Category Florida History
Florida in crisis – the Authoritarian overreach of Ron DeSantis threatens the constitutional order in our state
Florida has effectively jumped into territory not seen in generations in terms of state government anywhere in this country. For all the false equivalencies made about Governor Ron DeSantis with other right-wing public officials (oh he’s like Gregg Abbott, he’s baby Trump, he’s like Jim Jordan, he’s no worse than Rick Scott, etc) we are […]
Governor DeSantis new race-baiting COVID-19 denialism
Even by the low standards of Governor DeSantis recent demagoguery and Covid_19 denialism this evening’s fundraising letter from his PAC was doozy. Blatantly racist in its tone, DeSantis’ email blames illegal immigrants for the Covid problems in Florida and predictably avoids any discussion of unvaccinated and unmasked Floridians, which almost certainly support him disproportionately. The […]
The great freeze of 1894-1895
On this week Florida History Podcast, we discuss the great freeze of 1894-95 and its impact on the citrus industry and it triggering a growth of citrus in California while also promoting Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami. Florida’s citrus industry recovered eventually but citrus production was cut by almost 600% at one […]
Blue Springs, The St Johns River and William Bartram
Famous Philadelphia naturalist William Bartram had previously visited Florida, but his 1774 visit to East Florida was among his most famous travels and left a lasting impression of the then-British colony. Bartram began his trek on Amelia Island in March 1774. He sailed through the St Johns River observing Alligators, Bears and Snakes. He also […]
What is the Cost of our Fear?
My abuelita used to tell us if people know/understand your fear(s) they can control you, she was teaching us about Santeria, which she had been taught to fear. Besides being taught to fear Santeria she saw people in her old neighborhood in Cuba lose their minds because they thought someone used brujeria on them. I […]
Florida’s first 20th Century GOP Governor – Claude Kirk
In 1966, colforul and flamboyent Claude Kirk became Florida’s first post-Reconstruction Republican Governor while his party surged with increased seats in the legislature. Kirk’s flamboyance and ability the state’s racial backlash allowed him to break Democratic dominance of the state for the first time in a century. The Kirk legacy is covered from head to […]
Ralph Turlington- Florida legend
Ralph Turlington the longtime Commissioner of Education and former Speaker of the Florida House passed away earlier this year. He was a friend of our Florida History Podcast and we discuss his career on this week’s show. You can listen to the Florida History Podcast on Anchor (which hosts our show), Spotify, Google, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Breaker, Overcast, Castro or Pocket Casts. Overcast, Castro, Spotify, […]
Flashback 2005: Fort Lauderdale air service from OAG
Fort Lauderdale air service April 2005 – very different from today Very interesting to see how Fort Lauderdale (FLL) air service in 2005 contrasts with today. – Only flight to South America was Avianca’s daily Fort Lauderdale-Bogota service (besides a once-daily flight to Guyana on now-defunct Guyana Airways) . Today FLL has somewhere in the […]
Florida government in the Great Depression
On this week’s Florida History Podcast, we discuss Florida governance during the Great Depression. You can listen to the Florida History Podcast on Anchor (which hosts our show), Spotify, Google, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Breaker, Overcast, Castro or Pocket Casts. Overcast, Castro, Spotify, Radio Public and Breaker have App Store apps for free which enable you to subscribe and listen on your iPhone if you do […]
On July 4, let’s ask what is Americanism?
As we celebrate July 4th, a discussion worth having comes to mind … What is Americanism? This entire discussion for me is long overdue. Some of my brethren on the left look the liberal democracies of western Europe for inspiration even though in many cases they are more classist and race-conscious societies than the United States […]
The Florida Squeeze 