For our final episode of the year, we talk caroling and neighbors, presents for raptors, and discovering something new in the New Year.

Thank you to our guests this week for joining us!

Follow Rep. Eskamani on her Instagram!

Pay a visit to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey!

Follow Chelsea on her artist Instagram!

All of the music was originally composed. 

Through the 1990's in Orlando, if you turned on your television, you were bound to see a comic character with a cowboy hat - the one and only Ranger Bob. This week, we meet the man behind the mustache, and learn the history of how an Orlando icon was born.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

Thank you to Tim Trombitas for being on this episode - and letting us make a profile of his incredible life. Check out more Ranger Bob history at his website here!

Read more about monster make-up artist Patrick Tantalo here!

Watch the clips used in this episode

TV 18 Buckaroo Club Open

WUHF TV Powww 1981 Promo

Wet & Wild

The Gravemaster TV 18

The Gravemaster Montage

All of the music was originally composed. 

On the night of April 27th, 1986, viewers of HBO received a mysterious message. 

Watch the original Captain Midnight hijack right here.

Read more about the Captain Midnight hijack on Mental Floss.

All of the music was originally composed. 

Earlier this year, news of potential development on Florida's state parks sent the state into a frenzy. Protests erupted all over the peninsula, and the government responded quickly. What exactly were the plans, and what's the state of the development threat today?

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

Thank you to Max Chesnes of the Tampa Bay Times for joining us for today's episode. Read below some of his pieces on Florida's state parks.

Are changes coming to Florida’s state park system? - Tampa Bay Times

Florida lawmaker files bill to prohibit golf courses, hotels on state parks - Tampa Bay Times

Whistleblower who warned about Florida state parks fired by state agency - Tampa Bay Times

Read about the Senate Bill discussed in this episode here.

All of the music was originally composed. 

Our guest this week is Elizabeth Randall, author of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure. Book in hand, we walk the streets of the Ancient City, discovering all the hidden stories in the old homes of St. Augustine.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

Thank you to Elizabeth Randall for being our guest this week! Pick up your copy of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

All of the music was originally composed. 

Our guest this week is Elizabeth Randall, author of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure. Book in hand, we walk the streets of the Ancient City, discovering all the hidden stories in the old homes of St. Augustine.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

Thank you to Elizabeth Randall for being our guest this week! Pick up your copy of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

All of the music was originally composed. 

In the 1960s, the Miami Dolphins had an actual dolphin in their stadium. They aren't the only Florida team with a unique history of mascots. This week, we go team by team and explore the strange lore of our beloved team mascots.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

I do not own the rights to the additional audio used in this episode. Listen to the original sources below.

Flipper 1964 - 1967 Opening and Closing Theme (With Snippet)

11/27/1966 Boston Patriots at Miami Dolphins highlights, American Football League Week 13 Flipper

Unless otherwise noted, all of the music was originally composed. 

In a special collection at the University of Florida, a diverse array of birds are suspended in death - a vital tool to understand our feathered neighborhoods, and how we can protect them.

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

All of the music was originally composed. 

Thank you to Dr. Andrew Kratter for his help chatting ornithology and UF's incredible collection! Plan your visit to the Florida Museum here!

Thank you to Dr. Daisy Fiore for her invitation to help train their bird! Plan your visit to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey here!

All of the music was originally composed. 

Election Day was a big one - and revealed a lot about Florida's past, present and future. We go race by race, and sort out what to keep an eye on with 2026 on the horizon.

Sources for quotes used in this episode. Please read the links below.

Why Florida requires 60% approval for constitutional amendments - Axios Tampa Bay

How DeSantis beat the abortion and marijuana ballot initiatives - Tampa Bay Times

How The Economy Really Fared Under Biden/Harris and Trump - From Jobs to Inflation - Forbes

Florida voters reject 4 of 6 amendments on ballot. See vote totals and what passed, failed - Tallahassee Democrat

2024 Florida Election Results - AP News

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

All of the music was originally composed. 

Today is a little Fall Break for WFM - but we will be back on Friday with a full-length episode discussing Florida and its place in the 2024 Election - and a look-ahead to 2026.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our summer logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here!

All of the music was originally composed.