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.

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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!

All of the music was originally composed.

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

All of the music was originally composed.

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!

All of the music was originally composed.

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!

All of the music was originally composed.

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.

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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.

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Along the stretch of islands between the Everglades and Key West, a number of islands have survived centuries of change. But in the early 20th century, the railroad and the hurricanes brought boom and bust to the tiny, impossible communities of the Florida Keys.

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

Thank you to the Keys History and Discovery Center for their help! Pay them a visit right here.

All of the music was originally composed.

Munyon's Paw-Paw is a liqueur with an elaborate history. You can find it as the key ingredient to a handful of cocktails at Orlando's newest speakeasy, Permanent Vacation. This week, we talk snake oil, fruity beverages, and a city on the rise.

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 Dan and Brian for joining me this week. You can check out Permanent Vacation here or on their Instagram

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This week, alongside some pop culture recommendations, we dive into the legislative bills you should keep an eye on as the session ramps up, from labor to voting and so much more.

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

We've donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. If you can spare it, we recommend you do the same here.

I mention a map of Orange County's rural boundary in this episode, and site the source as WUCF. It was actually WUSF and can be found 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!

All of the music was originally composed.