Unsealed

Florida is extremely proud of our robust tourism industry. Every year, tens of millions of people flock to the Sunshine State for our beaches and our theme parks, or to enjoy our springs and golf courses or our state parks.

And while today Florida is consistently ranked as one of the top states in both domestic and international visitation, this is not a new development. Tourism has been a part of Florida from almost the moment it became a state. With the unique climate and its perceived exotic nature, Florida was drawing people in right from the start.

Long before the theme parks arrived, there were already tons of attractions drawing people to Florida.

So join us for a look at hotels, roadside attractions, and the many other sites and spectacles that have lured visitors to Florida over the years.

Preservation plays an important role here at the Florida Department of State. We have a whole bureau within the Division of Historical Resources, the Bureau of Historic Preservation, that works to identify, evaluate, preserve, and interpret the historic and cultural resources of the state.

The division director serves as the state's Historic Preservation Officer. The division also maintains Florida's Master Site File, which is Florida's official inventory of historical cultural resources, and they also oversee the State Historical Markers Program and the National Register of Historic Places program for Florida, as well as administering the Historic Preservation Grants Program and assisting applicants for federal tax benefits and other local and state programs to aid in the preservation of historic buildings and other historic resources of significance.

I sat down with a couple members of this bureau to discuss some of the work they do with a look at architecture in Florida and also how America's Bicentennial played a part in how we preserve things today.

April is the month in which we celebrate Earth Day, so we thought we would take a look at the life of a woman who became one of the most important voices to emerge from the dawning of environmental consciousness in 20th Century America, and who is today remembered as "the woman who saved the Everglades." Marjory Stoneman Douglas

March is Women's History Month, so let's take a look at the life and work of Florida author and member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings. While not a native Floridian, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings has become strongly identified with Florida through her writings, which told stories of life in rural Florida.

March is Archaeology month. And archaeologist is one of those professions that, for better or worse, have some well-known fictional characters that have presented the profession as an adventurous action-filled thrill ride. But, when it comes down to it, archaeologists are scientists who study the human past using material remains left behind by past civilizations. Sometimes this is done through digging and excavation, but increasingly this work is accomplished via technology.

Here at the Department of State, archeology comes into play as part of the Division of Historical Resources' Bureau of Archaeological Research, which is a part of the Department entrusted with the maintenance, preservation, and protection of over 12,000 years of Florida heritage. So, in honor of archaeology month, we sat down with some of these archaeologists to find out a little bit about what they do they do here in the Department and about some of the technology they use to do their work.

In our inaugural episode of Unsealed Profiles and in honor of Black History Month, let's learn a bit about a group of Florida artists known as the Highwaymen.

This group of young Black American painters from the Ft. Pierce, Florida area began painting and selling their work out of their cars along Florida's highways in the 1950s, earning them the group's nickname and eventually ending up in the Florida Artist Hall of Fame.

February is Black History Month, so to commemorate the occasion we sat down with Museum of Florida History Senior Curator Kimberlyn Elliot to chat about some of the artifacts in the collection that shine light on the role Black Floridians have played in a variety of aspects of the state's history.

Florida prides itself on being a business friendly state, and the Department of State intersects with the world of business on a couple of fronts.

One is through the aforementioned Division of Corporations, which is the State's central location for filing business entities; serves as an informational resource for statewide business activities, registrations and certificates; and provides sole proprietors and companies with the legal right to do business in the state of Florida. As of October 2025, there were over three and a half million businesses registered with the Division of Corporations.

The Department also houses the Florida Main Street Program, which is a technical assistance program with the goal of revitalizing historic downtowns and encouraging economic development within the context of historic preservation.

In this episode, we chat with Katherine Beck, the Director of Florida Main Street, about how that program benefits small businesses. We also sat down with Division of Corporations Director Sean Toner to find out what is involved in keeping up with Florida's millions of businesses.

While November might be most associated with Thanksgiving, Veterans day also falls with in the month. This federal holiday is observed every November 11th and honors military veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

At the Florida Department of State, the Major John Leroy Haynes Florida Veterans' History Program collects, preserves, and shares the stories of Florida's veterans and the State of Florida's military contributions. By documenting veterans' personal narratives, the program ensures their firsthand experiences remain accessible to the public and future generations.

In this episode, we chat with program administrator Julian Duncan about the work of the program and we hear some excerpts from interviews he has conducted with veterans in the course of his work.

Indigenous people have lived in Florida for more than 14,000 years, long before the European explorers and the settlers who journeyed to Florida arrived. Today, Florida is home to two federally recognized tribes the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and Seminole Tribe of Florida.

But throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, there were many tribes and other groups who lived throughout the state. But over the years, many of these more ancient tribes either merged and combined with other tribes, no longer exist due to conflict and exposure to disease, or moved or were removed from the area and now live in other parts of the country.

In this episode, we'll take a look at two of Florida's native tribes and explore a little bit about their history and culture and how the Department works with Florida's tribes today.