Author Archives: floridatraveler

About floridatraveler

Historian and travel writer M. C. Bob Leonard makes the Sunshine State his home base. Besides serving as content editor for several textbook publishers and as an Emeritus college professor, he moderates the FHIC at www.floridahistory.org

FLORIDA CREATURES:  Friend or Foe

Part Two: On The Land With so many people moving into Florida from large Northern cities, I am often asked questions about the wildlife of Florida and whether they will encounter dangerous situations in their new surroundings.  I must confess … Continue reading

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FLORIDA CREATURES Friend or Foe? 

PART ONE: In the Waters of Florida With so many people moving into Florida from large Northern cities, I am often asked questions about the wildlife of Florida and whether they will encounter dangerous situations in their new surroundings.  I … Continue reading

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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WILL RISE AGAIN!

The devastation of coastal Southwest Florida has a very personal effect on me. Although I now live in Tampa, when I graduated from high school in Massachusetts, my family moved to Charlotte County. My father was an editor of newspapers … Continue reading

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12+ MOVIES THAT BEST SHOWED FLORIDA LIFE

Florida’s scenery and climate have long been associated as a location for making movies, but many of the films never reflected something positive or negative about Florida culture and life in the Sunshine State.  Despite a lack of state funding, … Continue reading

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Florida Based Books For Both Sunshine State Newbies and Old Crackers

Newcomers are pouring into Florida.  In my neighborhood in South Tampa, houses are being torn down and huge “McMansions” are going up. I am often asked by new neighbors about my favorite restaurants and stores, but recently I was asked … Continue reading

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PONCE DE LEON DID NOT DISCOVER FLORIDA: THE MAN AND THE MYTHS

One of the first things people learn about Florida is that it was discover in 1513 by Ponce de Leon in his search for the Fountain of Youth.  As a historian, I can tell you these are both myths. Ponce … Continue reading

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FLORIDA’S FABULOUS VICTORIAN HOTELS: OPEN OR NOT

The history of Florida Is much longer than its attraction as a major winter destination. Prior to the post-Civil War Era, visitors had to enter Florida by coastal steamboat and outside of some mid-size hotels in Saint Augustine, there were … Continue reading

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FLORIDA: A STATE WITH A LOT OF NAMES

Nothing tells you more about the history and the people of a state than its names, but Florida, the third most populated American state is a mystery to so many of its residents.  Half of our population came from elsewhere, … Continue reading

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DOWNTOWN MIAMI IS BECOMING CRAZY COOL

When I was a student decades ago at the University of Miami (the U), I rarely went into downtown Miami.  There was a neat jazz club on the Miami River by the main bridge, but young people went to Miami … Continue reading

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The Dumbest Things People Say About Hurricanes

While September has been the worst big hurricane season, we can get one here in Florida in early July.

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