Welcome to Florida

This week's episode begins with more reasons to support the removal of Kirkpatrick Dam and a return to a free-flowing Ocklawaha River.

Time is running out for you to voice your opinion to the St. John's Water Management District in favor of removing the dam and supporting the river. The comment period closes October 22, 2021. CLICK THIS LINK TO SUPPORT THE RIVER.

Our guest this week is Andrew Ross who's followed up his 1999 book about Celebration, Florida, "The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney's New Town," with a look at central Florida's homelessness crisis, "Sunbelt Blues: Failure of American Housing."

Andrew will be participating in this year's Miami International Book Fair; this is the first of two episodes we'll be producing to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Disney World in Florida.

This week's episode begins with Craig taking us to South Florida where Ron DeSantis has contradicted himself on the subject of Everglades restoration.

Our guest this week is Jennifer Carr, president of Florida Defenders of the Environment, and granddaughter of Marjorie Harris Carr and Archie Carr, two of Florida's greatest conservationists. Marjorie stopped the Cross Florida Barge Canal while Archie was a powerful advocate for sea turtles.

Jennifer joins us to discuss the movement to remove the Kirkpatrick Dam and free the Ocklawaha River, an effort her grandmother led for many years. Now is a critical time in this quest as the St. John's River Water Management District which controls the dam has opened a brief public comment period through October 22, 2021, where citizens can voice their opinion in support of removing the dam and freeing the river.

The Free the Ocklawaha coalition has put together this simple, step-by-step set of instructions which allows you to tell the state to remove the dam and free the river.

We also want to welcome our newest sponsor, Visit Sarasota, to the podcast. Whether you're looking for outdoor recreation like camping at Myakka River State Park, arts and culture at the Ringling Museum or Sarasota Art Museum, beach life at Longboat and Siesta Key, dining, shopping or education at Mote Marine Lab and Marie Selby Gardens, Sarasota offers an experience for everyone. Learn more at VisitSarasota.com.

During this BONUS EPISODE of "Welcome to Florida" we learn all about the various activities available to visitors of Sarasota this fall from arts markets and eco-tours, to dining, art exhibitions and water sports. One of Florida's largest state parks, great apple pie, and the state's only Amish community welcome guests to Sarasota County for outdoor recreation, shopping, history, culture and more.

You can learn about what Sarasota area has to offer by visiting its tourism website.

This week's episode begins with good news on the conservation front and increasing numbers of a once critically endangered Florida butterfly.

Our guest this week is Tom Portuallo, founder and CEO of Iguana Control. Tom has spent more than a decade removing invasive iguana from South Florida homes and yards.

The best action you can take for Florida today is raising your voice in support of removing the Kirkpatrick Dam and allowing the Ocklawaha River to again flow freely, restoring thousands of acres of critical plant, animal and fish habitat in northeast Florida. The St. John's River Water Management District is taking public comments from Florida residents about the future of the dam and Ocklawaha River and the advocacy group Free the Ocklawaha has put together this simple link for you to make your voice heard in support of removing the dam and restoring the river.

This week's episode is devoted to Craig Pittman's new non-fiction book, "The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and other Wildlife."

Joining Chadd Scott this week to talk to Craig about the book is environmental journalist and author of The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. Also: Mirage; Blue Revolution; and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, long-listed for the National Book Award. 

Cynthia was our guest on "Welcome to Florida" episode #55 all about her seashell book.

These week's episode begins with an update on efforts to save the Florida Reef - North America's only coral reef - and how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has habitually damaged the resource.

Our topic this week is sinkholes and we're joined by USF researcher Philip van Beynan to learn all about them.

This week's episode begins with a familiar topic: the dangers of phosphate mining in Florida.

Our guest is gopher tortoise biologist George Heinrich. If you'd like to do more to support gopher tortoise, look into the Gopher Tortoise Council. 

This week's episode begins with a recent conversation Craig had with a former Florida governor.

Our guest is Dr. Kate Mansfield who runs the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. We discuss the five species of sea turtles found nesting in Florida.

In Florida, if you find a dead or stranded sea turtle, here's the number to call for the Fish and Wildlife Commission hotline: 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922).

Coastal Connections was the sea turtle experience group in Vero Beach we mentioned. You can learn more about Coastal Connections by listening to our Vero Beach BONUS episode in the archives.

This week's episode begins along the Tamiami Trail and a discussion of Craig's latest Florida Phoenix story.

Our guest today is Holly Shaffer who's going to tell us all about the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates in Fort Myers.

This week's episode is all about the Florida Manatee. We start the show discussing how Craig came to write his second book, "Manatee Insanity," and are then joined by Florida Manatee researcher, Bob Bonde, who along with his wife, Cathy Beck, studied the animals for 40 years.

Bob co-authored the most authoritative book on the subject of Florida Manatee, "The Florida Manatee: Biology and Conservation," which was updated with a second edition in the summer of 2021.