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 286 episodes available.

Florida Spectacular episodes:

November 19, 2025 Episode 231: Reunite the River, the Ocklawaha River, and a Conservation Hero
Send us your Florida questions!
The Florida Wildlife Federation calls Karen Chadwick a conservation hero. She's spent her life on and around the waters of Central Florida, and she talks about her passion for the Ocklawaha, the impacts of keeping the dam, and the splendor of the regular drawdowns.
Links We Mentioned
Ocklawaha River
Rodman Reservoir and Dam
Cross-Florida Barge Canal
Kenwood boat ramp
Buckman Lock
North Star Charters
Karen's YouTube channel about the Ocklawaha
A Cruising Down the River
Photo of Karen Chadwick by Alan Halaly.
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
November 12, 2025 Episode 230: Aids, Arcadia, and Accusations
Send us your Florida questions!
Jason Vuic (rhymes with Buick!) talks about his latest book, A Town Without Pity: Aids, Race, & Resistance in Florida's Deep South. In it, he delves into two notorious cases from Arcadia: the Ray brothers, and the James Richardson case.
Links We Mentioned
A Town Without Pity
Swamp Peddlers
Wheeler's Cafe
Florida's Peace River Frontier by Canter Brown, Jr.
PHOTO: In 1987, Arcadia brothers Ricky (left), Robert (center), and Randy (right) Ray suffered from hemophilia and contracted the AIDS virus through tainted blood factor. Ostracized by their community and thrust into the national spotlight, they were the victims of intense anti-AIDS hysteria (courtesy Tribune Publishing).
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
52min
November 05, 2025 Episode 229: Florida Men Who Erased Women, Peonage, and Henry Flagler
Send us your Florida questions!
Robin Mimna talks about the darker side of Henry Flagler, Stetson, and other "founding fathers" in Florida. We also talk about the women behind the men, and how the men controlled the narratives about them.
Links We Mentioned
Lake Helen
Flagler's Law
Arthur Hamlin
Mary Grace Quackenbos
Annie Laurie's Triumph
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
49min
October 29, 2025 Episode 228: The Florida Spooktacular, Robert the Doll, and Haunted Florida History
Send us your Florida questions!
Elizabeth Randall, author of Florida haunted history books, joins the podcast — this week only, we've changed the name — to tell us some fantastic Florida ghost stories.
Links We Mentioned
Elizabeth Randall website
Bosque Bello Cemetery in Fernandina
Amelia Island Museum of History (the old jailhouse)
Robert the Doll by David Sloan
David Sloan ghost tour and VIP Robert the Doll Experience
Robert the Doll Florida Spectacular episode

Books from Elizabeth Randall
Women in White
Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley
Haunted St. Augustine
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
October 22, 2025 Episode 227: Saw Palm, Fearsome Creatures, and Visiting Ybor City
Send us your Florida questions!
To celebrate the 25th annual issue of Saw Palm, the editors came on the podcast to talk about what sorts of things to expect in the anniversary issue, a book from the man who started Saw Palm, and things to do in Ybor City.
Links We Mentioned
Saw Palm
Fearsome Creatures of Florida
Columbia Restaurant
The Castle
Kress Contemporary
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
October 15, 2025 Episode 226: Sex Robots and AI, UF Cheerleaders and Serial Killers, and a Real-Life Treasure Hunt
Send us your Florida questions!
Can AI make Florida better? Bess Auer joins the podcast to talk about AI, being a UF cheerleader during the Danny Rollins serial killings, and her Orlando treasure hunt.
Links We Mentioned
Cherry 2000
"How Ted Bundy Ended Our Innocence" by Diane Roberts
Second Harvest Food Bank
Fenn's treasure
HoundsHouse Orlando
The Secret: A Treasure Hunt (Byron Preiss)
HaveIBeenTrained.com
Bess' SubStack

Can AI plan a decent Florida road trip? Here's what happened when Rick and Cathy tried to get AI to do just that.
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
1h 1min
October 08, 2025 Episode 225: Florida Springs Heritage Area, Reverse Springs, and What You Can Do
Send us your Florida questions!
Haley Moody, the director of the Florida Springs Institute, joins the podcast to talk about the idea of creating a National Springs Heritage Area in Florida.
About Haley
Haley’s passion for the springs began during her first visit to the Ichetucknee River. Her love of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was born during her time at the University of Florida, where she graduated with honors in Landscape Architecture. After a GIS Internship at the Florida Springs Institute, she transitioned into managing FSI’s outreach efforts and now focuses on the direction of FSI. Her dedication to the springs continues to grow as she communicates the challenges that face the Floridan Aquifer.
Links We Mentioned
The VRBO Cathy mentioned in the Orlando area
Florida Springs Institute
Reach out to Haley to be a stakeholder: [email protected]
Learn about how springs work and who controls what with the FSI Pocket Guide
Springs photo 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
43min
October 01, 2025 Episode 224: Echoes of the Wild, Matt Keene, and Florida Photography Not Often Seen
Send us your Florida questions!
Florida nature photographer Matt Keene talks about how he uses large-format film cameras to create his portraits. Matt has an exhibit at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine (through Jan. 18, 2026), and this episode offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how much work, forethought, and effort goes into this extraordinary body of work.

Links We Mentioned
More about Matt Keene
River Be Dammed
Lost Springs
Echoes of the Wild at the Lightner Museum Oct. 3, 2025-Jan. 18, 2026

Image: Gores Landing on the Ocklawaha River, Florida, Aluminum, 2024, by Matt Keene
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
57min
September 24, 2025 Episode 223: An Unusual Florida Hero, the Fountain of Youth, and St. Augustine Bordellos
Send us your Florida questions!
Brandy Carlisle, a tour guide at St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth Park, is fascinated with the woman who bought the land that is now the park. So much so she's published a book about her: Luella. The trio talks about Luella, prostitution, and the Fountain of Youth.
Links We Mentioned
Luella
Fountain of Youth Park in St. Augustine
Find out more about Brandy — and her fascinating hobbies — on her website.
Unearthing St. Augustine: America's Oldest City, by Kathy Deagan.

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
1h 3min
September 17, 2025 Episode 222: Things To Do in St. Augustine, and Should You Move to Florida?
Send us your Florida questions!
Rick and Cathy talk about Rick's trip to St. Augustine, then answer a letter from a listener about whether or not moving to Florida is a good idea.

Things To Do in St. Augustine
St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth (visit with a critical eye!)
The San Marco shops in St. Augustine, including Duddington's
Columbia Restaurant in the St. Augustine Historic District
Don't forget to check out Spinster Abbott's.
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
52min

FAQs about Florida Spectacular:

How many episodes does Florida Spectacular have?

The podcast currently has 286 episodes available.

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