Wait Five Minutes

Andrew Jackson is the only governor of Florida to ever become President of the United States - though he was never elected governor. His run for president was unique, and the fallout changed the shape of American politics for the ensuing two-hundred years.  Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read the account of the six men who were allegedly...

The title of this show was originally written by Mark Twain. Except it wasn't. Mark Twain was born in Florida. Except he wasn't. In this week's FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, we explore Mark Twain, the mystery of his quotes, and unpredictability of Florida weather. Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more of the investigation into Mark Twain and...

In Miami, in 1995, a surprise intruder of the Florida Panthers arena before a hockey game left a mark - literally - on the franchise. When the Panthers made a run to the playoffs in 2023, a different animal was a part of their celebration: rats. Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more about the Panthers and the Rat Trick in this article...

If you have questions about how, exactly, the state legislature works, this episode is for you. This week, we have a wide-ranging chat Florida House Representative Anna V. Eskamani! We talk voting on bills, arguing with colleagues, performative politics, and snacks on the House floor. Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Listen to our previous...

In the 1960s, a chain of motels opened its first location in Orlando. Over the ensuing decades, it would become a hub of art, culture and community that brought many international fame. How? It begins in 1962... Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Rachel Williams from the History Center! Plan your trip to the Orange County Region...

Francis P. Fleming was only governor of Florida for four years, but his impact during his lifetime lasts to this very day. You may not know his name, but he perpetuated an untruth of Florida history that has changed the narrative of Florida and our relationship to the Civil War for the l ast century. Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank...

This week, we continue our exploration of Sanibel Island after Hurricane Ian by going to their national wildlife refuge. We chat with Toni Westland about the birds, the tortoises, the flowers, and the surprising discovery they made a mile island. Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Toni Westland for her help on this episode! Plan...

It's been a little over nine months since Category 5 Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sanibel Island. We paid the village, and its museum, a visit, and found what was lost - and what was evolving on the little old island. Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Celina Kersh for her help on this episdoe! Plan your visit for the Sanibel...

Throughout the 1970s, a train ran from Chicago to Miami that was noted for its "tortured existence". One of many trains that ran from the North to Florida, the Floridian was fraught with troubles and nostalgia.  Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more about Route 66 here! Read more about the Floridian and Amtrak here!   I do not own th...

This week, we go back and catch up with some stories from this season, stories about protestors turned senators, a home run rivalry, moving a house of a river, and more stories from this past season! Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Listen to the episodes mentioned in this episode! The Gainesville Eight Babe Ruth's Longest Home Run was in...

In Washington, D.C. in 1971, a massive protest changed the way the Vietnam War was discussed in the country. In Florida in 1972, a group of Vietnam veterans found a new way to make an impact in the anti-war movement. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read the book that inspired this episode: MAYDAY 1971 by Lawrence Roberts Read more about...

During the Vietnam War, as the United States grappled with the various tensions throughout the 60s into the 70s, Florida students joined the cause. Protests around universities impacted leaders - and the ripple effects are felt to this day. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Watch the documentary on May Day 1971 - a clip from this documenta...

After the Wright brothers launched their first flight in 1903, a rich adventurer took up the task on the shores of Florida, launching an aircraft in Stuart, Florida that he named, what else, but the Pelican. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Plan your visit to the Elliott Museum here! Read more about Hugh Willoughby here, from our main sou...

This week, we're back with our friend Dr. Loraé Simpson of the Florida Oceanographic Society, visiting the seagrass nursery, where this unique type of plant is grown and eventually planted in the Indian River Lagoon in order to help the lagoon survive - and save the other species within. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Dr. L...

In 1922, a young man from North Dakota wound up dead in a turpentine labor camp. His family wanted answers, and what followed was a fundamental change to the Florida justice system. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more about Martin Tabert's death in this article Read more about the fallout of Tabert's death here   All of the music w...

Listen to our first trip with Lilly Anderson-Messec right here! For Spring Break this week, we dive headfirst back into the woods, searching for a tree on the brink of extinction, finding scars of war and pesky insects on the trip. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Lilly Anderson-Messec for her help on this episode! Follow Lil...

This week, on our first Spring Break trip of 2023, we travel to Gainesville, for pizza, a movie, and a trip into the Devils Millhopper State Park. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   A bunch of episodes were referenced this week! Check them out here. The Devil Went Down to Florida The Civilian Conservation Corps A Walk in Paynes Prairie Cros...

At Plant Field in Tampa, a marker notes the location of Babe Ruth's longest home run of his career - but is it truly his longest homer? Find out how Babe made it to Tampa, and how the Curse of the Bambino began.  Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read about Babe Ruth and the Great Influenza of 1918 here! Read about Babe Ruth in Tampa here!...

On February 15th, 1933, President-Elect FDR was in Miami giving a speech in Bayfront Park. A gunman opened fire in his direction, and history can only imagine what almost was. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Dr. David Woolner for his help with this episode! Pick up your copy of his book about FDR's last 100 days right here!...

Listen to last year's episode about Zora Neale Hurston this week! In the winter of 1933, Zora Neale Hurston was out of options, trying to relaunch her career after leaving New York. A career opportunity came not far from her hometown, and what followed would change American literature forever.  Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you t...

This year, we head to St. Augustine with my family to explore the Night of Lights, watch a holiday boat parade, and sing some carols to ring in the holiday season and the New Year! Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   I do not own the rights to the performance of White Christmas by The Carpenters. You can listen to the full song here.   Unles...

This summer, I took a trip to Augusta, Georgia, in search of answers about the bricks lining the streets of my hometown in Florida. What I found was connections to dozens of other cities - and a few new friends. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read Bill Baab's article about the Augusta Block bricks here! Read Bill Baab's retirement annou...

In the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Florida became a huge part of America's preparation for World War II. From U-boats on our shores, to D-Day itself, Florida was on the frontline of history. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Explore the history of Pearl Harbor here Read about Bird Island here Read about the Gulfamerica her...

Listen to our episode about the Artemis Program here! In 1963, to honor JFK, President Johnson renamed Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy. What would follow would be a decade of complaints and strongly worded letters - until finally change came. Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Listen to the who...

Before Amalie Arena was built in Tampa, the Tampa Bay Lightning played three seasons in the Thunderdome - which we know today as Tropicana Field. How'd they get there, and what were those early games like? Get your WFM Merch at  Cast & Clay Co.  on Etsy! Go to the  Wait Five Minutes website  for more! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   I do not own the rights to the clip from the NHL used...