Welcome to Florida

This week's episode begins with the love/hate relationship present day Florida inspires.

The 70th annual Florida Folk Festival takes place this Memorial Day at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. Panama City Beach native Del Suggs has been performing at the Festival for almost 40 years and visiting longer than that. We discuss Florida folk music, Jimmy Buffett the festival and how it's changed over the years.

"Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by Visit Sarasota which reminds you May through October is sea turtle nesting season in state and offers these tips for beachgoers to help protect the turtles during this time.

The 2022 season of "Welcome to Florida" has been about uncovering forgotten stories. We continue today as the anniversary of the Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge collapses approaches. On May 9, 1980, a container ship was blown off course by a freak weather system and into a piling of the Tampa Skyway Bridge. The collision caused a span of the bridge to collapse, sending 35 travelers over the edge and to their death below.

Bill DeYoung wrote the definitive book on the tragedy, "Skyway: The True Story of Tampa Bay's Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought it Down." Bill, a St. Pete native who now works at the St. Petersburg Catalyst, a local news source, joins us to discuss the accident and the ship's pilot.

This week's episode is brought to you by Visit Sarasota where polo season has just wrapped up! That's right, Sarasota has polo. Sunday matches are open to the public mid-December through April. Learn more at www.sarastoapolo.com and begin planning your next getaway at VisitSarasota.com.

Craig got into with the governor and his press secretary on Twitter over Ron DeSantis' refusal to appoint African American candidates to the state's Water Management District Boards.

Before the famous Mariel Boat Lift, 600,000 Cuban exiles immigrated to Florida following Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba in 1959. David Powell sought out these immigrants and allowed them to tell their stories in their own words. The result is his fascinating book "Ninety Miles and a Lifetime Away: Memories of Early Cuban Exiles."

"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota, home to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, a cutting edge marine research facility and public aquarium offering education and experiences with manatees, sharks, sea turtles and more. Mote Marine is one of the top attractions in all of Florida and a must-see in Sarasota. Visit Mote Marine online and start planning your next getaway at VisitSarasota.com.

Another week, another proposal for a new toll road tearing through a protected natural area to service a new housing development.

This week's guest is Steve Carr an authority on The Ashley Gang which operated in the Palm Beach County area during the 1910s and early 20s. The Elliott Museum in Stuart recently opened a permanent exhibition detailing the exploits of The Ashley Gang with the help of Carr's collection of materials related to the group.

"Welcome to Florida" is presented by VisitSarasota.com where Marie Selby Botanical Gardens welcomes an encore performance by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Patti Smith as part of its ongoing exhibition devoted to Smith and her dear friend and collaborator, Robert Mapplethorpe.

The show is also supported by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which presents the landscape photography of Ansel Adams and Florida's Clyde Butcher side-by-side through July 31, 2022.

We start this week's episode exposing a developer with close ties to Ron DeSantis - uncomfortably close - wanting to use his political connections to force new roads and houses in Volusia Country, right over top of a protected wetland.

Our guest this week is Michael Phillips, Keeper of the House at the House of Refuge in Stuart, the last House of Refuge still standing in Florida.

This week's episode is presented by Visit Sarasota where a surprising diversity of wildlife experiences await visitors, including one with elephants! Start planning your next weekend getaway or week's vacation at VisitSarasota.com.

"Welcome to Florida" is additionally presented by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which presents two exhibitions of landscape photography by Ansel Adams and Florida's own Clyde Butcher now through July 31, 2022. Learn more about this remarkable presentation.

When developers in northeast Florida couldn't buy their candidate onto a conservation board, they conspired to do away with the boards all together, statewide. Another remarkable example of democracy rolling back in Florida.

Our guest this week is University of North Florida in Jacksonville archaeologist Keith Ashley who is leading an effort to "rediscover" the Timucua/Mocama community of Sarabay on Big Talbot Island halfway between Jacksonville and Amelia Island on the Atlantic Coast.

This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" is presented by VisitSarasota.com which boasts the first authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant in the state and The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which is debuting a new photography exhibition featuring Ansel Adams and Florida's Clyde Butcher. 

This week's episode begins with Craig discussing a failure on behalf of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to do its job and protect our springs.

Our guest is Florida author Tyler Gillespie who's 2021 book, "The Thing About Florida," attempts to answer that unanswerable question: "What's with Florida?" Gillespie is gay and grew up in the Southern Baptist Church in Pinellas County; we discuss his writing, "don't say gay," and growing up gay in Florida.

"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. Begin planning your next weekend getaway for outdoor recreation, shopping, dining or relaxing on the most beautiful beaches in the world at VisitSarasota.com. 

Our episode begins with a takedown by Craig Pittman of the Governor and state legislature for their inaction on protecting manatee.

Our guest is recently retired Florida Supreme Court Director of Communications Craig Waters. Waters was the public spokesperson for the Court during its most high profile cases including the recount of 2000 presidential election.

Follow the Florida Supreme Court on Facebook and Twitter.

This week's show is presented by Visit Sarasota. Soak up the sun along Sarasota's white sand beaches. Treat yourself to diverse dining, enriching arts and culture, shopping districts of all sorts and natural Florida fun. Begin your exploration at VisitSarasota.com. 

This week's episode begins with a look at the political forces manipulating the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and how Trump Administration minions nearly cost the Key Deer its protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Our guest this week is Mary Powell, former president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a national organization, and currently an official with General Federation of Women's Clubs - Florida Federation of Women's Clubs. Mary will tell us all about May Mann Jennings, a key figure in Florida's early conservation movement who was responsible for Everglades protection by the way of Royal Palm State Park which eventually became Everglades National Park.

This week's episode begins with a success in the battle of conservation vs. development in Florida and a blueprint for how to do the same in your area.

Our guest this week is Raquel V. Reyes, author of the Miami-based cozy mystery "Mango, Mambo and Murder (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery)." We talk to Raquel about the popularity of the "cozy" genre, how her writing is shaking up the genre, and what she loves most about Miami.

This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. Begin planning for your next weekend getaway or family vacation at www.visitsarasota.com and remember to include Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the Celery Fields in your activities.