Welcome to Florida

Beach renourishment: ecological necessity or government handout to the wealthiest of Florida's property owners?

Former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham passed away in the spring of 2024 at the age of 87. Joining us on this episode to discuss Graham's life and legacy is S.V.  Date, author of "Quiet Passion: A Biography of Bob Graham."

Thanks again to all of our patrons on Patreon. For just $5 a month you can help support the show and receive bonus episodes. A new bonus episode was just published related to co-host Chadd Scott's recent visit to Miami. 

Ron DeSantis: junkie.

Our subject this episode is the fabulous Mar-a-Lago estate on Palm Beach. We discuss it's history from Marjorie Merriweather Post through Donald Trump and what makes the mansion/private club special. Les Standiford, author of "Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu," provides the expertise.

The state's Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wants to sell off public lands to farmers and ranchers.

This week's subject is Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, first chairwoman of the Seminole Tribe in Florida. Our guest is Patsy West, co-author of Tiger Jumper's autobiography, "A Seminole Legend: The Life of Betty Mae Tiger Jumper."

Could golf courses hold a solution for conservation in Florida?

Tampa Bay is surprising young, and shallow, and NOT the name of a city. Our guest this episode is Evan Bennett, author of "Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People."

Our episode begins with a $400 million mystery in the state budget.

Folklorist and musician Robert Stone joins us. He helped bring the steel guitar music popular in the House of God and Church of the Living God communities in South Florida and around the South to greater prominence. 

Former Florida governor Bob Graham wasn't born an environmentalist, he became one.

Our guest this episode is New York Times best-selling author, TIME magazine 100 most influential people for 2024, Gainesville resident, and now bookstore owner Lauren Groff.

Groff's new bookstore, The Lynx Books, opened in late April 2024 with an emphasis on selling banned books and Florida authors.

We begin this week's episode remembering former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham who passed away recently.

Our guest is Marty Fleischman who worked in the Jai-Alai industry across Florida for more than 40 years. He explains how the sport came to Florida, its rise to incredible popularity in Miami and Tampa, and the factors which have rendered it largely forgotten today.

Did you know there's oil drilling in Florida? Now you do.

Our guest for this episode is archaeologist and professor in the anthropology department at USF Nancy Marie White. White researches ancient Indigenous people and cultures in the Florida Panhandle and has authored a pair of books on the subject. We're specifically discussing Indigenous mounds and middens.

Visit sites along the Trail of Florida's Indigenous Heritage.

Journey along with Craig to Gilcrest Blue Springs.

Our subject today is a giant of 20th century activism and equal rights: A. Philip Randolph. Randolph helped push through federal equal employment legislation, had a hand in integrating the American armed forces, and organized the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. Our guest is Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society.

Craig has a vision for the Museum of Florida History.

Few people recognize the name Hamilton Disston. Our guest this episode, Josh Ginsberg, explains why Disston is essential to a complete understanding of Florida's history.