For a century, Florida has had the same state bird. Many Floridians would like that to change. But the path to change is rife with politics and lobbyists, and a debate over which bird should take the crown. 

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

Thank you to Jackson Oberlink for bringing this story to the show! Learn more about Florida For All right here.

Thank you to Gerald Thompson for help with this episode! Follow him on Instagram and participate in his polls!

I do not own the rights to the clip of the mockingbird used in this episode. 

A Master of Song: Northern Mockingbird

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For this week's bonus episode, we chat with Joshua Bailey, the filmmaker behind the documentary Stolen Kingdom about the urban explorers of Disney, a crucial stolen animatronic, the forgotten island, and how he brought this film to life.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

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In the 90's, Disney was on a historic winning streak. But when they tried to open a historical theme park just outside of the nation's capital, they found themselves in a fight they could never win.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

I do not own the rights to the clips used in this episode. Check out the original videos here.

CBS 6 Video Vault - 1994 - September 29 - Disney scraps plans to open Virginia theme park

Original Disney's California Adventure Dedication in 2001

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On Marco Island, behind glass, sits a small figurine of a wooden cat. Its origins, its creator, its purpose, even its inspiration are lost to time. The clues we have are fascinating - but lead to even more questions about this unusual feline.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

Thank you to our friends from the Marco Island Historical Museum! Pay them a visit and see the Cat while you can!

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This week, we catch up on headlines from the last month, discuss the glory of hockey in the Sunshine State, and check in for the Baby Owl Shower at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.

Check out the Community Paper here in Orlando!

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

All of the music was originally composed.

Around the turn of the century, Greek immigrants brought their remarkable ability to harvest sponges from the ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Tarpon Springs would flourish around their industry.

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

Thank you to Eddie and Alex for their help with this episode! Check out the Tarpon Springs Area Historical Society right here.

All of the music was originally composed.

I spent the whole ten days at the Florida Film Festival this year and interviewed a dozen filmmakers on their movies, their messages, and the task of making movies in the Sunshine State. 

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

Thank you to the filmmakers featured in this episode. Their movies, in order of appearance, are titled:

The Bride's Curse

Georgie

The Little Brown Bird 

The Paper Bear

The Python Hunt

Shade in the Sunshine State

The Sky Was on Fire: Ballet and War in Ukraine

Fatherless No More

It Ends

For The Culture

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We've donated to Everytown. If you can spare it, we recommend you do the same here.

This week, we go over a few headlines out of the Florida State Capitol, explore Rachel Carson's writing on Florida, and chat about the strange phenomenon of a senator's voicemail box.

Find Your Representative and Find Your Senator. Learn how to call your Congresspeople here concerning a number of topics.

Make your comments on the black bear hunt here.

Read the latest on the DeSantis scandal here.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

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In 1984, Sally Ride kept a promise onboard the Space Shuttle.

We'll be back on Friday with the April Newsletter, on the 28th with our Film Festival extravaganza and on May 5th with our season finale!

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

Watch the full interview with Sally Ride here!

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Around the turn of the century, Ponce de Leon Springs in Atlanta, Georgia was a true modern theme park. As it changed over the course of decades, the park would reflect the increasing impact of technology - until the springs were no more.

Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!

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

Thank you to John Schmidt from the Atlanta History Center! Check the museum out right here.

Read more about the park on Southern Spaces.

All of the music was originally composed.