Monthly Archives: December 2020
Podcast: Michael Grunwald on the Big Cypress Jetport and environmental awakenings in Florida politics
It’s our privilege this week on The Florida History Podcast, to be joined by Michael Grunwald, author of The Swamp and current writer for Politico Magazine. In this episode we discuss the political fight over the building of the Jetport and how it awakened environmentalism in Florida. This is the first of two holiday season […]
Broward Parks a welcome tonic for COVID-driven 2020
It’s probably no secret to most of you reading this, that I like to get in the car and travel our state – especially during the holiday season. In all those years of traveling, I realize I have neglected the area I actually live in – Broward County. For years, I have been obsessed with […]
I-10 and other road fights in Tallahassee and North Florida
On this week’s Florida History Podcast we discuss how the route I-10 takes through the Tallahassee area today was not the original route that was sought. It wasn’t even the second or third choice. We discuss that and also other fights about roads through wooded and rural areas of North Florida on this week’s Florida […]
Florida’s Progressive tradition – ethics, transparency, good government: A short history of the state’s modern “progressive era.”
The raid conducted by law enforcement officials last week on Rebekah Jones home reinforced what Florida under long-term GOP rule has become – a state where the governing class conducts itself in a manner where arming citizens with information is discouraged and any competition of ideas or questioning of policies is strictly discouraged. What has […]
Spanish Missions in Colonial Florida
They are not as famous as Spanish Missions in Texas or California, but Florida’s network of missions predated those in other parts of North America and were quite impressive. Colonial Florida in the 1600’s hit a high point in terms of economic development – a high the areas that currently make up the State of […]
Winning the Florida Attorney General’s office should be the Democratic priority in 2022
Disclaimer: In 2014, Kartik Krishnaiyer served as the statewide Deputy Campaign Manager for the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, the late George Sheldon. Sheldon’s GOP opponent was Attorney General Pam Bondi. The reaction to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s decision to join Texas’s lawsuit related to the 2020 Presidential Election reinforces what an important post […]
Governor Fuller Warren, Florida’s Huey Long
Fuller Warren is among the most controversial and colorful figures in the political history of the Sunshine State. On this week’s Florida History Podcast, we discuss Warren’s political rise, his Governorship and his ties to both the Ku Klux Klan organized crime interests. As Governor, Warren turned on the Klan but his ties to organized […]
Newsmax – MAGA media entity puts Florida in the spotlight again
Newsmax, the media empire founded by Christopher Ruddy and based in West Palm Beach has emerged as the most Trumpian media entity during the last four years. Following the 2020 Election, Newsmax’s fledgling cable channel has become a favorite of MAGA loyalists and those alleging election fraud. Ruddy, a personal friend of the President, and […]
William Bartram’s famous East Florida Expedition of 1774 – exploring the St Johns River and the interior of the British colony
NOTE: Kartik Krishnaiyer is currently working on a book about British influence in Colonial Florida. Work on the book was suspended during the 2020 Election season but has now resumed. The following is a passage on William Bartram’s 1774 visit to East Florida, during the period of British rule over the colony. Famous Philadelphia naturalist […]
Podcast: Runaway slaves, Negro Fort and Andrew Jackson
On this week’s Florida History Podcast we discuss the Negro Fort on the Apalachicola River, manned by runaway slaves and armed by the British. The pro-slavery United States under General Andrew Jackson attacked the fort in 1816, violating Spain sovereignty, killing 334 mostly African-American defenders. You can listen to the Florida History Podcast on Anchor (which hosts […]
The Florida Squeeze 