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Welcome to FloridaEpisode 236: David Kirby and Florida PoetsCraig Pittman has a wish list of gifts he hopes Santa brings Florida's environment.Our guest this episode is poet, essayist, and professor of English at Florida State University David Kirby. His latest anthology of poems is titled "The Winter Dance Party." In the episode, Craig quoted an Elizabeth Bishop poem you can read here.Thank you to all of our patrons at Patreon.com/WelcomeToFlorida. For $5 a month "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to bonus episodes, including our recent "Florida Holiday Traditions" episode, and Chadd Scott's weekly Florida conservation newsletter.2024-12-2441 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 228: Robert the DollRon DeSantis thinks the Florida economy would suffer from fighting climate change; Craig Pittman knows the Florida economy won't exist if we don't.Cathy Salustri, host of the "Florida Spectacular" podcast and Florida author - and two-time former "Welcome to Florida" guest - fills in for Chadd Scott on this episode focusing on Robert the Doll. Author, historian, and Florida Keys ghost tour host David Sloan joins to discuss the haunted doll.HauntedKeyWest.com2024-10-2936 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 209: John James Audubon in FloridaOne 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 great birders and author of “The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness.”Start you adventures birding around Florida with the Great Florida Birding Trail.Thanks again to all of our patr...2024-06-1837 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 190: Tom PettyNow 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.2024-02-0644 min
The Florida MadcapsInterview: Talkin' Manatees with Craig PittmanSend us a textThis week we discuss the plight of the manatees in Florida during the past, present, and future. Our guest Craig Pittman has written an eye-opening book called Manatee Insanity. He also has the Welcome to Florida (WTF) podcast with Chadd Scott.Welcome to Florida Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1169570A list of Craig's Books can be found at:https://craigpittman.com/Please subscribe! Shares and reviews are much appreciated!Get your FREE sticker from the Florida Springs Council and sign u...2023-08-1631 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 162: Gulf Specimen Marine LaboratoryWhat is "environmental racism?" It goes on all over Florida (BIG SUGAR). Craig Pittman explains.Jack Rudloe has been observing marine life on the Gulf of Mexico around Panacea, FL since the 1950s. He's an author. An environmental activist. And founder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory. We mention Jack's abuse at the hands of law enforcement; here's more information regarding local efforts to protect Wakulla Springs from development.Thank you PATRONS! For as little as $5 per month you can personally support our production of "Welcome to Florida" and receive regular bonus episodes...2023-07-2552 min
Florida SpectacularEpisode 104: Insider Ocala: Glass Bottom Boats, Six-Gun Territory, and Harriet Beecher StoweSend us your Florida questions!Join Cathy and Rick as they venture through Ocala, making virtual stops at their favorite restaurants, natural areas, and roadside attractions. Along the way, discover (or re-discover) a central Florida Elvis movie, learn about the "wild west" in Florida, and find out which one of the podcast hosts is kin to Harriet Beecher Stowe.Links We MentionedAppleton MuseumBarberville ProduceCarney Island Recreation AreaCraig Pittman and Chadd Scott's "Welcome to Florida" podcastFlorida Trust f...2023-05-0344 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 135: '72 Miami Dolphins (NFL's only unbeaten team)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 success week-by-week with his father and brother. He recalls the games, and looks at the societal backdrop of Miami and America at this time which included Nixon's presidential re-election and the early phases of Watergate along with the late stages of t...2023-01-1735 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 130: Jacksonville history and todayCraig 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 consolidationAxe Handle SaturdayNorman StudiosMandarin Museum2022-12-1346 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 126: Florida Land PreservationWhat 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, recreation and human health.Another hurricane just hit Florida and if you managed to elude damage from both Ian and Nicole, chances are, you're next. Preparing for the unknowable, but inevitable is a major pain in the neck, but you...2022-11-1543 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 123: The Allman BrothersCraig 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 in Daytona Beach and the band forming in Jacksonville. Bob Beatty is the author of a newly published book highlighting a critical moment in the band's rise to popularity, the recording of its live album in 1971. The book is titled, "...2022-10-2535 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 120: A Land RememberedDevelopers 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, citrus and land development. Countless people consider it the greatest piece of Florida fiction ever written.Patrick Smith's son Rick joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss his father and the timeless book. Rick...2022-10-0436 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 115: The KKK in FloridaThe 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 a project analyzing the deep involvement of one of Pensacola's most prominent historic citizens, T.T. Wentworth, in the Ku Klux Klan. Craig Pittman wrote about the subject in the summer of 2021 for Flamingo Magazine."Welcome...2022-08-3039 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 114: Flamingos!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" is presented by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which debuts its newest temporary exhibition, "Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West," on September 3, 2022. The first of its kind...2022-08-2349 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 108: St. Pete PierThis 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 summer of 2020.The all-new attraction features 26 acres of park, playground, beach and market on the city's picturesque waterfront. Visitors will find endless adventures and experiences from walking and biking to sunbathing and swimming at Spa...2022-07-1243 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 105: John Muir in FloridaThe 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 protect them.One of the fathers of the conservation movement, John Muir, set out on a nearly 1,000 mile trek across the South in 1867. He started in Indiana, entered Florida at Fernandina Beach, and concluded his adventure...2022-06-2146 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 101: The 1928 HurricaneYes, 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 Hurricane" remains the deadliest storm in Florida history... and little known about."Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. For fine dining at an affordable price, visit Sarasota for Savor Sarasota June 1-14.2022-05-3150 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 91: Florida Supreme Court (Scandal to Bush v. Gore)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 Facebook and Twitter. This week's show is presented by Visit Sarasota. Soak up the sun along Sarasota's white sand beaches. Treat yourself to diverse dining, enriching arts and culture, shopping districts of all s...2022-03-2251 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 88: Bald eaglesThe most dangerous time of the year in Florida is whenever the state legislature is meeting. More proof of this came recently with a bomb tossed into years of careful planning for Everglades restoration by the Senate president who is bought and paid for by Big Sugar. Craig Pittman explains. Our guest this week is Jack Davis who joined the show about a year ago to discuss his Pulitzer Prize winning book about the Gulf of Mexico. Look through the archives for that one which is a favorite. His new book discusses the successful efforts to restore t...2022-03-0141 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 82: Florida's state parksThis week's episode begins with a multi-hundred million dollar theft committed by the Florida state legislature.Our guest is recently retired director of the Florida State Parks Eric Draper. Craig Pittman recently featured Draper in his Florida Phoenix column and the threat climate change presents the parks. We discuss our favorite parks, other challenges facing the system and how the parks are funded.If you're interested in helping out at a state park in your area, there are numerous "friends" groups you can contact. The Florida State Parks Foundation is another citizen-run organization dedicated to...2022-01-1851 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 79: DolphinsThis week's episode begins with our annual holiday tradition: Craig Pittman's favorite wacky headlines from the year gone by across Florida. Our guest this week is dolphin researcher Randy Wells who works for the Chicago Zoological Society out of offices in Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Randy has been studying dolphins in and around Sarasota for over 50 years! Craig and Randy go way back as he has written about Randy's work previously. "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. For ecotours and dolphin watching out on Sarasota Bay, head to visitsarasota.com and check...2021-12-2844 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 77: Florida's Sunshine LawThis week's episode begins with Craig Pittman telling us how the CIA took over Sanibel Island!Our guest this week is Pamela Marsh, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee, a non-profit group working to secure and enforce open government in the state of Florida. Our topic this week is the state's Sunshine Law which requires official government meetings be open to the public.In the episode, we mention a story from Madeira Beach you can read more about here, and a story from Sebastian you can read more about here....2021-12-1451 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 71: Perversion of Justice - the Jeffrey Epstein storyThis week's episode begins with some Florida myth-busting from Craig Pittman.Our guest is author and Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie Brown. Brown's book "Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story" helped bring some measure of accountability to Palm Beach resident Jeffrey Epstein following his years' long, worldwide sex trafficking ring which saw him rape dozens of underage girls.Brown continues to report on the case and ongoing legal proceedings for the Herald. Find her writing and insights on Twitter at @jkbjournalist.2021-10-2643 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 66: Craig Pittman 'The State You're In'This week's episode is devoted to Craig Pittman's new non-fiction book, "The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and other Wildlife."Joining Chadd Scott this week to talk to Craig about the book is environmental journalist and author of The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. Also: Mirage; Blue Revolution; and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, long-listed for the National Book Award. Cynthia was our guest on "Welcome to Florida" episode #55 all about her seashell book.2021-09-2143 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 55: Seashells!This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman and his wife encountering red tide near their home in St. Petersburg.Our guest is Cynthia Barnett, author of the newly published book, "The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans." Cynthia has written numerous books about Florida's freshwater, but dives into the salt for the first time here. She is also an environmental journalism professor at the University of Florida living in Gainesville. 2021-07-0650 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 53: Betty Osceola and the Miccosukee TribeThis episode marks the one year anniversary of the "Welcome to Florida" podcast. Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott look back at the first 52 episodes, highlighting some of the most memorable. All previous episodes, and the "Preview" episode which explains how "Welcome to Florida" came to be can be found in the archives.This week's guest is Miccosukee tribal elder Betty Osceola. Osceola works as an environmental advocate on behalf of her tribe and the Everglades and owns Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours in the Glades. You can find Betty Osceola on Facebook as well as her Walk For...2021-06-2250 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 42: Florida Scrub-JayThis week's episode begins with Craig Pittman's latest Florida Phoenix column highlighting the disastrous environmental impacts of the widely used herbicide/poison glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup. Our guest is author, veterinarian and professor Mark Jerome Walters whose latest book, "Florida Scrub-Jay: Field Notes on a Vanishing Bird" was released in March of 2021. Mark has also authored "Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them" and "A Shadow and a Song: The Struggle to Save an Endangered Species," both of which are referenced in the episode.For more information about the effort to save...2021-04-0646 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 41: Rewilding your yard with Jeff and Ann VanderMeerThis week's episode begins with more "bigfooting" by the state legislature, once again in the pocket of developers, attempting to curtail the amount of impact fees local municipalities have accessed homebuilders in order for them to build the infrastructure necessary for all the new residents. Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott are joined this week by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer. The married couple live in Tallahassee. Jeff is the best selling author of the Southern Reach Trilogy (Annihilation, Authority and Acceptance). His new book is a thriller, "Hummingbird Salamander." In a wide ranging conversation, we discuss:2021-03-3053 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 40: Dr. BeachThis week's episode begins with a look at why Florida's manatees are dying this winter at a rate which threatens the survival of the species. Craig Pittman's latest column for the Florida Phoenix digs in deep on the reasons, which are preventable.Craig's 2010 book "Manatee Insanity" goes even further in detailing the decades-long conservation effort in Florida to protect manatees, as well as calling out the people working against manatee protection.Our guest is Stephen Leatherman who you probably know as Dr. Beach. Each year he compiles a list of the 10 Best Beaches in the...2021-03-2354 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 39: The Everglades and BIG SUGARThis week's episode starts with Craig Pittman sharing some of his favorite Florida Women from the state's history in recognition of Women's History Month. Follow Craig on Twitter and Facebook @CraigTimes and on Instagram @CraigPittman78 for more.Our guest this week is Amy Green, author of "Moving Water: The Everglades and Big Sugar." Amy's book, which published in March of 2021, takes a look at Big Sugar's influence on Everglades pollution and degradation, as well as Big Sugar's influence on Florida and national politics and efforts to repair the Everglades.If this topic interests, you, Craig...2021-03-1653 minWelcome to FloridaEpisode 37: The Gulf of MexicoThis week's episode begins with Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott discussing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's unanimous ruling to ban the possession of a large number of non-native snakes and lizards in the hopes of avoiding their introduction into the state's ecosystem like as happened with the Burmese python and tegu lizard.Our guest is Jack Davis who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for nonfiction with his book, "The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea." Craig and Chadd discuss Jack's time on the Gulf, his perspectives on the uses and abuses of the Gulf...2021-03-0248 min