The Florida History Podcast

We introduce our new season on the Second Seminole War

We conclude our season on Amusement Parks and Florida in discussing EPCOT Center in the late 1990's and all the changes that turned many enthusiasts off.

We discuss the disastrous tenure of Michael Ovitz at Disney and the subsequent cost-cutting and ride-closing at the Magic Kingdom.

We pay tribute to the greatest Floridian of recent memory, Governor and Senator Bob Graham who passed away this week at the age of 87

We begin describing how Disney's amusement park business changed in the 1990's. We cover the period until the appointment of Michael Ovitz.

We discuss the opening of Universal Studios Florida in 1990 and the seismic events it created for the landscape in Central Florida.

We discuss a few other Central Florida amusement parks this week.

We discuss one of the most beloved attractions at the Magic Kingdom, the Country Bear Jamboree.

Disney is a media company and Florida wants more film and television in the state - so the simple solution is for Disney to be incentivized to build a film studio as a "third gate" on its property. However things don't go to plan as Disney itself is in a rotten period as a company.

EPCOT Center was a grand vision of Walt Disney. But the eventual park was not only not true to Walt's vision but dramatically scaled-down and over-budget from what had been planned in the 1970's. We discuss the original plans, then the plan for 30 nations in the World Showcase and where it went wrong. We also focus on Florida at the time, and how EPCOT became a grand project for the vision...

This week we discuss the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 including the popularity of some of its original attractions like its a Small World, Carousel of Progress and Country Bear Jamboree but also discuss the environmental and traffic impact of the park which angered local residents.

Walt Disney's Florida Project is thrown into doubt with Walt's untimely December 1966 passing, but brother Roy Disney keep pushing toward a 1971 opening of the Magic Kingdom. But EPCOT will have to wait.

In the first episode of our new season on Florida amusement parks, we discuss the years between 1959 and 1965 when Walt Disney began looking for a site for a second Disney park, and the process to finally arrive at a Central Florida site.

A new season of the Florida History Podcast begins next Tuesday as we take a deep dive into the history of Walt Disney World and other amusement parks in Florida.

We look at how the 3rd, 4th and 5th President interacted with Spanish Florida, from research Kartik Krishnaiyer conducted in writing his new book "The American Conquest of Florida."

We discuss the 1565 massacre of French protestants by the Spanish at the current site of Fort Matanzas.

Dr Angela Zombek joins us again to discuss and an area which she is working on a book related to - Key West in Civil War. Key West was central to union war planning and the city went through many trials and tribulations during the war as most residents were confederate sympathizers in a union-held town.

On this episode we discuss Egmont Key with Dr Angela Zombek. Here is Dr Zombek's written work on Egmont Key's history: https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2016/08/paradise-lost-floridas-egmont-key-civil-war/

We conclude our fort series by discussing the Spanish-American War fort that stimulated Miami's growth.

We discuss Fort Myers, the Third Seminole War and the unconquered Seminoles that survived FIVE attempts by the United States to conquer them or drive them west.

We discuss Fort King in Marion County and its role in the Second Seminole War.

Continuing our fort series we discuss Fort Gadsden" also know as the negro fort which was built by the British in 1812 and was the scene of the Americans slaughtering runaway African-Americans and Seminole during the First Seminole War.

Ryan Ray joins us to discuss Fort Jefferson, the latest stop on our tour of Florida forts.

Dr. Angela Zombek of UNC-Wilmington, who is one of the foremost experts on Florida and the Civil War joins us to discuss the pivotal role that Key West's Fort Taylor played in Union war planning at the very highest levels and in the Civil War in general.

We discuss Key West's Fort Taylor.