Welcome to Florida

Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this episode of "Welcome to Florida" discussing the 2020 election in Florida, why Trump took the state, where the Democrats failed and what it means moving forward.

This week's guest is Mitchell Kaplan, co-founder of the Miami Book Fair which begins November 15, the most prestigious litterary event in the country. Mitchell is a long-time Miami resident and owner of Books and Books bookstore. We discuss Miami's turnaround, why the fair and his shop have done so well in Miami, and he shares stories of Hunter S. Thompson and Judy Bloom.

Here's more information about the Miami Book Fair, and if you're interested in books, check out Mitchell's podcast, "The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan."

This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" releases on Super Tuesday! As Floridans go the the polls and await the outcome, Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott share their voting experiences from this year and years previous.

This week's guest is UCF historian Jim Clark. Jim has authored several books on Florida history, including "Presidents in Florida." That's what we're talking about this week. From Andrew Jackson to Donald Trump, Harry Truman's "Little White House" and the seeds of Watergate, we trace Florida's history from presidential afterthought to presidential essential.

Throughout election week, Craig will be covering developments in Florida for the "Washington Post." Follow him on Twitter @craigtimes to stay updated!

On this week's Halloween-themed episode, Craig Pittman shares Florida ghost stories before Craig and Chadd Scott talk with Tampa Bay Times reporter Paul Guzzo who has done outstanding work finding lost cemeteries in the Bay Area.

The episode wraps up with a discussion of Craig's recent "National Geographic" article surrounding the end of greyhound racing in Florida. 

This week's episode, unfortunately, begins with bad news as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to begin water releases from Lake Okeechobee. Why does this happen and what makes this decision so environmentally ruinous? Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott explain.

Gary Fineout from Politico.com is this week's guest. He has covered government and politics in Florida for almost 30 years. Gary discusses many of the key issues impacting how the presidential race in Florida will turn out focusing on Florida's ever-evolving demographics.

Finally, Craig and Chadd share the story of their first in-person meeting which took place recently in St. Petersburg on Chadd's trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. The MFA, St. Pete is reinstalling its collection galleries with fabulous items spanning 5,000 years of human creativity.  Also in St. Pete, check out the elegant and historic The Don CeSar hotel, on the beach, which has also undertaken a major renovation. 

Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode talking about a strange obsenity case from Florida's past which is back in the news. They also help you make sense of the proposed amendments to the state constitution on this year's ballot.

They're guests this episode are Sandra Friend and John Keatley. Sandra has written numerous guide books to hiking throughout Florida, she's logged almost 10,000 miles across the state on foot herself, and is the founder of FloridaHikes.com. John's a former NASA employee who's a Florida resident and has hiked, biked and paddled extensively around the state. He's also the author of numerous books on hiking in Florida.

Hiking season in Florida begins in October and we'll learn the best places to do just that.

In 2007, astronaut Lisa Nowak drove 900 miles to confront her lover's new lover in the parking lot of the Orlando airport. Then things really got weird, especially with the discovery of used diapers in her car.

This episode of "Welcome to Florida" features Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott discussing the NASA love triangle which fed the tabloids and legitimate media for weeks, cast a harsh spotlight on NASA, and changed the way it psychologically profiles astronauts with Kimberly Moore, author of "Starcrossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak."

Craig and Chadd also discuss NASA's history in Florida, more chicanery from the state regarding how it approaches clean water and we show love to one of Florida's great historic, luxury resorts, the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. 

One of the many histories explored in Craig Pittman's great book on the state of Florida, "Oh, Florida!," is Florida's checkered history of religion. Billy Graham found his calling here. Martin Luther King was arrested here. Jim Bakker visited Florida for illicit sexual affairs.

Craig and Chadd Scott discuss these events on their way to being joined by this episode's guest, Lyn Millner, author of "The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp and a Renegade Prophet." Millner's book recalls the Koreshan cult, which, among other things, believed the earth was hollow and that their founder, Cyrus Teed, was immortal.

Spoiler alert: he wasn't. 

Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode discussing the latest environmental nightmare Floridians, and Florida Panthers, have to worry about.

This week's guest is Scott Deitche, author of "Cigar City Mafia" and numerous other books about the mob. He shares details and stories about the Mafia's involvement in Florida politics and gambling. The Mob was big in Tampa and South Florida, starting in the 1930s when they moved in on the locals who were bootlegging and running the bolita racket during Prohibition. In the 1950s, when the Kefauver Committee held hearings here, Senate investigators found mob influence in everything from the dog tracks to the sheriffs and even the governor's office.

This episode of "Welcome to Florida" was recorded hours after the attempted murder of Jacob Blake by police officers in Chadd Scott's home state of Wisconsin. Chadd and Craig Pittman discussed the shooting and their reactions to it, how Trayvon Martin's murder was the catalyst for Craig's book "Oh, Florida!" and why the Florida Department of Environmental Protection doesn't protect Florida's environment.

This week's guest is Diana Beckman, executive director at the Florida House, Florida's embassy in Washington, D.C. Florida is the only state with an embassy! Why does it need one? What takes place there? Find out on this episode of "Welcome to Florida!" 

The Floridan Aquifer is one of the most amazing natural resources in the world, producing eight billion gallons of fresh water daily! Julie Hauserman joins Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott to discuss her book, "Drawn to the Deep: The Remarkable Underwater Explorations of Wes Skiles," which examines the aquifer, one of it's greatest champions - Wes Skiles - and the threats it faces.