SoFlo Weird Show
SoFlo Weird Show is a podcast featuring weird Florida stories. Every one knows, Florida is famous for being infamous. From the days of Prohibition to just about anything that happened last week, we’ve got an endless supply of wild stories waiting to be tapped in to and shared with our equally quirky audience. We feature legend tripping, haunted sights, offbeat travels and true crimes so bizarre you’ll think we made it up. Plain and simple… It’s weird stories for weird people and you fit right in. www.sofloweird.com
Episodes
March 31, 2023 • 29 mins
Two fantastic, dark, and eerie stories are featured in Freaky Fiction. The first is Deb Rogers' debut novel, Florida Woman. It's the story of one woman's journey to redemption after going viral for committing an outrageous crime she never intended to commit. When she seizes the opportunity to redeem herself by volunteering at a monkey sanctuary, she soon realizes something far more sinister is going on and wonders if she is in more...
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February 3, 2023 • 30 mins
One town in Florida has a rich history and unsolved mysteries. There are miles of tunnels beneath the city that may have been used for smuggling, cigars once held secret messages with instructions to launch the Cuban rebellion against Spain and there's a park belonging to Cuba with rogue chickens running wild. This is Ybor City, Tampa’s premier historic district. This gem of a city has a unique and twisted past. In our final ep...
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January 13, 2023 • 29 mins
The SoFlo Weird Street Team met up with award winning author and reporter Craig Pittman, at the Miami Book Fair. Pittman, a Florida native, worked for The Tampa Bay Times, where his environmental reporting garnered him multiple regional and national honors.
He is the co-host of the Welcome to Florida podcast and the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller Oh, Florida! How America's Weirdest State Influences th...
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December 23, 2022 • 31 mins
In another installment of our SoFlo Weird Street Team Tampa Trip we explore the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Taking up an entire city block at 52,000 square feet, which includes 6,000 just for the kitchen, and seating for up to 1,700 people, the Columbia holds the title for the largest Spanish Restaurant in the world. Over 100 years old and with 5 generations of family run ownership, we sat down with the current owner and ope...
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October 15, 2022 • 35 mins
The SoFlo team met Brian Kramer and Donna Lyman of Paranormal Adventures on a late-night ghost hunt at the St Augustine Lighthouse. They discuss their investigations and give tips on what they've learned on their paranormal journey as the busiest ghost chasers in Florida. What's strange is how their interest in ghost hunting began. Then we highlight a few of Florida's apparitions, Specters, and Spirits.
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September 17, 2022 • 28 mins
The SoFlo Weird Team hit the streets of Tampa to explore it's sordid past. Historic Ybor City was once a hotbed for criminal activity during prohibition, only second to New York City. From bolita and bootlegging to a turf war that led to the Era of Blood, we sought to get the real scoop on the seedier side of Tampa’s history with mob expert, author and historian, Scott Deitche. Then, we take a look at the women who had an active...
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August 12, 2022 • 39 mins
Neighbor disputes date back centuries to the time of early settlements. You can bet that in our colorful state of Florida, those disagreements can get downright absurd. We've got several stories about those jerks who will do just about anything to infuriate their neighbor. From famous cases of unsightly spite walls, to fighting off attack chickens and an assault with a bucket of pee, you'll quickly realize whatever you're fighting...
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July 11, 2022 • 30 mins
One of America's favorite pastimes has always been the circus. And dominating that entertainment spectacle were the larger than life circus kings PT Barnum, James Bailey and John Ringling. Independently they competed for control of the American Circus; together they created the Greatest Show On Earth and captivated the nation. Best selling author Les Standiford brings to life this remarkable story and shines a spotlight on Flori...
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June 24, 2022 • 32 mins
Florida is famous for its magical theme parks and pristine beaches, but for those who seek adventure off the beaten path, there is a fantastic resource offering a daily look into the hidden gems you can find only in your state. Marisa Roman, a travel writer, will share some highlights from her Florida explorations as we delve deep into our state's urban legends and hauntings. Her work appears in the travel publication Only In Your...
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June 2, 2022 • 24 mins
Our adventures in Key Largo take us to Mile Marker 100, where a special piece of film history floats along the dock next to the Holiday Inn. It's the iconic African Queen, the real boat on which movie legends Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart navigated their way through the Congo River in 1951 when filming the movie of the same name. The SoFlo team jumped onboard for this immersive history lesson. We also feature the haunting...
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March 18, 2022 • 26 mins
The SoFlo Weird Street Team headed to Key Largo Florida in search of a one of a kind real treasure, an underwater hotel located 25 feet deep on the ocean floor in a mangrove lagoon. The Jules Undersea Lodge, a unique underwater sanctuary, is available for overnight stays. Imagine sleeping with the fishes and getting pizza delivered to your room! The Lodge, which first served as a marine research lab, is nearly 50 years old and h...
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January 23, 2022 • 30 mins
To find the true essence of Florida you must be willing to travel it’s backroads, coastal regions and swamps to immerse yourself deep within it’s communities. That's just what author Tyler Gillespie did. In his latest book "The Thing About Florida" – Gillespie journeys to unexpected places such as halfway houses, gator pits, rattlesnake rooms, and clothing-optional campgrounds, where he meets eclectic and unconventional Floridians...
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December 14, 2021 • 31 mins
These crimes predate the Florida Man phenom, but back in the day, there were brazen thieves with catchy nicknames like Gentle Jim, The Kissing Bandit and Murph The Surf. We meet up with historian and fellow podcaster Casey Piket, who discusses some strange crimes that occurred in the Miami Brickell neighborhood over a three-decade period, one that includes a likeable thief named Gentle Jim. Then, there's my own personal account ...
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October 29, 2021 • 28 mins
Outta time brings on a whole meaning when we discuss the mystery of time slips, a phenomenon that happens when a moment from the past spontaneously intrudes on the present through seemly-unexplained means. There are numerous documented cases around the world where this has happened. We talk about this mystery with archaeologist Bob Carr who has experienced this firsthand. He talks about the time he and a coworker were inadvertentl...
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September 18, 2021 • 23 mins
Florida is home to some pretty weird wildlife. Aside from our state's mascot, the gator, there are West African Monkeys residing in a mangrove swamp between Port Everglades and the Fort Lauderdale Airport. These playful primates have been living there since the 1950's and are actually the descendants of monkeys that escaped a local farm. To find out how they got here and why, we talk with Dr. Missy Williams of the Dania Beach ...
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August 13, 2021 • 35 mins
The SoFlo Weird Street Team hit the road and headed to Lake Wales, home of the most beautiful and unique sanctuary you'll ever see, Bok Tower Gardens. This National Historic Landmark is a 250-acre contemplative garden and nature preserve with a Neo Gothic singing tower located on top of Iron Mountain. Join us as we talk with Erica Smith about Bok Tower’s history and the preservation efforts going on in these majestic gardens. T...
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July 16, 2021 • 38 mins
In this special episode we celebrate Miami's 125th Anniversary with historian Cesar A. Becerra as he reveals some very interesting facts about the birth of Miami. Cesar's book, Orange Blossom 2.0 tells the untold story of Miami's "other" Mother Mary Brickell, a woman who has been ghosted in the city's history. We dig deep to find out why Mary has been marginalized for so long and in true Miami fashion, there's politics, greed, je...
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June 12, 2021 • 33 mins
The SoFlo Weird team dive into the murky history of the Bermuda Triangle, that infamous part of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico. A place riddled with mystery and intrigue, as it has been a place where many ships and planes have gone missing without a trace. Then we feature one of the spookiest urban legends in Florida, the Carnivorous Pink Clouds that hover in the woods along the Tamoka River. Legend h...
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May 21, 2021 • 22 mins
We discuss the in-depth history of Jacksonville’s Southern Rock Music scene with media historian and author Dr. Michael Ray FitzGerald. In his book "Jacksonville and The Roots of Southern Rock" he shines a light on the artists and songs that powered a phenomenon. Despite differences in musical tastes, the success of homegrown bands like the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, paved the way for Southern Rock.
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May 7, 2021 • 28 mins
The SoFlo Weird team looks into shock entertainment, those live circus side show attractions that featured human oddities and bizarre performances, Freak Shows as they were once called. This live entertainment drew crowds like a moth to a flame... But what happened after the curtain fell was most shocking of all. We will also dive into the amazing act of Harry Wise the Ghost Master of Horror Shows, who took his secrets to his grav...
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