Wait Five Minutes

On one night in 1991, the whole world had their eyes focused on the Tampa Stadium. What followed was fear, excitement, patriotism, and one of the most famous Super Bowl endings in all of football history. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   Watch Whitney Houston's National Anthem perf...

In this bonus episode, we take a walk through the Sanford Museum with their curator, Brigitte Stephenson, as we discuss all of the figures who passed through this town, from the founder's family to Zora Neale Hurston, from TV magicians to world-famous boxing coaches.  Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  w...

Content Warning: This episode briefly discusses racial violence. For the 100th episode of Wait Five Minutes, we explore the vibrant and complicated history of Sanford, one of the most important cities in Central Florida, where Florida's history can be painted with broad strokes through the story of just one town.  Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wai...

While the War for Independence raged in New England, the duel colonies of East and West Florida were caught in the middle. With Spain looking to take back land, and a band of marauders making their way down the Mississippi River, the land that would be Florida braced for the oncoming storm. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebo...

Between towns, on a strip highway along the Atlantic Coast, a lonely statue denotes one of the most significant events in Florida history. That is if you can find it. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   Read more about GTM Reserve and their work right here!   Songs Work Wonders Blackb...

In our first annual Wait Five Minutes Holiday Special, we are joined by past guests to share tales of iguanas, oranges, massive decorations, freak snowstorms, and holiday miracles. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   Check out the work from our guests this week here! See what's happen...

Content Warning: This episode includes conversations about racism and homophobia, and a brief mention of suicide.  For eleven years, the Johns Committee perpetuated a reign of terror across the state of Florida. With the Red Scare and the Lavender Scare, the lives of thousands of Floridians were affected, just as McCarthyism and segregation were dying out across the country. Follow Wait Five Minut...

For nearly twenty years, a group of conservative Democrats ruled Florida's legislature with impunity. When segregation began to end in 1954, the group rallied their allies and power in order to survive, only to find enemies around every corner. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   Than...

Slipping through the neighborhoods of Florida, from the Panhandle to the Everglades, is the Florida Trail, one of many national scenic trails in the country. Protected by volunteers and connected with communities, the Trail is easily one of the most unique conservation efforts in the Sunshine State. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes...

During the American Civil War, the town of Palatka was a vital port along the St. Johns River. As paranoia ran through the city, one woman and her sisters spied for the enemy and, in the end, brought a Confederate captain to an unlikely victory. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   Che...

In the wake of Hurricane Michael, scientists grappled with all the ways that climate change could affect our forests. One tree, the longleaf pine, faced total devastation and, if not for the work being done to preserve it, the tree may stand on the brink of oblivion. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wf...

Check your polling location and more information in Florida here!   Governor Reubin Askew spent his entire career advocating for total government transparency. When our courts had failed us, and the legislature ignored him, Askew went to the Florida electorate and asked them to join the fight. What happened next changed our elections forever. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Mi...

Check your polling location and more information in Florida here! On the night of Halloween, 2001, the Mayor of Inglis drafted a memorandum banishing Satan from her town. What followed was a media fiasco. What was ignored was all the real terrors that haunted a small town in Florida that were just out of sight. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait F...

Check your polling location and more information in Florida here! Across Florida, people face the scourge of the brown recluse bite. There's only one problem: there are (almost) no brown recluses in our state. The bountiful eight-legged creatures in our homes and wilderness face many problems, but perhaps the most prominent, is the myths that surround their very existence. Follow Wait Five Minutes...

Check your polling location and more information in Florida here! The oldest marked grave in Florida is of a kid with an unremarkable history. She is surrounded by the graves of some of the single most important individuals in the history of St. Augustine, Cuba, Haiti, Florida and the whole of American history. Some markers have been lost, and names forgotten, by Tolomato Cemtery holds them all th...

Check out your voting status at Vote.org! Register to vote in Florida! 1992. George H.W. Bush vs. Bill Clinton (vs. Ross Perot). The last blip in our record. Hurricane Andrew leaves its impact on South Florida, as well as the presidential race. A third-party candidate dents the other two parties, and Florida officially becomes a swing state. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Min...

Check out your voting status at Vote.org! Register to vote in Florida! 1960. Richard Nixon vs. John F. Kennedy. The first blip in our record. The nation is on the edge of major change with the 1960s on the horizon. The Space Race looms large, with an odd impact on Florida's contentious election. When the race is called, Key Biscayne becomes a place for peace. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Fo...

Check out your voting status at Vote.org! Register to vote in Florida! 1924. Calvin Coolidge vs. John W. Davis. The losing streak ends. As the Great Depression looms on the horizon, America splits into factions deciding the future of American prosperity. In Florida, the Prohibition Party finds a surprising foothold.  Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow...

Where did our state's name come from? Why is our collective memory so short? Will we ever have the answers to all the questions in our history? Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   Start Season 4 from the beginning with our premiere! Florida's State Song   Check out the books recommend...

Marjorie Harris Carr spent the last years of her life battling a dam along the river she loved so dearly. When a fierce politician pulled out all the stops to defeat her, both sides brought everything they had. The result today is a complicated but beautiful string of protected land that stretches from the St. John's River to the Gulf of Mexico. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five...

The federal government has tried many times to create a canal through Florida. When they finally got their way, more than just the environment paid the price. To make a path for their grand plans, a small town in Marion County made up of Black residents was intentionally wiped out of existence. This is their story. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wa...

A repeated anthem, a shared loaf of bread, and a twisted myth of pirates and islands. These tales are all parallels to other stories from this season, from Sanibel to Ybor City. Now, as we reach the end of summer, let's dive into some of the other stories of name origins, familiar tunes, and time with friends. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Fi...

In 1915, human remains were found in a freshly dug canal near Vero. As scientists flocked to the site to seek out answers, controversy soon followed. The conflicts twisted into a knot, and a century would pass before an answer was finally discovered. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !...

Fifty years after Henry Flagler died, the railroad company he founded was at war. With a labor strike raging, and anonymous attacks against the tracks mounting every day, officials searched for an answer before things became deadly.   Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on Facebook Email the show at  wfmpod@gmail.com !   The photograph...

Today is the Two Year Anniversary of Wait Five Minutes, and to celebrate, we are taking a podcast holiday to the beautiful Sanibel Island. This city, mostly conserved land, took decades to develop. Today, it is a vibrant, unique community with an endlessly rich history and a story all its own.   Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait Five Minutes on F...