Welcome to Florida

Craig Pittman is taking after Ron DeSantis and "firing" people in state government he doesn't think are getting the job done. Our guest this week is flamingo researcher Tony Pernas. Pernas recently helped found the Florida Flamingos Working Group to help determine if flamingos are a native bird to Florida, or purely an exotic escapee and occasional migrant. "Welcome to Florida&...

The annual state python hunt which is open to the public wrapped up recently; Craig took a look at the efficacy of these contests for his latest "Florida Phoenix" column. This week's guest is Richard Gonzmart, fourth generation owner of the Columbia Restaurant with its original location in Ybor City . Richard explains how the two sides of his family - one from Cuba, one from Spain -...

Our episode begins with Craig's latest Florida Phoenix column on how state Republicans are trying to connect fighting climate change and transitioning to clean energy with the culture wars in order to delay action. Our guest is Florida woman Deb Rogers, author of the book "Florida Woman." The novel uses the escaped monkeys of Central Florida as a plot device. Rogers researched the m...

Florida isn't serious about water quality, if it were, it wouldn't keep allowing developers to install septic tanks. Our guest this week is Jennifer Lemmer-Posey, an author of two books about the circus as well as a curator at the Circus Museum at The Ringling in Sarasota . Jennifer tells us how the circus came to Sarasota for its winter quarters and what the future of the circus is. Thi...

Every see that "King Ranch" decal on the side of a Ford pickup truck? King Ranch is a real thing and up to no good in Florida . Our guest this week is a longtime collector of Florida related memorabilia and material culture and promoter of the annual Floridania Fest - which celebrates such things - Ken Breslauer. The Floridania Fest just passed its 30th anniversary and Ken joins us to di...

This week's episode begins with a look at how the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants will impact Florida . Our guest is historian and author Cesar Becerra who published an historical novel, "Orange Blossom 2.0," about Mary Brickell and the founding of Miami in the summer...

This week's episode is all about the St. Petersburg Pier where Craig Pittman was married! That was 30 years ago and took place at the "old" Pier, the inverted pyramid pier. This week, we're talking to Raul Quintana, St. Pete's city architect, who was instrumental in overseeing the planning, design and project management for the fabulous new St. Pete Pier which opened in su...

An innocent mistake or a devious plot to sell 18,000 acres of conservation land from under the nose of Florida residents without anyone noticing? You be the judge . Our guest this week is Florida author Rick Kilby whose latest book, "Florida's Healing Waters: Gilded Age Mineral Springs, Seaside Resorts and Health Spas,"  details an era from the state's history where wealthy nor...

This week's episode begins with details regarding the capture of the largest ever Burmese python found in Florida. To learn more about Florida's efforts to eradicate - or control - invasive pythons, search the archives for our pythons episode. A new movie about Elvis Presley hit theatres this weekend. Our guest is Bob Kealing, author of "Elvis Ignited: The Rise of an Icon in Florida...

The focus of this week's episode, John Muir, was well-known for getting outside. Taking long walks. Communing with nature. In a recent column, Craig Pittman encouraged state education officials and teachers to get kids in Florida outside , introduce them to the natural places around this state so they can better understand them, more deeply care about them, and, ultimately, more passionately...

With the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in upon us - an event which would lead to a fundamental change in American politics, society and media - we take a look at the numerous and surprising ways in which the Watergate scandal connects to Florida. Helping us do so is Garrett M. Graff, author of a new book released in 2022 sharing the full story of Watergate which goes back much further th...

Fitting for this week's episode, Craig's latest article for Flamingo Magazine centers on a fiction writer highlighting Apalachicola. Our guest is Florida historian and author Jim Clark whose latest book details Florida's astonishing literary history which dates back to the 1500s and includes Earnest Hemmingway, Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, Zora Neale Hurston, Marjorie Kinnan Ra...

What "resiliency" and Florida's fight against rising sea levels and climate change means to you and what it means to Ron DeSantis are likely two very different things. Craig examined the governor's narrow, contractor-first approach to "resiliency" in a recent column . Our guest today is Panayotis (Paddy) League , Assistant Professor of Musicology and Director of the C...

Yes, Florida has black bears, and yes, people are the greatest threat to their survival. We begin this week's episode with Craig Pittman's latest column which digs into bears, and bear poaching, in Florida. With hurricane season starting June 1, our guest this week is Eliot Kleinberg , author of "Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928." The 1928 "Okeechobee Hurri...

Summer may be the off season for tourists in Sarasota, but that doesn't mean there isn't a great deal to see and do. The Summer season in Sarasota begins with Savor Sarasota restaurant week were the county's best restaurants showcase their most adventurous items at deeply discounted prices. All of the restaurants, attractions, activities and events mentioned in this episode can be f...

For our 100th episode of "Welcome to Florida" we finally discuss perhaps the most Florida thing of all, the Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids. Now a state park , Weeki Wachee Springs has a colorful history we learn all about from one of the very first class of mermaids at the park, Mary Fletcher, and mermaid historian and author, Lu Vickers . This week's episode is presented by Visit Sa...

As much as Florida is recognized nationally and internationally for our tourist attractions and cities - Disney, Universal, Miami, Orlando - an equally important, and increasingly imperiled part of the state is rural, natural, farmland and small towns. That part of Florida is our focus this week. Our guests are Bridget Bihm-Manuel, Collections Coordinator for Florida History, and Hank Young, Princ...

This week's episode begins with the love/hate relationship present day Florida inspires. The 70th annual Florida Folk Festival takes place this Memorial Day at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. Panama City Beach native Del Suggs has been performing at the Festival for almost 40 years and visiting longer than that. We discuss Florida folk music, Jimmy Buffett...

The 2022 season of "Welcome to Florida" has been about uncovering forgotten stories. We continue today as the anniversary of the Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge collapses approaches. On May 9, 1980, a container ship was blown off course by a freak weather system and into a piling of the Tampa Skyway Bridge. The collision caused a span of the bridge to collapse, sending 35 travelers over the edge...

Craig got into with the governor and his press secretary on Twitter over Ron DeSantis' refusal to appoint African American candidates to the state's Water Management District Boards. Before the famous Mariel Boat Lift, 600,000 Cuban exiles immigrated to Florida following Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba in 1959. David Powell sought out these immigrants and allowed them to tell t...

Another week, another proposal for a new toll road tearing through a protected natural area to service a new housing development. This week's guest is Steve Carr an authority on The Ashley Gang which operated in the Palm Beach County area during the 1910s and early 20s. The Elliott Museum in Stuart recently opened a permanent exhibition detailing the exploits of The Ashley Gang with the help...

We start this week's episode exposing a developer with close ties to Ron DeSantis - uncomfortably close - wanting to use his political connections to force new roads and houses in Volusia Country, right over top of a protected wetland . Our guest this week is Michael Phillips, Keeper of the House at the House of Refuge in Stuart , the last House of Refuge still standing in Florida. This week&...

When developers in northeast Florida couldn't buy their candidate onto a conservation board, they conspired to do away with the boards all together, statewide. Another remarkable example of democracy rolling back in Florida. Our guest this week is University of North Florida in Jacksonville archaeologist Keith Ashley who is leading an effort to "rediscover" the Timucua/Mocama commun...

This week's episode begins with Craig discussing a failure on behalf of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to do its job and protect our springs . Our guest is Florida author Tyler Gillespie who's 2021 book, "The Thing About Florida," attempts to answer that unanswerable question: "What's with Florida?" Gillespie is gay and grew up in the Southern...

Our episode begins with a takedown by Craig Pittman of the Governor and state legislature for their  inaction on protecting manatee . Our guest is recently retired Florida Supreme Court Director of Communications Craig Waters. Waters was the public spokesperson for the Court during its most high profile cases including the recount of 2000 presidential election. Follow the Florida Supreme Court on...