Wait Five Minutes

In 1893, Florida tried and nearly failed to bring an exhibit to the World's Fair in Chicago. It was our first major foray into an international event with decades of popularity - but not the last. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read the incredible article about Florida at the Chicago World's Fair here! Read more about the 1851 World's Fair here!   All of the music was originally composed.

Follow Betty Osceola, and learn more about what's going on with the Everglades right here Learn more about the Seminole Tribe of Florida here, and the Miccosukee Tribe right here Visit the Seminole museum, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum In 1836, the first full year of the Second Seminole War, the American troops were constantly on the losing end. Using nature and speed to their advantage, the Seminoles raised hell at any opportunity. At Wahoo Swamp, things began to change. Listen to our episode about the origins of the Seminole Tribe Read more about the Battle of Wahoo Swamp here   All of the music was originally composed.

Under the tiny town of Mount Dora, Florida, there is a massive bunker, built at the height of the Cold War, designed to house a hundred people in case the worst was to occur. It remains there to this very day. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more about the bunker at Abandoned Florida and on the Mount Dora Buzz website!   All of the music was originally composed.

The Florida Legislature recently passed a bill that environmental advocates have called dangerous for the future survival of our state's black bears. This week, we dive into the bill and the arguments against it. Thank you to Bear Warriors United for their help in this week's episode! Check out more at their website. Watch the full committee where the bill was discussed here. Read the bill, HB 87 Taking of Bears, right here. Read about the frequency of black bear encounters here. Read about bears and their relationship to trash here. Read about bear encounters dropping in Seminole County here. Read the article about bear gallbladder usage here. Read the article about the bear hunting penalty here, and more on the usage of poached bear gallbladders.    All of the music was originally composed. 

Last week, we spent the day at the Florida State Legislature, and today, we're breaking down the events with Rep. Anna V. Eskamani! We dive into the complicated relationship between Republicans and Democrats, how legislators plan out their debates, and the usefulness of a can of tomato juice. Listen to last week's episode before you dive in!   Check out more from Rep. Eskamani at her website or her Instagram! Read HB 1639 about gender and sex in Florida here. Read HB 999/SB 266 about higher education here. Read the ACLU response to that bill here.   Read Rep. Eskamani's bills about student elopement and veteran benefits   All of the music was originally composed.

I shadowed Rep. Anna V. Eskamani for an entire day in January of this year, winding the hallways of our legislature, meeting politicians, sitting in on their meetings, and witnessing their debates in committees. This week, we're talking about the inner workings of life in state government, and life as a legislator in 2024. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you Rep. Anna V. Eskamani for hosting me for the day. Check out her website right here. Read House Bill 87 right here, about black bears. Read House Bill 395 right here, about historical monuments.  Read more about black bear attacks in Florida here.  Read more about driver's licenses and gender identity here.   All of the music was originally composed.

In the 1930s, St. Petersburg, Florida, became a spot for filmmakers to attempt to relaunch their career. It was a short-lived and disastrous endeavor that produced only three movies - and a new chapter in the failing career of a Hollywood legend.  Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Check out the main source for this episode, Camera Man by Dana Stevens! Read more about the history of Weedon Island! Watch Buster Keaton's movie Sherlock Jr. or watch this clip from Seven Chances discussed in today's episode!   All of the music was originally composed.

In 1956, Satchel Paige pitched in the biggest game in minor league baseball history. He was fifty years-old, the ageless wonder, making an appearance in Florida near the end of his long, storied and career. And somehow, that wasn't the end. All that, plus Miami baseball, a no-hitter record, and the surprising Cuban baseball rivalry in the 1940s. (CORRECTION: At 23:30, the year 1955 is said. In actuality, the year was 1958, as mentioned in the previous sentence.) Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here! Read more about Satchel Paige in Miami right here!   All of the music was originally composed. 

What White Publishers Won't Print by Zora Neale Hurston In 1957, The Fort Pierce Chronicle started publishing a newspaper aimed at the local Black community. Enter Zora Neale Hurston, near the end of her life, looking for a new opportunity. The rest is a history we are still looking to preserve.   Thank you to Gregory Enns of the Indian River Magazine for his help! If you have any copies of the Fort Pierce Chronicle, find out where to send it to right here!   All of the music was originally composed. 

During Prohibition, rum running had a king. Based out of Florida, with a special brand of criminal dealing, Bill McCoy became known for his truth in advertising - and his ability to avoid capture. Until he couldn't any longer. That, plus the history of rum, more musical theater references, and an invitation to Nevada. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Claire White from the Mob Museum! Check out the museum, and pay them a visit if you're ever in Las Vegas!   All of the music was originally composed.

During his farewell tour, the great showman of the West, Buffalo Bill Cody brought his show to Florida. What did the show look like, and how did it change over its four decades of existence? That, plus Annie Oakley, 1940s musicals, and one scathing review! Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Jeremy Johnston from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West! Check out their incredible museum right here! Read more about Annie Oakley in Florida right here! Read more about Bill Cody's history right here!   All of the music was originally composed.

Happy Holidays! Today we dive into a handful of stories: of rebuilt schoolhouses and holiday decor, of festive slashers and a Florida Christmas tree all our own. Thank you to the Sanibel Historic Museum and Village for having me! Thank you to Rachel Williams from the Orange County Regional History Center for her story, and for joining the show this year! Thank you to Tim Anderson from the Enzian Theater here in Orlando! Thank you to Jack Prator from the Tampa Bay Times! Read his full story about Florida Christmas trees right here!   All of the music was originally compossed.   See you on February 5th!

In Sarasota, Florida, there is a historic home, an art museum, and two buildings dedicated to the circus all in one property. We dive into the Ringling, looking for clowns and trains and the incredible history of the Greatest Show on Earth. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Check out the Ringling and plan your visit here!   All of the music was originally composed.

This week, we go searching through a stack of magazines for new faces and new stories that reveal bits of Florida's rich and complex past. Topics include Spaceship Earth, a diving fin, circus photography, Civil War veterans, Apollo 11, Florida Citrus Queens, and Henry Flagler. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more about Walter Cronkite and EPCOT here! Read more about John Hinde in Florida here! Read our friend Gabrielle Calise's article about alligators here!   I do not own the rights to the Walter Cronkite audio used in this episode. Below are links used in the episode. You are There Spaceship Earth Walter Cronkite   Unless otherwise stated, all music used in this episode is originally composed.  

After the Second Seminole War, a man came to Florida to found a town that he would name after himself. His legacy would be one of violence, but his name lasts as the predecessor to Orlando. Plus, a mystery and a surprising connection. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Rachel Williams from the History Center! Plan your trip to the Orange County Regional Historic Center here.   All of the music was originally composed. 

Happy Thanksgiving! For a special bonus episode, we're talking turkeys, bird lovers, and Florida natives.  Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   All of the music was originally composed. 

1977 was a bad year for citrus. It snowed in Miami, and by spring, a nationwide boycott equated Florida oranges with bigotry. How could the industry survive? And how did the Great Freeze lead them to this moment? Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Listen to our previous episodes about Anita Bryant right here! Orange Bird Florida's Don't Say Gay Bill Listen to our episode about The Great Freeze right here!   I do not own the rights to the Anita Bryant clip used in the episode. You can watch the whole video right here.   Unless otherwise stated, all music used in this episode is originally composed.  

This week, we talk postcards, cookbooks, and the joy of thrifting in Florida. We chat with our friend Gabrielle Calise of the Tampa Bay Times, who gives us recommendations, and shares her antique decor obsessions. Later, we uncover the fascinating history of postcard advertising style. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Gabrielle Calise for chatting us with us this week! Read more of her articles right here: For 2 decades at Bern’s Steak House, this piano man has delighted Tampa How a Florida punk rocker inspired her mom to get back onstage   All of the music was originally composed. 

Today is the first annual Wait Fright Minutes Halloween Special - stories of old ghosts, elaborate gravestones, and the residents of our many local cemeteries. Let's conjure the old Floridians between us as the veil is thin on this beautiful All Hallow's Eve. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Read more about Elizabeth Budd-Graham in the Tally Guide here! Read more about John B. Stickney in Weird US here!   All of the music and background audio was originally composed and created. 

This week, we dive deep in search of ships allegedly lost in the infamous Bermuda Triangle, in the waters just east of Florida. Michael Barnette finds ships like this - and debunks the myths that surround the ghost ships off our coast.  Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!   Thank you to Michael Barnette for his time! Check out more of his work on his History Channel show, with new episodes starting November 14th!   I do now own the rights to the movie clips played in the episode. Watch the full clips here. Discovery Of A WWII Plane (Opening Scene) | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Voyage SS Cotopaxi In The Desert | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Voyage   Unless otherwise stated, all music used in this episode is originally composed.