Florida Spectacular
Take a weekly trip across Florida with authors Cathy Salustri and Rick Kilby and discover a side of Florida you never knew existed. From the scallops in Panhandle bays to the Hemingway cats in Key West, every week's a Florida adventure.
Get more Florida goodness with greatfloridaroadtrip.com and rickkilby.com.
Florida Spectacular
Episode 230: Aids, Arcadia, and Accusations
Send us your Florida questions!
Jason Vuic (rhymes with Buick!) talks about his latest book, A Town Without Pity: Aids, Race, & Resistance in Florida's Deep South. In it, he delves into two notorious cases from Arcadia: the Ray brothers, and the James Richardson case.
Links We Mentioned
Florida's Peace River Frontier by Canter Brown, Jr.
PHOTO: In 1987, Arcadia brothers Ricky (left), Robert (center), and Randy (right) Ray suffered from hemophilia and contracted the AIDS virus through tainted blood factor. Ostracized by their community and thrust into the national spotlight, they were the victims of intense anti-AIDS hysteria (courtesy Tribune Publishing).
Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com.
Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.
Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).
NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!
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