Florida Spectacular

By Cathy Salustri & Rick Kilby

Take a weekly trip across Florida with authors Cathy Salustri and Rick Kilby and discover a side of Florida you never knew existed. From the scallops in Panhandle bays to the Hemingway cats in Key

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4.7

1414 ratings

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FAQs about Florida Spectacular:

How many episodes does Florida Spectacular have?

The podcast currently has 273 episodes available.

Florida Spectacular episodes:

March 11, 2026 Episode 248: Art of the Springs
Send us your Florida questions!
Springs artist and activist Margaret Ross Tolbert joins Rick Kilby and guest co-host Chadd Scott to discuss her artwork and advocacy on behalf of Florida's springs.
Links we mentioned:
Aquiferious.com
AQUIFERious Facebook group
Margaret Ross Tolbert on YouTube
Proje SU coffee table book
Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
48min
March 04, 2026 Episode 247: Submerged Stories (Sundown Towns)
Send us your Florida questions!
Cathy Salustri and Ryan Worthington talk about Sundown Towns, apologies, and the problems the racism of the past still creates.
Links We Mentioned
Tougaloo College's Sundown Town database
Was Gulfport, Florida a Sundown Town?
South Pinellas Sundown Towns
Florida Sundown Towns
Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
34min
February 25, 2026 Episode 246: Bithlo, Getting Chased by a Cobra, and a Springs Adventure
Send us your Florida questions!
Buckle in for a wild ride... this episode starts in Bithlo, detours through Orlando Speed World, gets chased by a cobra, and then goes on an adventure through the springs.
Links We Mentioned
Bithlo
Bithlo real estate
Orlando Speed World
Swampy
St. Cloud Serpentarium
Barberville Yard Art Emporium
DeLeon Springs State Park
Queenie the Waterskiing Elephant
Ginger Ale Springs
Green Springs
Sam Stoltz houses
Orlando Shine
Giant inflatable pigeons in Orlando
Photo of Orlando inflatable pigeons by Rick Kilby.
Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
50min
February 25, 2026 Episode 245: In the Shoes of Florida's Black History
Send us your Florida questions!
Rick and Cathy talk about gentrification, the difficult relationship white people have with Black history, its place in Florida's history, and how Florida's Black history impacts modern-day Florida.
Links We Mentioned
Lincolnville
Fort Mose
Axe Handle Saturday
The Zorg
Eatonville's Zora Neale Hurston Museum
Kingsley Plantation
Carter Woodson Museum
Lincolnville Museum
Historic Hampton House
American Beach
A.L. Lewis Museum
Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
35min
February 18, 2026 Episode 244: Eliot Kleinberg, Nate Moran, and Hypocrite's Row
Send us your Florida questions!
Eliot Kleinberg, a journalist whose career spans five decades, has turned his talents to fiction. His first book, Hypocrite's Row, is due out February 26.
From Eliot:
Hypocrite’s Row, the first book of my “Adventures of Nate Moran” novels about the Roaring 20s Miami police detective, comes out next month. The setting is the real battle between gangsters and law enforcement during the mostly failed effort to enforce Prohibition in South Florida.
Florida native Eliot Kleinberg, creator of the Civil War historical novel "Peace River," the"Adventures of Nate Moran" novels, and the original "Weird Florida" books, spent nearly a half-century reporting on local news and writing about Florida and Florida history. He produced two history columns and wrote fourteen books -- and co-wrote or contributed to several more -- all of them about Florida. Son of longtime journalist Howard Kleinberg, he lectures regularly on Florida topics and runs a blog on better writing called "Something Went Horribly Wrong."
Links We Mentioned
Eliot's website
Eliot's newsletter
Level Best books
Planner or Pantser?
Hypocrite's Row
Bookshop.org

Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
37min
February 11, 2026 Episode 243: Learning Not To Be Racist, Drinking Too Much, and a Beautiful Life: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Send us your Florida questions!
Ann McCutchan's book, The Life She Wished To Live: A Biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Author of The Yearling, focuses on Rawling's life. Ann, Cathy, and Rick talk about Rawlings' life, how she learned not to be a racist, her struggles with alcohol, and why The Yearling is not the best of her works.
Links We Mentioned
Ann McCutchan's website
Here is Home: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Cross Creek
The Life She Wished To Live: A Biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Author of The Yearling
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society annual conference
Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
50min
February 04, 2026 Episode 242: Naked Ed, Manatee Springs, and Fat Mermaids (That's a Good Thing!)
Send us your Florida questions!
Author Holly Sprinkle joins the podcast to talk about her book, Florida Natural Springs: A History. The trio talks about — among other things — Naked Ed, the historic marker at Manatee Springs, and why fat mermaids are the best mermaids.
Links We Mentioned
The William Bartram plaque at Manatee Springs
Buy Holly's book!
Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
44min
January 28, 2026 Episode 241: Pete Gallagher, Florida Journalism, and Bodies Under Tropicana Field
Send us your Florida questions!
While working as a journalist, Pete Gallagher investigated Florida stories that made a difference. He joins the podcast this week to talk about two of those stories, people buried under Tropicana Field, and his book (in progress) about his life in journalism.
Links We Mentioned
James Richardson
Emateloye Estenletkvte: Polly Parker Got Away
Florida Folk Show
radiostpete.com

Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
42min
January 21, 2026 Episode 240: Submerged Stories: Florida's Underground Railroad
Send us your Florida questions!
Florida has a significant history with enslaved people escaping their oppressors in the United States. If you want to see history, these are places you can visit to learn the real history of Florida's underground railroad.
Links We Mentioned
Fort Mose
Bill Baggs State Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola
Podcast episode about Prospect Bluff
Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park
Kingsley Plantation
Fitzpatrick Plantation Ruins
Angola Settlement (more about Angola)
The Fort at Prospect Bluff by Dale Cox

Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
25min
January 14, 2026 Episode 239: Little Wekiva, Florida Quicksand, and Wild Florida
Send us your Florida questions!
Nichole Delafield-Bromme and Lief Bromme talk about their book, Little Wekiva Memories: Kayaking & Other Adventures.
Links We Mentioned
Little Wekiva Memories: Kayaking & Other Adventures
NicholeDelafield.com
Maffrey's at Ivanhoe Village
Brick and Mortar Places Selling Little Wekiva
Sunshine Book Co.
647 Lake Ave., Clermont, FL 34711
Maffrey’s (see link above)
Barnes and Noble
B&N Sand Lake, 7900 W. Sand Lake Road, Orlando
B&N Colonial Plaza Market Center, 2418 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando
B&N Altamonte Mall, Altamonte Springs
B&N 331 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando

Support the show
Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
...more
51min

FAQs about Florida Spectacular:

How many episodes does Florida Spectacular have?

The podcast currently has 273 episodes available.

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