New to Florida? Craig Pittman's Latest Book Is a Necessary Primer

Journalist Craig Pittman is never quite where inspiration will strike, but after many decades of covering Florida's oddities, he's certain there's a fascinating story underneath just about every palm tree. His newest book, Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State, is a unique collection of articles from the longtime Tampa Bay Times reporter and occasional New Times correspondent. It showcases the many varieties of flora, fauna, and interesting characters that inhabit our state.

"Nine hundred new people move to Florida every single day," Pittman tells New Times over the phone. "I wanted to introduce them to the idea that there's more to Florida than Disney World and beaches. One story is about a man with the largest shell collection in the world, and [he's] giving the shells away one at a time. There's a longer story about alligators, another about a history of citrus farming, and some tributes to Jimmy Buffett and Tim Dorsey."

Through dogged research and keeping his ears and eyes open, he's uncovered all kinds of unique tales. Many have an environmental edge to them and are meant to inspire readers to protect Florida's unique habitats. "A lot of the stories are about people resisting development. I want to show people, 'Here are cases that succeeded.'"

One such success story involved a little-known species of fish, the Okaloosa darter. "It's a tiny little fish that resides in streams at the Eglin Air Force Base. It was on the endangered species list but somehow recovered, so what was the story here?" Pittman learned the Air Force base, located in the Panhandle, went all out to revitalize the habitat of the tiny creature. "That base exists to destroy things. Their primary function is to test weapons, but when they put their minds to it, they did a darn good job of saving something."

Another story took place in Pensacola, where Pittman was born. "T.T. Wentworth was this great collector of historical artifacts. He donated everything to the State. Years later, after he died, we all learned he was a Ku Klux Klan member." For Pittman, the reckoning was personal — he knew Wentworth as a counselor for the Boy Scouts. "All of Pensacola had to grasp, 'What do we do about this guy and the museum we named after him?'"

Though that last story sounds like it could get pretty heavy, Pittman is well-known for his sense of humor. "Some people say they love to read my stuff because it's funny," he says, "but I always try to slip in some learning."

In that tradition, he namechecks a couple of Miami writers as his literary heroes. "I think every Florida writer owes a debt to Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen," he says. "They always have a tone of, 'Can you believe how crazy this place is?' I also like John D. MacDonald. He wrote thrillers, but they had these environmental messages."

Pittman's next literary stab will be a novel. "It's the wacky crime thriller every Florida writer has in them. It's called Death of a Dolphin and takes place in a fictional Florida town that stands in for every beach town."

But before Pittman finishes that work, the St. Pete resident will make the drive to Coral Gables to present and read from Welcome to Florida at Books & Books on Friday, March 21. Zoo Miami's Ron Magill will introduce him before he dives into the oddities and realities of our home state, which he summarizes thusly: "I'll talk about everything from the Florida Panthers to how Florida's nudist resorts handled the pandemic." 

An Evening with Craig Pittman. 7 p.m. Friday, March 21, at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 305-442-4408; booksandbooks.com. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.