Florida Spectacular

Send us your Florida questions! The Ocklawaha River in Central Florida has been dammed for decades. Now, there's a chance to tear down the dam and reunite the rivers. That's good news for bass, anglers, environmentalists, and the local economy. Margaret Spontak comes on the podcast to talk about why, and she encourages people to call their state legislators and ask them to support restor...

Send us your Florida questions! Ryan Worthington joins the podcast to talk about a new initiative he and Cathy are working on — a podcast to document and discuss history in Florida that doesn't get taught in schools. Submerged Stories is the name of the forthcoming podcast, and the Facebook group they've created to crowdsource information. Check out the link below, join the group, and sh...

Send us your Florida questions! With Cathy traveling through what she calls "historic West Florida", she and Rick talk about forgotten parts of Florida's history — and geography, the War of 1812, and some less savory parts of the early history of the United States and why they get left out of history classes. Links We Mentioned Map showing Florida and a "contested" area &q...

Send us your Florida questions! Did you know cattle ranchers were the "first intentional conservationists" in Florida? Annie Muscato does. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on it, and this week she joins the podcast to talk — passionately! — about research into how some Florida cattle ranchers are working to protect wild Florida, why Florida cattle ranching isn't nearly as cruel a...

Send us your Florida questions! Andrea Conover of Azalea City Brewing and Palatka Mayor Robbie Correa join us this week to help roadtrippers find Palatka's best-kept secrets. Links We Mentioned Palatka Coffee Company Angel's Diner Palatka's historic riverfront Velchoff's Corner Ravine Gardens State Park Magnolia Cafe Azalea City Brewing Lemon Street Market Kayak tours   North S...

Send us your Florida questions! Rick serves on the board of the Winter Park History Museum, and Cathy lived there for a time in the '90s (and loves to go back). That's why the book written by this episode's guest, Kim Michalak, was so appealing to both of them. Kim shares how she selected her 100 things for her book 100 Things To Do in Winter Park Before You Die . Links We Mentioned...

Send us your Florida questions! Dan Reiter joins the podcast to talk about his career surfing Florida and writing about the same. The trio talks about everything from the best place to surf in Florida to why surfers shouldn't be scared of sharks. Check out Dan's book about surfing (link below). Links We Mentioned On a Rising Swell: Surf Stories From Florida's Space Coast (and a link...

Send us your Florida questions! " Nature isn't just more complex than we know, it's more complex than we can know." There's a sadly great chance that the State of Florida is going to build a toll road through the last remaining wild growth of a pretty — and pretty endangered — plant. Here's what's happening, where it's happening, and what you can do about it...

Send us your Florida questions! Historian Holly Baker joins the podcast to talk about her work in preservation in St. Augustine, Vero Beach, and throughout Florida. The trio also talks about what makes a building historic, preserving historic evidence of Jim Crow, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Links We Mentioned St. Augustine Davis Shores Bridge of Lions Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in St. August...

Send us your Florida questions! Florida author and naturalist Andrew Furman returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, Of Slash Pine and Manatees: A Highly Selective Guide to My Suburban Wilderness . Links We Mentioned Bitten: My Unexpected Love Affair With Florida Bidens pilosa (aka beggartick, etc., etc.) and its medicinal uses Frogfruit (aka hatpin) Who invented the grassy lawn? Yell...

Send us your Florida questions! How Bowers of the Retro WDW podcast joins Rick and Cathy to talk about the not-so-secret-after-all Florida Project, the origins of Disney Springs, and what Cypress Gardens had to do with Walt Disney deciding Florida would be a great place for a theme park.  Links We Mentioned Retro WDW Lake Buena Vista Historical Society Support the show Question or comment? Email u...

Send us your Florida questions! Orlando historian Rachel Williams joins the podcast to talk about Colonial Plaza Mall (now a shadow of its former self and called Colonial Marketplace), and from there the conversation moves to caves in Ocala, coffee roasters we love, and the importance of the shopping mall in Florida culture.  Links We Mentioned Ocala Caverns (and what's the difference between...

Send us your Florida questions! TJ Fridrich, with the Save the Manatee Club, joins the podcast to talk about what listeners need to know about when manatee can be dangerous (seriously!), what their mating behavior might look like, and where you can see some excellent documentaries about manatee and their ilk. Links We Mentioned Save The Manatee Club The Disturbance Theory Mating herd in Haulover C...

Send us your Florida questions! Rick and Cathy talk about the middle basin of the St. Johns River, eco tours, and wildlife seen along the waterway.  Links We Mentioned Floridiana Festival at the Matheson Squarehouse Pizza Love Vine? Welaka Florida Lake Jesup St. Johns River info Airboat on the St. Johns Airboat chase sequence in  Gone Fishin' " 36 Hours in Orlando " ( New York Times...

Send us your Florida questions! Josh Ginsberg, author of Secret Tampa Bay , Secret Orlando , Tampa Bay Scavenger , Oldest Tampa Bay — among others — joins the podcast to talk about his favorite hidden gems in Tampa Bay and Orlando. The trio talks about everything from the Wizard of Oz to taxidermied animals. Links We Mentioned TerriblyOdd.com Josh Ginsberg books Dysfunctional Grace (Ybor City) Tig...

Send us your Florida questions! Craig Pittman, co-host of the Welcome to Florida podcast, joins Florida Spectacular to talk about his latest book by the same name. This episode takes a roller coaster approach to Florida, and along the way the trio discusses nudist resorts, snakes, where to find dead bodies, and... well, take a listen. It's quite a ride. Links We Mentioned Welcome to Florida D...

Send us your Florida questions! Josh Gunderson, the creative mind behind the popular Oviedo Mall account on Twitter, joins the podcast to talk about mall culture in Florida, his new book, The Lamenting Mall Rats Society , and whether or not Oviedo Mall really is haunted.  Links We Mentioned  @OviedoMall on Threads The actual Oviedo Mall The Lamenting Mall Rats Society B. Dalton Booksellers Distric...

Send us your Florida questions! Jon Bortles joins Cathy and Rick to talk about Florida Tiki culture and all things Tiki.  Bahi Hut Meetup with Rick, Cathy, and Jon — April 11, 7 p.m. Links We Mentioned Tahitian Motor Lodge Tarpon Tahitian Inn Tampa Hawaiian Inn Daytona Best Western Aku Tiki Peking Palace in Clearwater Mai Kai Julian's Ormond Beach The Honu Support the show Question or comment...

Send us your Florida questions! Spring has sprung, the pollen is here, and it's time once again to talk about plants and landscaping. Eric Schmidt, the Botanical Records Specialist for Harry P. Leu Botanical Gardens, talks about a few of his favorite plant places in Florida, his experiences consulting on the Animal Kingdom and Star Wars landscaping efforts at the Walt Disney World Resort, and...

Send us your Florida questions! This week, Joe Colucci from Munyon's Paw Paw Liqueur joins the podcast to talk about his Florida-made papaya liqueur — and the fascinating Florida history behind it. Links We Mentioned Munyon Island Munyon's Paw Paw Liqueur Mai Kai The Great Outdoors in High Springs Ottos High Dive Copper Rocket Munyon Hope Association Tiki A Go Go Support the show Questio...

Send us your Florida questions!  Cathy and Rick give a whirlwind tour of botanical gardens they have loved, talk about Rick's proposal to his wife and where he hid her ring, how to pronounce anole, and where to find flamingos.  Links We Mentioned Florida Botanical Gardens Harry P. Leu Gardens Orlando Exploration Gardens Brown anoles and more about them Selby Botanical Gardens (and the George...

Send us your Florida questions! Jack Davis, the Pulitzer-winning author of The Gulf: Making of an American Sea , joins the podcast to talk about what he thinks of the Gulf of Mexico's nomenclature glow-up. The talk migrates to sea level rise, John D. MacDonald's books, and his "Gulf of Mexico" playlist. Links We Mentioned General Jesup and Lake Jesup Pork Chop Gang John D. MacD...

Send us your Florida questions! At the Florida Springs Council, the Florida Madcaps podcast host Ryan Worthington and Florida Spectacular host Cathy Salustri taped a crossover podcast in front of a live audience. Their guests are Max Chesnes, the Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter; TJ Fridrich, a biologist with Save the Manatee Club; and Federico Acevedo, of the Florida Wildlife Federation.  T...

Send us your Florida questions! Ken Breslauer joins the podcast to talk about collectible Florida ephemera, his annual Floridiana show, and his favorite roadside attractions. Links We Mentioned Floridiana Fest (Sarasota, April 11-12) Florida Attractions History Atomic Tunnel Sarasota Jungle Gardens Bongo Land Pinecrest Gardens Sunken Gardens Silver Springs Ken's Feb. 19, 2025 talk in Winter P...

Send us your Florida questions! Shana Smith joins the podcast to talk about her book, Islands of Cedars . Shana based the book on actual events, but is a well-researched book of fiction. It's a beautifully written piece of history and Shana talks about what motivated her to write the book, what happened, and what's next.  Links We Mentioned Islands of Cedars FloridaRAMA The Rosewood Mass...