Shows / Wait Five Minutes
Wait Five Minutes
Wait Five Minutes: The Floridian Podcast is about the curious stories and cultural changes sweeping through the Sunshine State. Join us every Monday for an informative and charming look into an issue on America’s infamous peninsula.
Episodes
- Wait Five Minutes
The 2023 Holiday Special
Happy Holidays! Today we dive into a handful of stories: of rebuilt schoolhouses and holiday decor, of festive slashers and a Florida Christmas tree all our…
- Wait Five Minutes
When The Circus Came to Florida
In Sarasota, Florida, there is a historic home, an art museum, and two buildings dedicated to the circus all in one property. We dive into the Ringling…
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Photographers, Newsmen & Beauty Queens
This week, we go searching through a stack of magazines for new faces and new stories that reveal bits of Florida's rich and complex past. Topics include…
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The Town That Would Be Orlando
After the Second Seminole War, a man came to Florida to found a town that he would name after himself. His legacy would be one of violence, but his name lasts…
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An Ode to the Floridian Turkey
Happy Thanksgiving! For a special bonus episode, we're talking turkeys, bird lovers, and Florida natives. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here! All of the…
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The Year Without Citrus
1977 was a bad year for citrus. It snowed in Miami, and by spring, a nationwide boycott equated Florida oranges with bigotry. How could the industry survive?…
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The Secret History of Florida Postcards
This week, we talk postcards, cookbooks, and the joy of thrifting in Florida. We chat with our friend Gabrielle Calise of the Tampa Bay Times, who gives us…
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The Spirits Who Haunt Florida’s Tombstones
Today is the first annual Wait Fright Minutes Halloween Special - stories of old ghosts, elaborate gravestones, and the residents of our many local cemeteries…
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Finding the Lost Ships of the Bermuda Triangle
This week, we dive deep in search of ships allegedly lost in the infamous Bermuda Triangle, in the waters just east of Florida. Michael Barnette finds ships…
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The Monster Movies of Florida’s History
This week, we dive deep into regional filmmaking in Florida's history, celebrating the weird and wonderful genre pictures made in the mid-20th century - and we…
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The Ghost Lights of Florida
Across the bridges in our state, spectral lights float from the waters below, leaving locals terrified and attributing ghost stories to the phenomena. But…
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Florida, 1962: When Horror Became Reality
WELCOME, once again, to Wait Fright Minutes, our exploration of horror-themed episodes as we prepare for the spookiest season of all! This week, we take a deep…
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The Waters of Tampa Bay
This week, we head out on a boat into the waters of Tampa Bay, searching for answers about red tide, pollution, seagrass, sea turtles, politicians, fish, and…
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Book Bans in Florida
Donate to the people of Maui effected by wildfires here The past few years have put Florida's education in the spotlight, as educators, parents and politicians…
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A Day at the Library
Have you visited your local library lately? This week, we pay a visit to the library in the heart of downtown Orlando to explore its surprising offerings…
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Disney vs. DeSantis
Over the last year, the governor of Florida has found himself in a very public debate with the largest single-sight employer in the state. The company is now…
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The Governor Turned President
Andrew Jackson is the only governor of Florida to ever become President of the United States - though he was never elected governor. His run for president was…
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The Origins of ’Wait Five Minutes’
The title of this show was originally written by Mark Twain. Except it wasn't. Mark Twain was born in Florida. Except he wasn't. In this week's FIVE YEAR…
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A Shower of Rats in Miami
In Miami, in 1995, a surprise intruder of the Florida Panthers arena before a hockey game left a mark - literally - on the franchise. When the Panthers made a…
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Let’s Talk Politics! with Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani
If you have questions about how, exactly, the state legislature works, this episode is for you. This week, we have a wide-ranging chat Florida House…
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Orlando’s Most Famous Motel
In the 1960s, a chain of motels opened its first location in Orlando. Over the ensuing decades, it would become a hub of art, culture and community that…
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Florida and the Lost Cause
Francis P. Fleming was only governor of Florida for four years, but his impact during his lifetime lasts to this very day. You may not know his name, but he…
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Did the Birds Return to Sanibel?
This week, we continue our exploration of Sanibel Island after Hurricane Ian by going to their national wildlife refuge. We chat with Toni Westland about the…
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In The Hurricane’s Wake on Sanibel Island
It's been a little over nine months since Category 5 Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sanibel Island. We paid the village, and its museum, a visit, and found…
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Florida’s Cursed Train
Throughout the 1970s, a train ran from Chicago to Miami that was noted for its "tortured existence". One of many trains that ran from the North to Florida, the…
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St. Pete Homers, Panhandle Mansions, and More Short Stories
This week, we go back and catch up with some stories from this season, stories about protestors turned senators, a home run rivalry, moving a house of a river…
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The Gainesville Eight
In Washington, D.C. in 1971, a massive protest changed the way the Vietnam War was discussed in the country. In Florida in 1972, a group of Vietnam veterans…
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The Anti-War Movement in Florida
During the Vietnam War, as the United States grappled with the various tensions throughout the 60s into the 70s, Florida students joined the cause. Protests…
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Florida’s First Flight
After the Wright brothers launched their first flight in 1903, a rich adventurer took up the task on the shores of Florida, launching an aircraft in Stuart…
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Saving the Indian River Lagoon
This week, we're back with our friend Dr. Loraé Simpson of the Florida Oceanographic Society, visiting the seagrass nursery, where this unique type of plant is…
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The Souls Lost to Turpentine
In 1922, a young man from North Dakota wound up dead in a turpentine labor camp. His family wanted answers, and what followed was a fundamental change to the…
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The Scars of the Panhandle
Listen to our first trip with Lilly Anderson-Messec right here! For Spring Break this week, we dive headfirst back into the woods, searching for a tree on the…
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The Devil of Gainesville
This week, on our first Spring Break trip of 2023, we travel to Gainesville, for pizza, a movie, and a trip into the Devils Millhopper State Park. Get your WFM…
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Babe Ruth’s Longest Home Run Was in Florida (Maybe!)
At Plant Field in Tampa, a marker notes the location of Babe Ruth's longest home run of his career - but is it truly his longest homer? Find out how Babe made…
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The Attempted Assassination of FDR
On February 15th, 1933, President-Elect FDR was in Miami giving a speech in Bayfront Park. A gunman opened fire in his direction, and history can only imagine…
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Zora’s Opera
Listen to last year's episode about Zora Neale Hurston this week! In the winter of 1933, Zora Neale Hurston was out of options, trying to relaunch her career…
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The 2022 Holiday Special
This year, we head to St. Augustine with my family to explore the Night of Lights, watch a holiday boat parade, and sing some carols to ring in the holiday…
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Searching for the Augusta Bricks
This summer, I took a trip to Augusta, Georgia, in search of answers about the bricks lining the streets of my hometown in Florida. What I found was…
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World War II in Florida
In the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Florida became a huge part of America's preparation for World War II. From U-boats on our shores, to D-Day…
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Renaming Cape Canaveral
Listen to our episode about the Artemis Program here! In 1963, to honor JFK, President Johnson renamed Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy. What would follow would…
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The Thunderdome
Before Amalie Arena was built in Tampa, the Tampa Bay Lightning played three seasons in the Thunderdome - which we know today as Tropicana Field. How'd they…
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Gerrymandering & Florida
In the wake of the 2022 Election, the term "gerrymandering" has been used a lot about the state of Florida. What does "gerrymandering" mean, and how does the…
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Florida’s First Election
Learn what's on your ballot here! Learn about your 2022 Florida amendments here! The first state election in Florida took place in 1845, and this week we dive…
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WAIT FRIGHT MINUTES: How Zombies Came to Florida
In our final episode of WAIT FRIGHT MINUTES, we discuss 1985's zombie flick, DAY OF THE DEAD, and how the history of the Cold War influenced the politics of…
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WAIT FRIGHT MINUTES: How Gators Hunt Their Prey (w/ Brandon Fisher of GATORLAND!)
In our second episode of WAIT FRIGHT MINUTES, we discuss 2019's monster flick, CRAWL, and how the portrayal of alligator hunting techniques stacks up to…
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WAIT FRIGHT MINUTES: How Florida Changed Scary Movies
In our first episode of WAIT FRIGHT MINUTES, we discuss 1963's splatter classic, BLOOD FEAST, and how Miami influenced the filmmakers into changing the horror…
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Welcome to Wait FRIGHT Minutes!
For the rest of October, let's chat about some of the most exciting bits of Florida history and its relationship to horror movies! Welcome to Season 11, and…
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2022 Florida Ballot Amendments
A brief summary of all three amendments on the 2022 Florida ballot! Listen on your way to the voting booth! The primary source for this episode is Ballotpedia!…
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Hurricane Ian
Where to offer time, money, food and other supplies for Hurricane Ian victims - [News-Press] Where to donate or volunteer to help Hurricane Ian victims -…
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Summer Epilogue: Heat Lightning
In the epilogue to our summer season, meteorologist Stephen Corfidi explains to us what heat lightning is, and we say goodbye to our summer season. Get your…
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I HELPED WRITE A BOOK!
You read that right! I contributed to a book! Listen to the episode to hear more about it, and check out the show on socials to see even more! Follow Wait Five…
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The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
On Labor Day Weekend, 1935, a dense hurricane formed south of Florida. By the time it had passed, chaos had been left in its wake and new histories had been…
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Hank Aaron in Jacksonville
In the year before he moved to the Big Leagues, Hank Aaron spent a year in Jacksonville, slugging baseballs and making an impact. His team in Florida would…
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The Cypress Knee Museum
For half a century, the best place to get a look at cypress tree knees outside of a swamp was inside the Cypress Knee Museum - a unique tourist attraction with…
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The Next Generation of Coral
In a small lab in the middle of Orlando, a few specimens of coral are doing an incredible thing: they're reproducing! In this episode, we dive into the life of…
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Saving Florida’s Coral
The coral of Florida's waters are in danger. In a small lab in the middle of Orlando, a group of scientists seem to be doing the impossible - they're…
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Florida’s Patriot War
In 1812, as a different war was waged, "Patriots" marched through Florida, claiming land from Spain in the name of America. They led the way to one of the…
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Orlando’s Weirdest Parade
For nearly a decade from 1986 to 1994, a parade celebrating Orlando's weirdness took over downtown. Meet the man who created the parade and gathered all the…
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BONUS: Walk on a Sanibel Beach
Let's go for a walk on Sanibel Island as the sun sets and waves roll in. Follow Wait Five Minutes on Twitter Follow Wait Five Minutes on Instagram Follow Wait…
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Camping in the Kissimmee Prairie
Fireflies, birds, rivers, stars and a bright full moon. That's what we encountered out in the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park a few months ago, as summer…