Welcome to Florida

Craig Pittman surveyed a variety of Florida water experts with advice for the dictator about his algae problem. In the 1940s, 50's, and 60's, bald eagle populations nationally were collapsing. The poison DDT, widely used in crop dusting, was eventually determined to be the culprit. A retired man in Florida, Charles Broley , banded bald eagles throughout mid-century; his research was esse...

Invasive Burmese pythons continue swallowing the Everglades while the state wastes money on concentration camps. Ma Barker and one of her sons engaged federal agents in an hours-long gunfight near Ocala in the 1930s. Wayne Hughes is a tour guide at the Ma Barker House and tells us the story. "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to your Florida Conservation Newsletter, a...

A species of moth thought to be extinct was r ediscovered by researches in Florida . Florida's role in the American Revolution is little known or discussed. That is our topic for this episode with historian David Head . "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.

Our friend Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents" takes a first look at everything wrong with the legislature and governor's proposed property tax break. Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli joins us on this episode to talk about the old wrecking industry that made Key West one of the wealthiest cities in America at the turn of the 19th century. "Welcome to Florida" patrons rec...

The state is about to miss a critical deadline by which it was supposed to have cleaned up water flowing out of the Big Sugar plantations into the Everglades. Join Craig, Chadd and Jason Garcia from the "Seeking Rents" podcast for their next live, in-person event June 12th at Happy Medium Books Cafe in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville. The event is free and begins at 6:30. RSVP...

Seafood dealers, commercial fisherman, and conservationists came together to stop the governor's reckless plan to extend the recreational red snapper fishing season. Independent local journalism is a pillar of democracy. American democracy has evaporated in conjunction with a rapid decline of local media sources in the past 25 years. One of those local media sources in Florida, The Gabber new...

Florida didn't always used to be this way. Unregulated development. Runaway sprawl. Developers controlling the state. What happened ? Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15 (all of Nassau and parts of Duval counties). "Welcome to Florida's" next live event comes Friday, June 12th, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at Happy Medium Bookstore Cafe in Jacksonville ! It's...

What should be done with the site when the Everglades concentration camp closes? Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15 (Nassau and parts of Duval counties). Diego Waisman spent years visiting and photographing South Florida's mobile home parks. He produced a book from the experience titled "Sunset Colonies: A Visual Elegy to South Florida's Mobile Home Communities...

Jason Garcia hosts the "Seeking Rents" podcast and writes the "Seeking Rents" Substack newsletter . Both investigate government corruption in Florida. Both are essential for Floridians interested in state government and politics. This episode was recorded at Tombolo Books in St. Pete in advance of our first co-hosted live event.

Martin County wants to prevent a slaughterhouse from being built there. The state says it doesn't have a say in the matter . Another example of state overreach crushing home rule. Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15 (Nassau and parts of Duval County) on a platform of equity, the environment, and public education. See "Welcome to Florida" and Jason Garcia from th...

Join "Welcome to Florida" along with Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents" for our first in-person event. May 7 we'll be at Tombolo Books in St. Pete and May 9, we'll be at Austin's Coffee in Winter Park. Full details and RSVP here! Chadd Charland is running for Florida State House in District 15 (Nassau and parts of Duval counties). Follow his campaign . The Suwanee...

Join Craig, Chadd, and Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents" Thursday, May 7, from 7:00-8:30 PM at Tombolo Books in St. Pete and on Saturday, May 9, from 3:00-5:00 PM at Austin's Coffee in Winter Park for our FIRST EVER LIVE PODCAST meet-and-greets! Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15. Learn more . Our guests this episode are archaeologists and anthropologists Uzi B...

BIG NEWS!  "Welcome to Florida" is hosting our first ever in-person events along with Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents!" Thursday, May 7, from 7:00-8:30 PM at Tombolo Books in St. Pete. Saturday, May 9, from 3:00-5:00 PM at Austin's Coffee in Winter Park. PLEASE come out and say "hi" if you're in the area. MORE BIG NEWS! Chadd Scott is running for State Hous...

Not satisfied with simply being a dictator, Donald Trump allowed for the convening of the Endangered Species Committee "God Squad" at the behest of Secretary of War Crimes Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has declared a phony-baloney "national security emergency" that he says should preempt off-shore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act regulations. The regime&ap...

Craig found a villainous Floridian who thinks his interest in building a home is more important than the survival of Florida scrub jays. Our topic this episode is guavas . Joining us in guava farmer and historian Jorge J. Zaldivar. "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.

The state legislature passed laws preventing Florida municipalities from pursuing clean energy. Mobster Charlie Wall ran Tampa in the 20s and 30s . Author and journalist Paul Wilborn researched Wall's life for a fictionalized version of it he wrote titled " The Everlasting Life of Charlie Wall." "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly conservati...

Florida U.S. Representative Cory Mills is one of the most unscrupulous politicians and businesspeople in the state, or nation. Colonial history in what is now Florida typically revolves around the Spanish, but for a period between the 1760s and 1780s, the English occupied the state. Andrew Turnbull tried establishing a British-style plantation in the New Smyrna Beach area with disastrous results....

The Florida State Legislature continues breaking state law and disobeying the will of the people by defunding the Florida Forever land conservation buying program . Our guest for this episode is geologist and author Hilary Flower who has written a new book about Everglades Snail Kites, "The Kite and the Snail: An Endangered Bird, its Unlikely Prey, and a Story of Hope in a Changing World.&quo...

Fifteen miles south of Tallahassee, one of Florida's most magnificent springs can be found: Wakulla Springs. Kellie Keys is a professor in the Communications Department at Florida State University working with FSU researchers at Wakulla Springs to help tell the story about what they're learning.

Big Sugar is leaning on the legislature to make it so people can't badmouth their product. Big ag is leaning on the legislature to make it ok to graze cows on state land including state parks. An unscrupulous business owner and lax Department of Environmental "Protection" contributed to a catastrophic fire in Dunnellon .  If you've ever been to Lakeland, perhaps you've see...

Spring Training has marked the end of winter in Florida for more than 100 years. Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Greg Maddux, and today's stars have begun their legendary seasons and careers in places like Sarasota, Dunedin, Vero Beach, and Clearwater. On this episode, longtime southwest Florida newspaperman Glenn Miller , w...

Florida continues to promote unfettered growth without paying attention to the water demands of all those new people and businesses.  Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Vero Beach was the first site in a program that now features nearly 600 locations. Paul Tritiak was the former refuge manager at Pelican Island and tells us how the refuge came to be. "Welcome to Florida" patrons...

The Florida State Legislature continues its rich tradition of doing the bidding of powerful corporate interests , this time - not for the first time - Mosaic mining company. Carrie Sue Ayvar is a professional storyteller who embodies Dr. Anna Darrow, the 2nd ever female doctor in Florida, in programs around the state. Darrow was referred to as the Swamp Doctor for her work with residents in the Ev...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement goons are murdering American citizens in Minneapolis, running concentration camps around the country - including Florida - and increasing their terror campaign in and around Orlando. The mission of ICE is to abuse Brown people, strike fear into their communities, and retrench white supremacy.  Anthropologist and Puerto Rican/Hattian American Simone Delerme spent...

Craig has identified what he believes to be the single worst piece of proposed legislation for the upcoming session of the Florida State Legislature. Chadd's vote goes to the "Blue Ribbon Project" scheme . Abbott Kahler is an author and investigative reporter. Her September of 2025 "Vanity Fair" article revealed the true identity - the Florida identity - behind an author w...