Welcome to Florida

We begin this week's episode remembering former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham who passed away recently.Our guest is Marty Fleischman who worked in the Jai-Alai industry across Florida for more than 40 years. He explains how the sport came to Florida, its rise to incredible popularity in Miami and Tampa, and the factors which have rendered it largely forgotten today.

Did you know there's oil drilling in Florida? Now you do.Our guest for this episode is archaeologist and professor in the anthropology department at USF Nancy Marie White. White researches ancient Indigenous people and cultures in the Florida Panhandle and has authored a pair of books on the subject. We're specifically discussing Indigenous mounds and middens.Visit sites along the Trail of Florida's Indigenous Heritage.

Journey along with Craig to Gilcrest Blue Springs.Our subject today is a giant of 20th century activism and equal rights: A. Philip Randolph. Randolph helped push through federal equal employment legislation, had a hand in integrating the American armed forces, and organized the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. Our guest is Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society.

Craig has a vision for the Museum of Florida History.Few people recognize the name Hamilton Disston. Our guest this episode, Josh Ginsberg, explains why Disston is essential to a complete understanding of Florida's history.

The Florida legislature has appropriated $25 million to study a problem it already knows the causes of and solutions for.Everyone knows Orlando for Disney, even though the theme park isn't inside the city limits, but there's a lot more to the Magic City than rides and tourists. Scott Maxwell has been writing for the Orlando Sentinel since 1998 and joins us to discuss the myths and realities of Orlando.

The Florida legislature is sacrificing outdoor workers to climate change.Read Florida corporate and government watchdog Jason Garcia's outstanding "Seeking Rents." The great Dave Barry joins the show this episode. His humor column ran from 1983 through 2005 in the Miami Herald. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his commentary in 1988. He's authored over 30 books, the most recent, "Swamp Story."Click here to read Craig's favorite column by Barry.

When does "permanent" have an expiration date? When the term is applied to a conservation easement in Florida.Our guest is Florida historian and author Robert Redd who's written numerous books on Florida, including two on the state's role in the Civil War.

The Florida legislature is attempting to solve climate change by ignoring it.Florida is the epicenter of right wing efforts nationally to ban books, discriminatory efforts targeting books with LGBTQ+ as well as Black and brown characters. Katie Blankenship is the Director of PEN America Florida, a new outreach effort to combat the government suppression of free expression here.More information on PEN America's Free to be Florida Network can be found here.Katie's favorite banned books:"And Tango Makes Three"Toni Morrison's "Beloved""All Boys Aren't Blue"Ripley's free book giveaway.Thanks again to all of our supporters at Patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida!

Great news for conservation in Florida starts this episode!Janet Reno is best known as being the first female U.S. Attorney General during the Clinton Administration. She was also a Floridian, born and raised in Miami. Judith Hicks Stiehm has written the definitive biography of Reno, "Janet Reno: A Life." Judith Hicks Stiehm's daughter Jamie Stiehm joins us to discuss Reno.

This episode begins in Estero Bay.Florida's geology, it's sandy surface soil, abundance of surface water and ground water, and limestone karst bedrock make it the sinkhole capital of America. Ann Tihansky studied sinkholes for many years in Florida with the U.S. Geologic Survey and put together the "Sinkholes 101" guidebook. She joins us to explain why and how sinkholes form.Graphic of water distribution on, in and above the earth. Another one.How much water there is on earth.New York Times article on America's sinking East Coast.

Members of the Florida State Legislature want to protect the rights of single use plastics.Journalist Ben Montgomery worked as a reporting duo helping expose the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, a facility with a horrifying 100 year history of torture. The story is graphic and gruesome, details we'll discuss in this episode. Additional reading on the Dozier School:https://www.quillmag.com/2019/08/05/qa-ben-montgomery-the-reporter-whose-work-led-to-colson-whiteheads-novel-the-nickel-boys/https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/04/15/search-for-dozier-truth-raises-towns-hackles/29165956007/https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2022/06/06/tiger-king-director-dozier-school-documentaryhttps://www.wmnf.org/floridas-white-house-boys-talk-about-the-promise-of-justice-for-survivors-of-the-dozier-school/

Now that his presidential campaign is over, Craig Pittman has some advice for Ron DeSantis.Warren Zanes played music with rock icon Tom Petty and was his friend for decades. He also wrote Petty's biography, "Petty: The Biography." Zanes joins us to discuss Gainesville's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

The Florida legislature is attempting to make it more difficult for home inspectors to do their jobs in securing the safety of residents moving into new construction. The era of the Johns Committee was one of the darkest in Florida's history. Stacy Braukman's book "Communists and Perverts Under the Palms: The John's Committee 1956-1965" details the political witch hunt for Communists and gays centered on the University of Florida in Gainesville. She joins us to discuss.

Developers and state politicians want to cram more homes into the Keys despite state law prohibiting them from doing so.The inaugural Florida Man Games will be held February 24, 2024, in St. Augustine. Founder Pete Melfi joins us to discuss.

A Levy County resident wants to put a sand mine on his property endangering the University of Florida's planetarium.We're discussing carnivorous plants this week with Kenny Coogan, owner of Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan nursery in Tampa specializing in carnivorous plants, and author of "Florida's Carnivorous Plants." Follow Kenny on Instagram at @crittercompanionsbykennycoogan.Anyone interested in plants should look into membership with the Florida Native Plant Society.Details on Brooker Creek Preserve which Craig mentioned.Learn more about Eatonville 1887 History Tours.

Legendary Florida author Randy Wayne White joins us for this episode to discuss how he came to Florida, making the transition from newspaper man to charter boat captain, and eventually on to becoming the New York Times bestselling writer of the Doc Ford series of novels.We'll also talk about his decision to ride out Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island and the traumas he faced for that choice in the moment and after.For more information on how Sanibel Island became a favored enclave for ex-CIA operatives, Craig has written about that story with insight from Randy.

Craig has a list of New Year's Resolutions to pass out around the state, starting with our idiot Department of Transportation secretary.Author Lu Vickers is our guest this episode. She joined us back on Episode 100 along with an original Weeki Wachee mermaid. This time, we're talking about Dick Pope, founder of Cypress Gardens.If you'd like to support the show as we enter our 5th season, you can do so by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida for just $5 per month.

When did "environmentalist" become a dirty word to Republicans?Our guest for this episode is author Jack Davis. Davis has joined us twice before to discuss the recovery of the bald eagle and the Gulf of Mexico. Check the archive for those two outstanding shows.This time, we're discussing a Florida icon, a feminist icon, a conservation icon, and an Everglades icon: Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Douglas coined the term "river of grass" to describe the Everglades, founded the Friends of the Everglades non-profit, and lived to be 108 years old. Davis wrote the definitive Marjory Stoneman Douglas biography, "An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century."Davis will be one of the Florida literary legends joining Craig at the 2024 Key West Literary Seminar January 11-14. 

A pair of proposed mega-developments in southwest Florida would prevent the Florida panther from ever expanding its numbers if approved.Critical to an understanding of Florida history is its roots as a Spanish colony, not a British colony like Georgia and South Carolina. Kevin Kokomoor is an historian and the author of "La Florida: Catholics, Conquistadores, and other American Origin Stories" published in 2023. We discuss the Spanish origins of what is now Florida.

Global Warming is causing the oceans to acidify creating an existential threat to the ocean food chain and the seafood industry and Florida politician's largely don't care.Hank Asher is the most important man you've never heard of. He's a Florida man who moved to the Sunshine State in the 70s. His life would intersect with the drug trade, the 2000 presidential election and 9/11, largely because of his work in the field of data mining. McKenzie Funk's 2023 book, "The Hank Show: How a House-Painting, Drug-Running, DEA Informant Built the Machine that Rules Our Lives."If you'd like to receive exclusive BONUS episodes of "Welcome to Florida" you can do so by becoming a podcast patron at Patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida where for only $5 per month you can support production of the show. A new episode was released in December 2023 highlighting "Our Favorite Florida," our favorite Florida state parks, books, movies, museums, big cities, small towns, musicians and more.