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.
Twice each month, Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli joins Cathy for premium episodes available to subscribers focused exclusively on the Keys.
Episodes
205 episodes
Episode 180: Cryptids, Crazy, Florida!, and Skunk Ape Genitalia
Chris Beachum and Rich Robinson created a TV series, Crazy, Florida! — and the first episode is live now. Rich and Chris join Rick and Cathy to talk about the inspiration for Crazy, Florida!, what makes it special, and what's ...
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Season 4
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Episode 180
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41:41
Episode 179: How To Do Wekiwa Springs and Rock Springs Run
Rick and Cathy talk about what to do at Wekiwa Springs, along the Wekiva River, at Rock Springs Run, and the surrounding waterways.Links We Mentioned
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Season 4
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Episode 179
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28:40
Episode 178: DeLeon Springs: Reclaiming Enslaved People's History, Waterskiing Elephants, and Pancakes
This week, Florida Spectacular takes a deep dive into DeLeon Springs. Rick and Cathy talk about the first people who lived in the area, EuroAmerican settlers, and the history of the sugar mill and plantation that formed around the spri...
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Season 4
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Episode 178
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34:32
Episode 177: The Insider's Guide to Orlando with The Bungalower
Brendan O'Connor, of Bungalower and Orlando Magazine, joins the podcast to talk about his intense knowledge of Orlando neighborhoods and hidden Orlando. He's the author of
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Season 4
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Episode 177
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1:05:12
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 22: Ghost Stories of the Florida Keys
Robert the Doll isn't the only ghost in the Florida Keys. Hear a few more tales from Brad and Cathy.Links We MentionedHaunted Key West
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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37:04
Episode 176: Creepy Florida Road Trips
With scary season in full swing, Cathy and Rick talk about some of the creepiest — and most fun — places they've visited along the roadside.Potter's...
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Season 4
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Episode 176
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40:15
Episode 175: Finding the Best Art Across Florida
"Art is not for everyone, but it can be for anyone," so says today's guest, freelance arts writer and Fernandina Beach resident Chadd Scott.Art BaselGas...
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Season 4
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Episode 175
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46:11
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 21: Florida Keys Hurricane History
With Hurricane Milton approaching Florida, Brad and Cathy talk about historic hurricanes in the Florida Keys, including Labor Day 1935 and Irma.
Subscriber Episode
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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30:24
Episode 174: Milton, Helene, and Florida Hurricanes
In the path of Hurricane Milton, Rick and Cathy talk about the history of hurricanes, what Milton could mean for Florida — and Gulfport, and the value of the National Hurricane Center.Links We Mentioned
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Season 4
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Episode 174
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54:59
Episode 173: Hurricane Helene, Gulfport, and What To Do Next
In wake — the literal one — of storm surge from Hurricane Helene, Cathy and Rick talk about what Gulfport looks like, what's next for the 25% of Gulfport residents who no longer have a home, and who's been helping.Links We Mentioned
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Season 4
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Episode 173
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52:23
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 20: Are Skunk Apes Real?
Brad wrote a (mostly) fictional book, The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files. While many of the narratives in the book came from the depths of his imag...
Subscriber Episode
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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32:30
Episode 172: What To Do in Sanford (Folk Art Version)
Florida has a treasure trove of Folk, or Self-Taught, Artists. Bailey Wright, with Jeanine Taylor Folk Art in Sanford, joins the podcast to talk about Florida Folk art and the gallery's upcoming ex...
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Season 4
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Episode 172
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42:47
Episode 171: Tara Lush, Haunted Cookie Jars, and Florida Mysteries
Just in time for the start of the scary season, Florida cozy author Tara Lush joins the podcast to talk about her three mystery series — all set in Florida. One has a haunted cookie jar, one has a decades-old disappearance, and one has a gator....
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Season 4
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Episode 171
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28:42
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 19: Pirates, Patriots, and Painters
Brad and Cathy talk about the origins of Key West — and the chapter in Cathy's new book about how Key West came to be the place we know today.
Subscriber Episode
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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34:55
Episode 170: Woodpeckers, Withlacoochee, and Why the Land Swap?
Florida conservation biologist Gene Kelly joins the podcast to talk about the proposed Withlacoochee land swap. We talk about some of the best things about the area (Red-cockaded woodpeckers! Wilderness! Sand hill habitat!) as well as why the a...
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Season 4
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Episode 170
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39:23
Episode 169: Floridasplaining, Decolonized Florida History, and Spectacular Florida
Rick and Cathy talk about what went into researching Cathy's new book, Florida Spectacular. They also talk about how to approach Florida history that challenges traditional interpretations of historic events, what Cathy learned from th...
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Season 4
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Episode 169
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41:37
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 18: Take a Key Lime Pie Side Quest
Key lime pie: The myth, the truth, and the best place to get it in the Florida Keys. They also talk about Key lime pie on a stick, Key lime ice cream, and Key lime margarita floats. Dig in!Links We Mentioned
Subscriber Episode
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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35:43
Episode 168: Florida's Lost State Park, a Powerful Florida Woman, and State Park Updates
Leslie Kemp Poole joins the podcast to talk about Florida's true first state park, the one forgotten and ignored by the Florida state parks system — but prized by the National Park Service (and part of Everglades National Park). The trio ...
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Season 4
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Episode 168
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44:51
Episode 167: Florida State Parks at Risk: Keep Your Paws Off Our Parks!
This podcast was supposed to be about Ryan Worthington's quest to visit all 175 Florida State Parks, but then FDEP announced plans to build giant hotels and golf courses in the state parks. Ryan, Cathy, and Rick talk about the plans and what ac...
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Season 4
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Episode 127
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44:01
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 17: Florida Keys Dive Bars: Meet Me at the O.V.
Brad and Cathy talk about the best dive bars in the Florida Keys. Links We Mentioned
Subscriber Episode
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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37:43
Episode 166: Tin Can Tourists, Lance Campers, and Florida State Parks
Campers, listen up! From Tin Can Tourist to air conditioned cabins, Florida's a camper's paradise. Rick and Cathy talk about the origins of Tin Can tourists in Tampa, which state parks have the best camping, and how to camp in comfort at them.<...
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Season 4
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Episode 166
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36:07
Episode 165: Hurricanes, Fossils, and an Elephant Graveyard
Along the Suwannee River, there's a treasure trove of fossilized rhinos and elephants. Stephenie Livingston, a science journalist, joins the podcast this week to talk about the Montbrook fossil site, what we can learn about climate change from ...
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Season 4
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Episode 165
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42:16
Florida Keys Spectacular Episode 16: Sharks vs. Dolphins
Brad and Cathy take a look at the state of shark populations in the Keys, explain that the shark's reputation as man-easting beast is undeserved, and why they're a lot better — and nicer — than dolphin.Links We Mentioned
Subscriber Episode
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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33:47
