Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Rodney Barreto appears to have lied under oath during his senate confirmation hearing about a proposed development project he attempted. Our guest this episode is Kristina Agard from the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in Key West. Since opening in 2007, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Ec…

The Florida legislature is spending valuable time this session attempting to enact a law preventing chemtrails and human manipulation of the weather, something that doesn't exist except in the mind of loony right-wingers. Something that does exist in Florida is black bears. Arix Zalace is a long-time Panhandle resident and Co-Founder, Director & Bo…

A proposed home development in Alachua County threatens the Floridan Aquifer. John Quarterman is the Suwannee Riverkeeper working with a group of concerned citizens in north central Florida and south central Georgia to protect a vast, interconnected basin of waterways flowing into the Suwanee River and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. Check out ou…

A peanut farmer wants to swindle choice gopher tortoise land out of state conservation protection under the guise of a land swap, and Florida officials seem open to the idea. Voice your opposition. Craig's seventh book, "Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America's Most Interesting State" is now available. His former colleague at the "Tampa Bay Ti…

Craig highlights the WORST bill working its way through the legislature this session. It's a "Christmas wish list" for developers and polluting industries. Fernandina Beach vs. Rayonier. Find you state senator and call him/her to oppose SB 1118. Jason Garcia's GREAT newsletter and podcast about Florida politics. Our guest this episode is Mark Musti…

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials are again pursuing a black bear hunt for the state. Citizens don't want it, and the last one was a disaster. Read Craig's column and send your comment to state officials in opposition. The Palace Saloon in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island is Florida's oldest bar. Thea Seagraves from the A…

Craig wants America's most hated man, unelected shadow president Elon Musk, to keep his hands off our National Parks. (Resistance Rangers) Longleaf pine once covered an area of over 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas along the Southeastern coast and well inland. Today, only about 5% of that original habitat remains. Karl Etters works at Tall T…

Alcoholic, womanizing, Islamophobe U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also a climate denier. He has instructed the armed forces to ignore climate impacts and has demanded the Pentagon cut funding on military installations aimed at combating the effects of climate change, including at bases in Florida. The Montbrook Fossil Site roughly 45 minute…

A combination of increasing and increasingly devastating hurricanes along with skyrocketing property insurance prices have resulted in an amazing demographic event in Florida. Our guest this week is Michael Sipos from the Florida Sea Grant who joins us to talk about mullet. Make it a point one year to attend the Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow held …

Donald Trump's threatened tariffs would be another nail in the coffin for Florida's citrus industry. You can support the "Welcome to Florida" podcast by becoming a $5 a month "patron" at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. Greg Asbed from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers joins us on this episode to discuss the history of working conditions for agri…

Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to open the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil drilling, potentially endangering Florida's beaches and economy from the spills that inevitably follow drilling. In 1960, Cuban parents began sending their children, unaccompanied, to Miami on Pan-Am flights to get them out of the country and away from Fidel Ca…

The federal government in the closing days of the Biden Administration failed to secure a protection for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Stories like this can be found in our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" exclusively available to "Welcome to Florida" patrons at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. Marineland opened south …

Ron DeSantis wants the state to assume responsibility of Everglades restoration from the federal government. Terrible idea for the Everglades. Our guest this episode is Susan Anderson, outgoing executive director of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper. Susan grew up on the river and shares what makes it special and the numerous threats it faces. "Welcome …

The Cape Sable seaside sparrow is one of the most endangered birds in the continental United States, numbering only 2,000 or so individuals, all living in the Everglades. Conflicting water management aims in South Florida pitting Big Sugar against the environment is resulting in the state taking drastic measures to pursue survival of the species. I…

Buyer beware when it comes to a new organization promoting itself as a gopher tortoise conservation solution. Miami's Criteria Recording Studios has produced a staggering volume of hit music from James Brown's "I Feel Good" to Eric Clapton's "Layla," Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," the Eagles' "Hotel California," Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," and on…

Craig takes a look back at the most amusing and unusual Florida news stories from 2024. Fred Rogers studied in the Music Department at Rollins College in Winter Park before going on to host "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on PBS. Fred Rogers' nephew, Daniel Crozier, teaches in the Music Department at Rollins and shares stories of his uncle and how th…

Craig Pittman has a wish list of gifts he hopes Santa brings Florida's environment. Our guest this episode is poet, essayist, and professor of English at Florida State University David Kirby. His latest anthology of poems is titled "The Winter Dance Party." In the episode, Craig quoted an Elizabeth Bishop poem you can read here. Thank you to all of…

In Port St. Joe, a 62-year-old woman was handcuffed, arrested, and spent a night in jail as part of a politically motivated attack on local residents investigating damage done to a wetland by the city. The St. Johns River is Florida's longest, flowing south to north along the eastern half of the state. Lisa Rinaman is the St. Johns Riverkeeper, an …

What should Florida and its residents be doing to prepare for the next hurricane season? The Orange Blossom Trail was a popular tourism promotion in mid-century Florida to bring newly middle-class Americans with their cars from the Midwest and Northeast to the middle part of the state traversing along U.S. Route 441 running 400-plus miles from the …

Add little Milton in the Panhandle as another Florida town that threw out its pro-development, pro-industry city council in what can now be called a statewide trend. Famous 20th century "Beat" author Jack Kerouac spent the final years of his life in Orlando and St. Pete. Bob Kealing shares this history in his book, "Jack Kerouac: Where the Road End…

Based on his first-term record as the most anti-nature president in American history, Craig sees the Florida environment as a big loser of Donald Trump's second term in office. In 1983, contemporary artists Christo and Jean-Claude created a massive installation of pink fabric in Biscayne Bay titled 'Surrounded Islands.' The couple's foundation rece…

Timber company Rayonier wants to develop a toxic bioethanol producing plant near downtown Fernandina Beach. Explosions at these plants are not uncommon. A local group, No Ethanol Fernandina, is fighting the effort. Miccosukee Indian John Tigertail leads airboat tours of the Everglades just like his father and grandfather did. Information on the 202…

Craig and I open this episode discussing a return to the White House of the worst environmental president in history. Our guest is David Morton, author of "Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry." Florida was an epicenter of film and television production in the early 20th century, and again in the 50s and 60s,…

Florida's politicians are bought and paid for by polluting industries: Big Sugar, Big Ag (agriculture), cattle ranchers, gas and oil, developers, phosphate mining. Kristen Hare traveled across the state researching her book "Hotels, Motels, and Inns of Florida." On this episode, she shares her favorite historic lodgings. If you'd like to receive an…

Ron DeSantis thinks the Florida economy would suffer from fighting climate change; Craig Pittman knows the Florida economy won't exist if we don't. Cathy Salustri, host of the "Florida Spectacular" podcast and Florida author - and two-time former "Welcome to Florida" guest - fills in for Chadd Scott on this episode focusing on Robert the Doll. Auth…

Back-to-back hurricanes this October have Craig thinking about 2004 when four major hurricanes battered the state in a six week period. What was learned from those catastrophes 20 years ago? Nothing. Our guest this episode is Florida author Leslie Kemp Poole's whose recently published book, "Tracing Florida Journeys: Explorers, Travelers, and Lands…

VOTE "NO" ON AMENDMENT 2, the so-called "Right to Hunt and Fish." Big Cypress National Preserve in south Florida celebrates its 50th anniversary as the nation's first National Preserve on October 11, 2024. The Preserve will be hosting a variety of events through the end of the year in recognition of the milestone. Lisa Andrews is the education and …

We start by explaining how climate change and increased development have made hurricanes in Florida stronger and more destructive. Theodore Pratt isn't a name most folks will know, but he was a highly acclaimed and prolific mid-century Florida author who is largely responsible for sustaining the legacy of the Barefoot Mailmen. Taylor Hagood is a pr…

Florida's so-called "law and order" governor isn't concerned about law or order when it comes to the state's freshwater springs. The best way to stay informed on news related to our springs is via the Florida Springs Council. We've previously featured Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's "The Yearling" book in an episode, this episode will center on the movie…

Another secretive, shady deal attempted between a private developer and the state government on supposedly protected public land has been exposed by the media. Harry Truman spent a remarkable amount of time during his presidency at his Little White House in Key West. The home is open to the public for tours. Clinton Curry, Director of Operations in…

A secret meeting about water policy convened by a Florida congressman allowed polluting industries and state officials to scheme behind closed doors without the public or press allowed in. This episode takes us to Florida's most remote location, the Dry Tortugas. Ian Wilson-Navarro spent a month there photographing and fishing, and recalls the expe…

Craig recently turned a story in to "Flamingo" magazine about Miami's Criteria Recording Studios, one of the 20th century's most influential hit makers. Our guest this episode is social media personality, humorist, and Florida Man OMGitsWicks. Follow him on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.…

Don't believe Ron DeSantis' lies when he says he had no advance knowledge of plans to bring golf courses and hotels into Florida's state parks. Our guest this week is Florida author Cathy Salustri. She joined us all the way back on Episode 5 to discuss her first Florida book, "Backroads of Paradise," and she's back to discuss her latest book, "Flor…

Craig's column on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's plan to build golf courses and hotels in the state parks. Story update. Another episode, more politicians lining up with developers to destroy protected natural areas against the wishes of citizens. Our guest is Florida food, travel, and lifestyle writer Carrie Honaker who took …

Florida's estuaries are warming faster than the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean. Doug Alderson kayaked down the Kissimmee River twice, once in 2007 and again in 2024. He wrote about those experiences as well as the river's historic importance to Florida, it's channelizing in the 1960s, and restoration efforts to renaturalize it beginning in the 19…

When is protected land not really protected? When it's in Florida. A.E. "Bean" Backus (1906-1990) is one of Florida's most esteemed artists. While best known today in connection to the Florida Highwaymen, Backus was an exceptional artist in his own right. J. Marshall Adams, executive director at the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery in Fort Pierce joi…

Encouraging news for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, the most endangered bird species on mainland America. A pair of notorious Florida villains have died. Norma Padgett Upshaw who falsely accused "The Groveland Four" of rape, and William Calley, Jr. a U.S. Army officer convicted for his role in 1968's My Lai Massacre in Vietnam. Our guest today is…

The right wing's gameplan for a second Trump administration is laid out in a 900-plus page document called "Project 2025." One of its aims is to privatize weather reports. Craig explains how this terrifying document would impact Floridians. Our guest this episode is Lynn Smallwood McMillin, owner and operator of the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee s…

This episode begins by discussing Craig's most recent "Flamingo" magazine article about the Florida State Park system. Our guest is Lauren Ali, Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail coordinator. The Trail is a project of the FWC - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.By Chadd Scott

The New College of Florida has been purged of its academic integrity and set up as an incubator of right wing ideology by Ron DeSantis, now, the school's president has destroyed an environmental preserve to construct ball fields. Michael Adno is a freelance writer and photographer from Sarasota. He recently visited the Apalachicola State Forest in …

What Donald Trump didn't say about climate change during the presidential debate spoke volumes. During the debate, Trump said, "During my four years, I had the best environmental numbers ever." The exact opposite is true. Trump was the most anti-environmental president in U.S. history, rolling back 100+ environmental protections. The built environm…

Solar energy is heating up in Florida no thanks to state government. Harry Crews grew up dirt poor in south Georgia during the Great Depression before moving to Florida, enrolling at UF, and then becoming a famous writer of novels, essays, reported pieces, and screenplays. He also taught creative writing at the University of Florida for three decad…

Eco-criminal Ron DeSantis continues working against Florida's environment. They exist only in Miami: ventanitas. You'll find the "little windows" attached to Cuban restaurants. Customers can order food and coffee out of them, sometimes, 24-hours a day. This episode's guest Daniela Perez is a Miami native who wrote a book on the subject, "Ventanitas…

One of the worst bills to pass out of the Florida legislature in the most recent session was supported completely on lies. Everyone has heard of birder and artist John James Audubon, namesake of the Audubon Foundation. Audubon came to Florida twice while researching his epic "Birds of America." Our guest today, Kenn Kaufman, is one of America's gre…

Florida congressman Matt Gaetz wants to bomb endangered whales in the Gulf of Mexico. One of Florida's great hidden gem cultural and tourist attractions is Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach. As beautiful as the gardens are today, the history of Japanese immigration to Florida and the garden's founding are equally interesting. Cur…

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." Tha…

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."By Chadd Scott

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.By Chadd Scott