Chadd Scott Podcasts

You can't tell the story of Florida without the story of Hurricane Andrew. That's what we're doing on this episode with the help of longtime University of Miami professor, Hurricane Andrew survivor, and author of "In the Eye of Hurricane Andrew," Eugene Provenzo. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products, a Florida small business and …

We start the episode discussing the "Path of the Panther" documentary which you can see now on Disney+. Our guests are authors Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal whose book "A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save our Vanishing Birds" takes special interest in the Florida Seaside Sparrow. Follow the Gyllenhaal's on their blog, flyinglessons.us. On this ep…

At "Welcome to Florida" we love celebrating Florida's ecology and wild animals as well as educating and introducing people to the same. That is much the same mission as the Florida Master Naturalist program. If you love this podcast, chances are, you'd be interested in taking one or more of their courses. Jeanne Murphy from Sensing Nature ecotours …

Lawn "care" giant TruGreen used its bought and paid for Florida legislators to sneak through a provision in the state budget forbidding cities and counties from regulating the use of fertilizer in summer months, fertilizer often spread by TruGreen, fertilizer which contains phosphorous and leads to blue-green algae blooms and the poisoning of Flori…

Another episode, another example of trouble with the water in Florida. Our guest is Florida native, author, historian and professor Sara McNamara whose recently published book, "Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South," details how the enclave of Cuban migrants evolved through the years and how it is distinguished from Cuban communities in Miami. I…

This week's episode takes us back to 1998 when wildfires ravaged Florida. Our guest is Florida State professor, journalist, author and 8th generation Tallahassee resident Diane Roberts. Her book, "Dream State: Eight Generations of Swamp Lawyers, Conquistadors, Confederate Daughters and other Wildlife" details her family's history across the backdro…

The state's elected officials continue ignoring the causes of climate change to the peril of everyone living in Florida. This week's episode focuses on oysters and a new documentary from a pair of native Floridians about the collapse of oyster reefs globally, Apalachicola Bay in particular. We mentioned the Chiles Hospitality Group's conservation e…

We discuss Florida's water quality problems in almost every episode of the show. Here's a new one: lead pipes. Did you know Florida receives only 5% of its electricity from solar power? Not good for the Sunshine State. That's why we receive an "F" from the Center for Biological Diversity when it comes to solar generation. Our guest this episode is …

Following the terrible manatee die off in 2021, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to take the drastic measure of supplementing the mammals' diet with human provided lettuce. How is the program working? Speaking of manatee, the reason they're dying is because blue green algae blooms …

What is ESG? It's Florida Republicans latest effort to distract from the spiraling living conditions in the state created under their watch by scaring white voters into believing a "woke agenda" threatens their way of life. This week's episode centers on Eatonville, the first all-Black town in America, incorporated in 1887. Craig recently focused o…

Runaway, reckless development in Florida not only threatens the state's beautiful land, but its sky as well. Our guest is Julie Albert, right whale conservation program coordinator for the Marine Resources Council. To volunteer for whale watching, contact the Marine Resources Council above, or the Blue World Research Institute here. Information on …

A state legislator wants to take away the ability to manage water quality from local governments and give it to the state because the current law disadvantaged his nephew. Seriously. Our guest this episode is Zach Zacharias, history curator at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach. He recalls for us the story of the discovery of The Dayt…

Martin Luther King Jr.'s time in St. Augustine, and St. Augustine's central place in the Civil Rights Movement, are among the most important and least discussed aspects of Florida history and civil rights history. There are obvious and surprising reasons for that. Flagler College history professor and civil rights author Michael Butler helps us und…

Advocates for Florida Springs had to take the state Department of Environmental Protection to court for the terrible job its been doing protecting the state's drinking water from polluters. This week's guest Bob Kealing has joined us before to talk about Tupperware and Elvis. His latest book, "Good Day Sunshine State: How the Beatles Rocked Florida…

Florida's State Attorney General is a villainous political hatchet queen. As Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried was the last Democrat elected to a statewide office in Florida. We discuss the role of the state Agriculture Department from concealed carry firearm permits to state forests, invasive species, gasoline and Big Sugar. Fried was elected …

This episode begins in Eatonville, home of Zora Neale Hurston, where, not surprisingly, developers are up to no good. Our guest is lifelong Pensacola resident and longtime Pensacola newspaper reporter and editor Carl Wernicke. We discuss Pensacola's past, present and future, Matt Gaetz, what he loves about Pensacola, and how the city is, and isn't,…

This episode tackles one of the most confusing eras in Florida history, a critically important series of events, but one little acknowledged or studied: the Seminole Wars. There were three Seminole Wars, the first in the 18-teens and the final in the 1850s. Our guest is Joe Knetsch, historian and author of numerous Florida history books with an emp…

A treat today as Miami born, bred and based documentary filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman join the show. Corben is the director and Spellman the producer for Rakontur, their company which has produced such favorites as "Cocaine Cowboys" and "The U." Their latest project, "God Forbid" begins with a pool boy at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Mi…

This episode begins with a rare conservation win in Florida against development. Savor the flavor. Our guest is author, historian and professor emeritus in anthropology at Florida A&M University John Foster. Foster has written numerous books on early Florida tourism and Harriet Beecher Stowe's role in it. We discussed Harriet Beecher Stowe at the M…

This episode of "Welcome to Florida" begins in Stuart. Our guest this week is author and historian Gary Mormino. Gary's most recent book, published in 2022, is titled "Dreams in the New Century: Instant Cities, Shattered Hopes and Florida's Turning Point." The book covers Florida in the first decade of the new millennium where an extraordinary sequ…

The governor is touting his environmental record again, to which Craig Pittman cries foul. Follow Chadd Scott's travel writing at "My Favorite Florida." Our guest this week is Marshall Jon Fisher, author of "Seventeen and Oh: Miami, 1972 and the NFL's Only Perfect Season." Fisher was a 9-year-old living in Miami in 1972 following the Dolphins succe…

Craig's dad died recently and he shares a story about his father's work which would eventually dovetail into his own. Our guest this week is author and historian Jim Clark whose book "Red Pepper and Gorgeous George: Claude Pepper's Epic Defeat in the 1950 Democratic Primary" introduces us to a giant of 20th century Florida history. State rep, U.S. …

"Welcome to Florida" Season 4 begins with an extraordinary Florida adventure! Warren Richey paddled a sea kayak around Florida.By Chadd Scott

On January 1, 1923, dubious claims of a sexual assault from a white woman against an unidentified Black man in the small community of Rosewood between Gainesville and Cedar Key set off a sequence of events that would leave untold numbers of people killed and Rosewood burned to the ground. The event was completely forgotten and erased, except by tho…

Our episode begins with a trip to Warm Mineral Springs. Our guest is Kathryn Ziewitz, co-author of "Green Empire: The St. Joe Company and the Remaking of Florida's Panhandle." The St. Joe Company, a legacy of the Dupont empire, at one point possessed 5% of all the land in Florida along with banks and railroads. It was run from Jacksonville with an …

Craig Pittman is ON YOUR SIDE! Our guest is Florida Times-Union columnist Mark Woods. Find Mark's book, "Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks." In the episode we discuss: Jacksonville consolidation Axe Handle Saturday Norman Studios Mandarin MuseumBy Chadd Scott

One of America's worst polluters resides in Escambia County in the Panhandle. Florida has a rich tradition of surfing which we're focusing on in this episode with Tom Warnke, a longtime Florida surfer and founding member of the Surfing Florida Museum. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com the world's leading online retailer of …

Looking for (more) undeniable proof of climate change and how Florida's current approach to "resiliency" is inadequate? Look to sea turtles. Our guest this week is the former longtime food critic at the Miami Herald, 1st generation Cuban and now host at WLRN radio in South Florida, Carlos Frias. Our subject: croquetas.…

This episode's subject is Trapper Nelson, the Wildman of the Loxahatchee, the Tarzan of Florida. Our guest is historian and author James Snyder who lives on the Loxahatchee River not far from where Trapper Nelson did. Snyder wrote a book about Nelson, "Life and Death on the Loxahatchee," which he describes as "part biography, part murder mystery." …

What environmental problems would Craig Pittman like to see Ron DeSantis address in his second term as governor? These ones. Craig's not holding his breath. Our guest this week is Clay Henderson. His new book, "Forces of Nature: A History of Florida Land Conservation" details the century-plus effort to conserve land in Florida for nature, recreatio…

This week's episode publishes on election day so if it takes you a while to get around to listening, we understand. Founded in 1947, Everglades National Park celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Our guest this episode, James Kushlan, is a former Everglades researcher and author of the book, "Everglades National Park." He's also written books …

You can't see it, but you can smell it, and the problem is becoming worse with each successive storm in Florida: wastewater and sewage discharges. Our guest this week was born in Russia and currently lives in Miami Beach. Anastasia Samoylova is a photographer who traveled the state recording what she saw and has shared those images in a new book ti…

Craig Pittman was recently invited by the New York Times to write an opinion column regarding Ron DeSantis' approach to combating climate change. It's a topic he has covered regularly at the Florida Phoenix. While better known for their connections to Macon, Georgia, the Allman Brothers were a Florida band, with brothers Duane and Gregg growing up …

When it comes to homeowners in Florida and hurricane damage, it's buyer beware. Our guest is Ralph Krugler, historian at the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse and Florida barefoot mailman historian. The Barefoot Mailmen operated in the late 19th century walking the mail to residents along the Florida frontier on the east and west coasts of the state. Here…

A vote for Ron DeSantis is a vote for more Hurricane Ian's. Craig explains. This episode's guest is Samantha Chapman, a professor of biology at Villanova University and a researcher of mangroves around the world, but particularly in Florida. Craig relied on her expertise in a previous story he wrote about how climate change is increasingly allowing…

Developers and road builders want to plow through a state forest in the Panhandle to bring more people to the Gulf Coast. Patrick Smith wrote "A Land Remembered" in 1984. The historical fiction novel followed a Florida cracker family as it entered the state in the 1850s and successive generations went on to build a fortune here through ranching, ci…

How do land developers almost always get what they want in Florida even if state law or local residents don't support them? Bribes. Our guest this episode is David Sloan, Key Lime pie researcher, author, baker and founder of the Key Lime festival in Key West. David's newest Key Lime book, "Key Lime Pie: An Intriguing History of Key West's Native De…

County officials in Sarasota have amended their COMP plan to allow for greater development into rural areas. Our guest is historian and Miami native and resident Paul S. George. George wrote the definitive account of the wild environment of land speculation which took place in Miami during the early 1920s, resulting in the first of many Florida lan…

Florida's history of racial violence is examined in this episode. Our guest is Tameka Hobbs, Executive Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute at Edward Waters University. She authored the book "Democracy Abroad, Lynching at Home: Racial Violence in Florida" and lectures on this topic through the Florida Humanities. Among the numerous critical…

Twelve years of work attempting to find common ground between developers and conservationists in southwest Florida goes down the drain because the developers cheaped out. Our gest this week is Moni Basu who visited the Spiritualist community in Cassadaga and wrote about her experience for Flamingo Magazine. What Basu found differs greatly from adve…

The Gas and Oil Party (GOP), wants Floridians to believe that it's possible to both promote drilling in the Gulf of Mexico AND protect Florida beaches from the inevitability of oil spills which is, of course, ridiculous. This week's guest is Jamin Wells a professor and researcher at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Wells is helping lead…

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…

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…

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 p…

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 an…

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 …

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 fou…

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. Pet…

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…

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 Igni…