and Villains El Jalisco...

Send us your Florida questions! This week, Ryan Worthington and Cathy Salustri talk about their forthcoming podcast, Submerged Stories: Florida's Other History. Find Submerged Stories on Facebook. Find Ryan and Cathy on Instagram. Links We Mentioned Prospect Bluff: Part of the Underground Network to Freedom Dale Cox YouTube Episode Fort Gadsden and the Underground Railroad   Support the show...

Send us your Florida questions! The Florida Wildlife Federation calls Karen Chadwick a conservation hero. She's spent her life on and around the waters of Central Florida, and she talks about her passion for the Ocklawaha, the impacts of keeping the dam, and the splendor of the regular drawdowns. Links We Mentioned Ocklawaha River Rodman Reservoir and Dam Cross-Florida Barge Canal Kenwood boa...

Send us your Florida questions! Jason Vuic (rhymes with Buick!) talks about his latest book, A Town Without Pity: Aids, Race, & Resistance in Florida's Deep South . In it, he delves into two notorious cases from Arcadia: the Ray brothers , and the James Richardson case.  Links We Mentioned A Town Without Pity Swamp Peddlers Wheeler's Cafe Florida's Peace River Frontier by Canter...

Send us your Florida questions! Robin Mimna talks about the darker side of Henry Flagler, Stetson, and other "founding fathers" in Florida. We also talk about the women behind the men, and how the men controlled the narratives about them. Links We Mentioned Lake Helen Flagler's Law Arthur Hamlin Mary Grace Quackenbos Annie Laurie's Triumph   Support the show Question or comment...

Send us your Florida questions! Elizabeth Randall, author of Florida haunted history books, joins the podcast — this week only, we've changed the name — to tell us some fantastic Florida ghost stories.  Links We Mentioned Elizabeth Randall website Bosque Bello Cemetery in Fernandina Amelia Island Museum of History (the old jailhouse) Robert the Doll by David Sloan David Sloan ghost tour and V...

Send us your Florida questions! To celebrate the 25th annual issue of Saw Palm , the editors came on the podcast to talk about what sorts of things to expect in the anniversary issue, a book from the man who started Saw Palm , and things to do in Ybor City. Links We Mentioned Saw Palm Fearsome Creatures of Florida Columbia Restaurant The Castle Kress Contemporary   Support the show Question or com...

Send us your Florida questions! Can AI make Florida better? Bess Auer joins the podcast to talk about AI, being a UF cheerleader during the Danny Rollins serial killings, and her Orlando treasure hunt. Links We Mentioned Cherry 2000 "How Ted Bundy Ended Our Innocence" by Diane Roberts Second Harvest Food Bank Fenn's treasure HoundsHouse Orlando The Secret: A Treasure Hunt (Byron Pre...

Send us your Florida questions! Haley Moody, the director of the Florida Springs Institute, joins the podcast to talk about the idea of creating a National Springs Heritage Area in Florida. About Haley Haley’s passion for the springs began during her first visit to the Ichetucknee River. Her love of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was born during her time at the University of Florida, where s...

Send us your Florida questions! Florida nature photographer Matt Keene talks about how he uses large-format film cameras to create his portraits. Matt has an exhibit at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine (through Jan. 18, 2026), and this episode offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how much work, forethought, and effort goes into this extraordinary body of work.  Links We Mentioned  Mo...

Send us your Florida questions! Brandy Carlisle, a tour guide at St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth Park, is fascinated with the woman who bought the land that is now the park. So much so she's published a book about her: Luella . The trio talks about Luella, prostitution, and the Fountain of Youth. Links We Mentioned Luella Fountain of Youth Park in St. Augustine Find out more about Bran...

Send us your Florida questions! Rick and Cathy talk about Rick's trip to St. Augustine, then answer a letter from a listener about whether or not moving to Florida is a good idea.  Things To Do in St. Augustine St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth (visit with a critical eye!) The San Marco shops in St. Augustine, including Duddington's Columbia Restaurant in the St. Augustine Historic...

Send us your Florida questions! Mikita Brottman, author of Guilty Creatures , joins the podcast to talk about the Tallahassee murder that scandalized the town when Denise Williams and Brian Winchester plotted and executed the murder of Denise's husband, Mike. Mikita Brottman is a writer and psychoanalyst. Her latest book Guilty Creatures was published by Simon and Schuster in 2024. She has a...

Send us your Florida questions!  The face behind the super-popular Florida's Folk History Instagram account joins the podcast this week. Aubrey Naulin talks about her art, her hopes for Florida's future, and Florida's Indians. Links We Mentioned Florida Folk History on Instagram Rosewood Remembered Islands of Cedars by Shana Smith Submerged Stories: Florida's Other Histories on...

Send us your Florida questions! Mark Barrow grew up around gators — both the real one and a certain Florida college that pays homage to them. Now, he's written a book about alligators, and he joins Rick and Cathy to talk about why alligators deserve respect, not fear. The trio also talks about the gator's place in Florida's culture, roadside Florida gator attractions, and why gators...

Send us your Florida questions! This week Rick and Cathy talk about Punta Gorda Links We Mentioned Warm Mineral Springs Things To Do in North Port Myakka River State Park   Royal Order of Ponce de Leon Conquistadors Radioactive Fountain of Youth in Punta Gorda Sunseeker Resort DeSoto Veterans Memorial Park Ponce-apalooza Ponce-y Scheme Revisiting Warm Mineral Springs Old World Meets New Age at War...

Send us your Florida questions! Florida icon Lars Andersen joins the podcast to talk about his passion: Florida waterways.  Links We Mentioned Payne's Prairie: A History of the Great Savanna by Lars Anderson Book a river tour with Lars at Adventure Outpost or email him . Lost Springs in one minute with Margaret Tolbert Wacissa Slave Canal   Big Blue Spring . Haulover Canal . Photo: Canon Spri...

Send us your Florida questions! Michael Grunwald talks about cattle ranching and why Floridians — and everyone — should eat more plants. He, Cathy, and Rick also talk about meat grown in a lab, why Grunwald thinks Michael Pollan gets things wrong, and Michael's new book, We Are Eating the Earth: The Race To Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate . Links We Mentioned We Are Eating the Earth...

Send us your Florida questions! Anna Cooke, editor-in-chief at The New Barker magazine, jons the podcast to talk about rescue work in Florida; the long-gone Florida roadside attraction, Dogland; and a few famous Florida dogs.  Links We Mentioned The New Barker Magazine An abandoned dog in Memphis Dave the Wonder Dog ( Annie Oakley was a snowbird ) ( bonus link ) Brownie the town dog of Daytona Bea...