Best selling author, award winning reporter and Florida native Craig Pittman is joined by radio personality and Florida transplant Chadd Scott to discuss the state's history, people, politics, environment, animals, current events and weirdness. You'll hear great storytelling and have great fun in each weekly episode.
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Florida's estuaries are warming faster than the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean. Doug Alderson kayaked down the Kissimmee River twice, once in 2007 and again in 2024. He wrote about those experiences as well as the river's historic importance to Florida, it's channelizing in the 1960s, and restoration efforts to renaturalize it beginning in the 19…
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When is protected land not really protected? When it's in Florida. A.E. "Bean" Backus (1906-1990) is one of Florida's most esteemed artists. While best known today in connection to the Florida Highwaymen, Backus was an exceptional artist in his own right. J. Marshall Adams, executive director at the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery in Fort Pierce joi…
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Encouraging news for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, the most endangered bird species on mainland America. A pair of notorious Florida villains have died. Norma Padgett Upshaw who falsely accused "The Groveland Four" of rape, and William Calley, Jr. a U.S. Army officer convicted for his role in 1968's My Lai Massacre in Vietnam. Our guest today is…
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Episode 215: Chokoloskee Island's Smallwood Store
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The right wing's gameplan for a second Trump administration is laid out in a 900-plus page document called "Project 2025." One of its aims is to privatize weather reports. Craig explains how this terrifying document would impact Floridians. Our guest this episode is Lynn Smallwood McMillin, owner and operator of the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee s…
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Episode 214: The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail
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This episode begins by discussing Craig's most recent "Flamingo" magazine article about the Florida State Park system. Our guest is Lauren Ali, Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail coordinator. The Trail is a project of the FWC - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast all about birds. Two e…
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The New College of Florida has been purged of its academic integrity and set up as an incubator of right wing ideology by Ron DeSantis, now, the school's president has destroyed an environmental preserve to construct ball fields. Michael Adno is a freelance writer and photographer from Sarasota. He recently visited the Apalachicola State Forest in …
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Episode 212: Miami Beach Art Deco Architecture
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What Donald Trump didn't say about climate change during the presidential debate spoke volumes. During the debate, Trump said, "During my four years, I had the best environmental numbers ever." The exact opposite is true. Trump was the most anti-environmental president in U.S. history, rolling back 100+ environmental protections. The built environm…
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Episode 211: The Amazing Life of Harry Crews
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Solar energy is heating up in Florida no thanks to state government. Harry Crews grew up dirt poor in south Georgia during the Great Depression before moving to Florida, enrolling at UF, and then becoming a famous writer of novels, essays, reported pieces, and screenplays. He also taught creative writing at the University of Florida for three decad…
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Eco-criminal Ron DeSantis continues working against Florida's environment. They exist only in Miami: ventanitas. You'll find the "little windows" attached to Cuban restaurants. Customers can order food and coffee out of them, sometimes, 24-hours a day. This episode's guest Daniela Perez is a Miami native who wrote a book on the subject, "Ventanitas…
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Episode 209: John James Audubon in Florida
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One of the worst bills to pass out of the Florida legislature in the most recent session was supported completely on lies. Everyone has heard of birder and artist John James Audubon, namesake of the Audubon Foundation. Audubon came to Florida twice while researching his epic "Birds of America." Our guest today, Kenn Kaufman, is one of America's gre…
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Episode 208: Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
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Florida congressman Matt Gaetz wants to bomb endangered whales in the Gulf of Mexico. One of Florida's great hidden gem cultural and tourist attractions is Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach. As beautiful as the gardens are today, the history of Japanese immigration to Florida and the garden's founding are equally interesting. Cur…
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Beach renourishment: ecological necessity or government handout to the wealthiest of Florida's property owners? Former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham passed away in the spring of 2024 at the age of 87. Joining us on this episode to discuss Graham's life and legacy is S.V. Date, author of "Quiet Passion: A Biography of Bob Graham." Tha…
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Ron DeSantis: junkie. Our subject this episode is the fabulous Mar-a-Lago estate on Palm Beach. We discuss it's history from Marjorie Merriweather Post through Donald Trump and what makes the mansion/private club special. Les Standiford, author of "Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu," provides the expertise. Birds of a Feather…
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The state's Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wants to sell off public lands to farmers and ranchers. This week's subject is Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, first chairwoman of the Seminole Tribe in Florida. Our guest is Patsy West, co-author of Tiger Jumper's autobiography, "A Seminole Legend: The Life of Betty Mae Tiger Jumper." Birds of a Feather …
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Could golf courses hold a solution for conservation in Florida? Tampa Bay is surprising young, and shallow, and NOT the name of a city. Our guest this episode is Evan Bennett, author of "Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People." Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast all about birds. Two experts have fun with two beginners - you'll lo…
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Our episode begins with a $400 million mystery in the state budget. Folklorist and musician Robert Stone joins us. He helped bring the steel guitar music popular in the House of God and Church of the Living God communities in South Florida and around the South to greater prominence. Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast all about birds. Two ex…
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Former Florida governor Bob Graham wasn't born an environmentalist, he became one. Our guest this episode is New York Times best-selling author, TIME magazine 100 most influential people for 2024, Gainesville resident, and now bookstore owner Lauren Groff. Groff's new bookstore, The Lynx Books, opened in late April 2024 with an emphasis on selling …
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Episode 201: The Rise and Fall of Jai-Alai in Florida
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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 re…
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Episode 200: Indigenous mounds and middens
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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…
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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…
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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. Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast all about birds. Two experts have fun with two beginners - you'll love this :) Lis…
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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…
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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 aut…
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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. Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast all about birds. Two experts have fun with two be…
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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 suppr…
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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 Stieh…
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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 explai…
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Episode 191: The Dozier School (A Century of Evil)
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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 …
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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. Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast al…
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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…
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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. Birds of a Feather Talk Together A podcast all about birds. Two experts have fun with two beginners - you'l…
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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…
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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…
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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 su…
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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 a…
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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, Conq…
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Episode 182: The Most Important (Florida) Man You've Never Heard Of
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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…
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We begin this episode with sad news and the passing of Florida author Tim Dorsey. Dorsey joined us on Episode 73. Did you know the longest private airstrip in America is in Florida? The Brian DePalma-directed 'Scarface' from 1983 starring Al Pacino as Cuban immigrant turned Miami cocaine kingpin Tony Montana alongside Michelle Pfeiffer celebrates i…
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Episode 180: Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Lord of the Rocks)
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"Welcome (back)to Florida" Jeff Bezos. We're getting wet on this episode and learning about the Atlantic Goliath Grouper. Our guest is marine scientist, researcher and conservationist Sarah Frias-Torres who spent 20 years in Florida studying this magnificent fish. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @GrouperDoc. In the episode, she mentioned a scient…
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Episode 179: Florida leads the way in ending greyhound racing
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There is no love affair as strong as the one between the Florida legislature and developers. Politicos in Tallahassee just gave the industry another major gift. In 2018, Florida voters in overwhelming fashion put a stop to greyhound racing by voting for a constitutional amendment outlawing it. Carey M. Theil helped lead the grassroots effort to ban…
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Episode 178: Kingsley Plantation & Anna Madgigine Jai
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We enjoy every episode of "Welcome to Florida," but enjoyed this one more than most. This story takes us to Fort George Island about midway between Jacksonville and Amelia Island by the St. John's River and Atlantic Ocean. This is the location of Kingsley Plantation, named for its owner Zephaniah Kingsley. His, however, is not the most interesting …
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Was it simple incompetence or something more sinister which cost Florida the chance to receive millions of dollars in federal funding to apply toward residential solar power. Our guest this week is Rebecca Renner who's new book "Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades" tells the story of an undercover Florida Fish and Wil…
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Episode 176: The Case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee
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Manatees in Florida could be placed back on the Endangered Species List. One of the greatest miscarriages of justice in America occurred in Port St. Joe, Florida in the case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee. The two Black men were convicted of a double homicide despite no physical evidence, no credible eyewitness, confessions forced via police …
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Valerie Vande Panne fills in again for Chadd Scott on this episode and she and Craig start off by discussing his latest Flamingo magazine article about airboats. Find Valerie and follow her work on her Substack page. This episode's guest is William McKeen, author of "Mile Marker Zero: The Moveable Feast of Key West," which details the cultural, ant…
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Episode 174: Univision & Telemundo's Florida roots
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Valerie Vande Panne filled in for Chadd Scott on this episode of "Welcome to Florida." She and Craig began by discussing his latest Florida Phoenix column on airboats. Keep up with Valerie on Substack. This episode's guest is Craig Allen, author of "Univision, Telemundo, and the Rise of Spanish-Language Television in the United States." Both networ…
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Why reinstituting a bear hunt, which failed ignominiously in 2015, is not the solution for increased human-bear interaction in Florida. In this episode we discuss the ghost orchid with longtime Fakahatchee Strand Preserve park biologist Mike Owen. "Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Windstorm Products and windstormproducts.com the No. …
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Episode 172: Florida Museum of Natural History
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Ron DeSantis wants MORE fossil fuels and fewer regulations on fossil fuel companies. The Florida Museum of Natural History on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville possesses one of the largest, most comprehensive and finest collections natural history in the world. Heather Dewar's gorgeous coffee table book, "All Things Beautiful: …
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Episode 171: Mr. Miami Beach, Carl Fisher
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This episode begins by remembering a legend in Florida journalism. Had a development for the Big Bend area of Florida been proposed in recent years, it would have been approved, and the recent hurricane damage there would have been much worse. Our guest is Paul George from the History Miami Museum who tells us all about the founder of Miami Beach, …
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A closed meeting in Israel resulted in Ron DeSantis allowing a foreign company to disperse its supposed miracle cure for blue green algae in waters across the state without the product previously being tested for potential negative environmental or human health effects. Our guests this episode are Vickie Oldham, president and CEO of the Sarasota Af…
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Episode 169: Conch, Conchs and the Conch Republic
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This episode begins by paying our respects to Jimmy Buffett and his conservation work in Florida. Our guest is Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli who tells us all about conch, the gastropod, conchs, the people, and the Conch Republic, better known as the Florida Keys. His Florida Keys history Facebook group is a wonderful resource and community f…
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