Only in Florida: Why did the Manatee Cross the Road & Other True Tales
Only in Florida: Why did the Manatee Cross the Road & Other True Tales

Author: Caren Schnur Neile

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1467143065

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More than 20 million people live in Florida, that unique land that juts off into the Atlantic. They are ranchers and golfers, sunbathers and retirees. And their lives often fall within the realm of the perfectly normal. But sometimes these Floridians, many of whom have flocked from elsewhere, find themselves in Sunshine State situations. Meet the acting student who had a close encounter with superstar Burt Reynolds, the New Yorker who put down roots here after attending a school of fish, the woman who barely found her house after a hurricane and a girl who survived - and thrived - after the Majority Stoneman Douglas massacre. Professional storyteller Caren Schnur Neile traverses the state to share thrity-three true-life tales from everyday Floridians in extrodinary situations.

Only in Florida: Why Did the Manatee Cross the Road and Other True Tales
Only in Florida: Why Did the Manatee Cross the Road and Other True Tales

Author: Caren Schnur Neile

Publisher: History Press Library Editions

Published: 2020-03-02

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9781540242495

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More than 20 million people live in Florida, that unique land that juts off into the Atlantic. They are ranchers and golfers, sunbathers and retirees. And their lives often fall within the realm of the perfectly normal. But sometimes these Floridians, man

Only in Florida
Only in Florida

Author: Caren Schnur Neile

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2020-03-02

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 1439669228

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True stories of life in Florida, from persevering through natural disasters and crime to encounters with celebrities and alligators. Includes photos. More than twenty million people live in Florida, that unique land that juts off into the Atlantic. They are ranchers and golfers, sunbathers and retirees. And their lives often fall within the realm of the perfectly normal. But sometimes these Floridians, many of whom have flocked from elsewhere, find themselves in Sunshine State situations . . . Meet the acting student who had a close encounter with superstar Burt Reynolds, the New Yorker who put down roots here after attending a school of fish, the woman who barely found her house after a hurricane, and a girl who survived—and thrived—after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre. Professional storyteller Caren Schnur Neile traverses the state to share thirty-three true-life tales from everyday Floridians in extraordinary situations.

The State You're In
The State You're In

Author: Craig Pittman

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2021-08-09

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 0813065968

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Jump into the wacky, wild world of Florida For more than 30 years, investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author Craig Pittman has chronicled the wildest stories Florida has to offer. Featuring a selection of columns that have appeared in the Tampa Bay Times and other outlets throughout Pittman’s career, this book highlights just how strange and wonderful Florida can be. With a folksy style, an eye for the absurd, and a passion for the history and environment of his home state, Pittman describes some of Florida’s oddest wildlife as well as its quirkiest people. The State You’re In includes a love story involving the most tattooed woman in the world, a deep dive into the state’s professional mermaid industry, and an investigation of a battle between residents of a nudist resort and the U.S. Postal Service. Pittman introduces readers to a who’s who of Florida crime fiction, a what’s what of exotic animals, and an array of beloved places he’s seen change rapidly in his lifetime. Many of these stories are funny, some are serious, and several offer rare insights into the heart of the Sunshine State. For Pittman, Florida is both inspiring and dangerous—an “evolutionary test” for those who live in it. Together these pieces paint a complex picture of a fascinating state longing for an identity beyond palm trees and punchlines.

Oh, Florida!
Oh, Florida!

Author: Craig Pittman

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2016-07-05

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 1250071208

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A fun- and fact-filled investigation into why the Sunshine State is the weirdest but also the most influential state in the Union.

Ditch of Dreams
Ditch of Dreams

Author: Steven Noll

Publisher: University Press of Florida

Published: 2009-11-22

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 0813037549

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For centuries, men dreamed of cutting a canal across the Florida peninsula. Intended to reduce shipping times, it was championed in the early twentieth century as a way to make the mostly rural state a center of national commerce and trade. Rejected by the Army Corps of Engineers as "not worthy," the project received continued support from Florida legislators. Federal funding was eventually allocated and work began in the 1930s, but the canal quickly became a lightning rod for controversy. Steven Noll and David Tegeder trace the twists and turns of the project through the years, drawing on a wealth of archival and primary sources. Far from being a simplistic morality tale of good environmentalists versus evil canal developers, the story of the Cross Florida Barge Canal is a complex one of competing interests amid the changing political landscape of modern Florida. Thanks to the unprecedented success of environmental citizen activists, construction was halted in 1971, though it took another twenty years for the project to be canceled. Though the land intended for the canal was deeded to the state and converted into the Cross Florida Greenway, certain aspects of the dispute--including the fate of Rodman Reservoir--have yet to be resolved.

Freedom's Quest
Freedom's Quest

Author: Bruce Ryba

Publisher:

Published: 2022-02-20

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 9780578367385

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Hernando de Soto invades the land known as Florida, bringing the largest invasion force assembled in the new world. Herds of cattle and swine are unloaded to feed the army, and 500 native Americans are chained to carry the invader's baggage. After two years of trekking through the endless wilderness, crossing swamps, rivers, the Appalachian mountains, and facing hostile natives, Soto's shrinking army threatens mutiny. To stop the rebellion, Soto issues secret instructions to his cavaliers to locate the supply ships and send them back to Cuba, thereby stranding his army in the new land known as Florida.Luis Castillo, leader of the Cavaliers, suffering from post traumatic stress, nevertheless follows orders and leads his scouts through a nightmare landscape of disease and shattered native American towns and cities until disaster strikes the scouts at a place known as Tampa.Luis Castillo is captured in a black water swamp south of Cape Canaveral where he gradually recovers from physical and spiritual wounds. Adopted into the clan of the Native Americans known as the "Ais" Luis learns of the slavery depredations upon the people of Florida and the Indian River Lagoon.Soon the armies of Spain and France clash on the beaches of Florida.Book One of three collected stories of violence hope that redefine the history of Florida.

The Amelia Six
The Amelia Six

Author: Kristin L. Gray

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-06-30

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1534418873

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“A cozy whodunit that cheerfully affirms girls’ and women’s contributions to aerospace.” —Kirkus Reviews Amelia Earhart’s famous aviator goggles go missing and eleven-year-old Millie has to find them before the night is over in this girl-powered middle grade mystery. Eleven-year-old Amelia Ashford—Millie to her friends (if she had any, that is)—doesn’t realize just how much adventure awaits her when she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the night in Amelia Earhart’s childhood home with five other girls. Make that five strangers. But Millie’s mom is a pilot like the famous Amelia, and Millie would love to have something to write to her about…if only she had her address. Once at Amelia’s house in Atchison, Kansas, Millie stumbles upon a display of Amelia’s famous flight goggles. She can’t believe her good luck, since they’re about to be relocated to a fancy museum in Washington, DC. But her luck changes quickly when the goggles disappear, and Millie was the last to see them. Soon, fingers are pointing in all directions, and someone falls strangely ill. Suddenly, a fun night of scavenger hunts and sweets takes a nosedive and the girls aren’t sure who to trust. With a blizzard raging outside and a house full of suspects, the girls have no choice but to band together. It’s up to the Amelia Six to find the culprit and return the goggles to their rightful place. Or the next body to collapse could be one of theirs.