Author Archives: floridatraveler

When its hot and humid in Florida and I am preparing to teach a few classes – my 50th year teaching in the Sunshine State – it is hard to write a serious column. For some reason I always identified … Continue reading →

The Travel Channel rated CASSADEGA one of the ten weirdest places in America, but considering the fact it was the only complete town that made the list, it is a fitting rating for an entire village. Cassadega is a real … Continue reading →

In the summer months the Panhandle beaches from Pensacola to Panama City are crowded with vacationers from Alabama and Georgia.  The highways are sometimes resembles South Florida and the restaurants and hotels are filled. Summer doesn’t seem to offset the … Continue reading →

Twenty years ago if you remarked that Walt Disney World was losing market share in the Central Florida entertainment sector, people would laugh at you.  Today, Floridians would not flinch over that remark thanks to the booming success of Harry … Continue reading →

The influence of the Hispanic world began in 1565 with the establishment of the oldest continuous European community in the United States – Saint Augustine.  The entire state was under Spanish rule for some 240 years before the final “purchase” … Continue reading →

When my family moved from Massachusetts to Charlotte County in 1961, Punta Gorda was a small fishing port town which was also the county seat. The Vanderbilt property was turning into the giant retirement town of  Port Charlotte.  It was … Continue reading →

In Honor Of America’s Soldiers: Past and Present Prior to the start of World War II, there were just seven military installations in Florida.  The start of World War II changed all of that for Florida’s flat terrain and good … Continue reading →