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.
Episodes
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Mary McLeod Bethune founded the school that became Bethune-Cookman University, but why — and how? Ryan and Cathy take a look.
Find Submerged Stories on Facebook.
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Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com.
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As Rick and Cathy look to the new year, they talk about the podcast's origin story, what Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings would have sounded like as an influencer, and the ways social media can help Florida research.
Links We Mentioned
Desperately seeking information on:
Mary Mae Campbell (Most likely: South Florida/Homestead, ca. 1967)
Donald W. Sill (Winter Park artist /Altamonte Springs)
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A search for legendary Key West fire chef Bum Farto led historian David L. Sloan down a path that led to how Key West played a large part in the assassination of JFK in Dallas. His detailed research helps prove a conspiracy that has long plagued Americans.
Links We Mentioned
David's website telling the story of JFK, the CIA, and the mafia in Key West
Cover image courtesy of Davi...
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Tibbals Curator of Circus, Jennifer Lemmer Posey, talks about the history of the circus in Florida, where it's going, and the state of things today.
Links We Mentioned
Cirque du Soleil's Drawn to Life
International Independent Showmen's Association
The Ringling collection at FSU
Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspect...
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Ross Allen's daughter, Betty Allen Bashaw, talks about growing up around her father's menagerie, some of her most interesting tasks at the Ross Allen Institute, and how to get a gator to take a nap.
Pictured: A young Betty Allen with her father Ross Allen. Photo courtesy of Betty Allen Bashaw.
Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com.
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Have you been to Havana? No, not that one — the one near Quincy, in North Central Florida. Mark Pettus, co-owner of 16 newspapers in North Florida, gives insider tips for visiting Havana and Quincy.
Things To Do in Gadsden County
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This week, Ryan Worthington and Cathy Salustri talk about their forthcoming podcast, Submerged Stories: Florida's Other History.
Find Submerged Stories on Facebook.
Find Ryan and Cathy on Instagram.
Links We Mentioned
Prospect Bluff: Part of the Underground Network to Freedom
Fort Gadsden and the Underground Railroad
Question or comment? Email us at cathy@f...
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The Florida Wildlife Federation calls Karen Chadwick a conservation hero. She's spent her life on and around the waters of Central Florida, and she talks about her passion for the Ocklawaha, the impacts of keeping the dam, and the splendor of the regular drawdowns.
Links We Mentioned
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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 brothe...
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Robin Mimna talks about the darker side of Henry Flagler, Stetson, and other "founding fathers" in Florida. We also talk about the women behind the men, and how the men controlled the narratives about them.
Links We Mentioned
Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com.
S...
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Elizabeth Randall, author of Florida haunted history books, joins the podcast — this week only, we've changed the name — to tell us some fantastic Florida ghost stories.
Links We Mentioned
Bosque Bello Cemetery in Fernandina
Amelia Island Museum of History (the old jailhouse)
Robert the Doll by David Sloan
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To celebrate the 25th annual issue of Saw Palm, the editors came on the podcast to talk about what sorts of things to expect in the anniversary issue, a book from the man who started Saw Palm, and things to do in Ybor City.
Links We Mentioned
Question or comment? Email us at cathy@floridaspectacular.com.
...Send us your Florida questions!
Can AI make Florida better? Bess Auer joins the podcast to talk about AI, being a UF cheerleader during the Danny Rollins serial killings, and her Orlando treasure hunt.
Links We Mentioned
"How Ted Bundy Ended Our Innocence" by Diane Roberts
The Secret: A Treasure Hunt (Byron Preiss)
...
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Haley Moody, the director of the Florida Springs Institute, joins the podcast to talk about the idea of creating a National Springs Heritage Area in Florida.
About Haley
Haley’s passion for the springs began during her first visit to the Ichetucknee River. Her love of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was born during her time at the University of Florida, where she graduated with honors in Landscape ...
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Florida nature photographer Matt Keene talks about how he uses large-format film cameras to create his portraits. Matt has an exhibit at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine (through Jan. 18, 2026), and this episode offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how much work, forethought, and effort goes into this extraordinary body of work.
Links We Mentioned
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Brandy Carlisle, a tour guide at St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth Park, is fascinated with the woman who bought the land that is now the park. So much so she's published a book about her: Luella. The trio talks about Luella, prostitution, and the Fountain of Youth.
Links We Mentioned
Fountain of Youth Park in St. Augustine
Find out more about Brandy — and her fascinating hobbies — on her...
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Rick and Cathy talk about Rick's trip to St. Augustine, then answer a letter from a listener about whether or not moving to Florida is a good idea.
Things To Do in St. Augustine
St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth (visit with a critical eye!)
The San Marco shops in St. Augustine, including Duddington's
Columbia Restaurant in the St. Augustine Historic District
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Mikita Brottman, author of Guilty Creatures, joins the podcast to talk about the Tallahassee murder that scandalized the town when Denise Williams and Brian Winchester plotted and executed the murder of Denise's husband, Mike.
Mikita Brottman is a writer and psychoanalyst. Her latest book Guilty Creatures was published by Simon and Schuster in 2024. She has a D. Phil from Oxford University and is ...
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The face behind the super-popular Florida's Folk History Instagram account joins the podcast this week. Aubrey Naulin talks about her art, her hopes for Florida's future, and Florida's Indians.
Links We Mentioned
Florida Folk History on Instagram
Islands of Cedars by Shana Smith
Submerged Stories: Florida's Other Histories on Facebook
Send us your Florida questions!
Mark Barrow grew up around gators — both the real one and a certain Florida college that pays homage to them. Now, he's written a book about alligators, and he joins Rick and Cathy to talk about why alligators deserve respect, not fear. The trio also talks about the gator's place in Florida's culture, roadside Florida gator attractions, and why gators are amazing creatures.
Links We Ment...
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