Episodes

Monday Jul 31, 2023
The Governor Turned President
Monday Jul 31, 2023
Monday Jul 31, 2023
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 unique, and the fallout changed the shape of American politics for the ensuing two-hundred years.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Read the account of the six men who were allegedly executed by Jackson in 1815 right here.
Check out the coffin handbills right here!
Listen to our discussion of Jackson and West Florida here!
All of the music was originally composed.

Monday Jul 24, 2023
The Origins of ’Wait Five Minutes’
Monday Jul 24, 2023
Monday Jul 24, 2023
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 ANNIVERSARY, we explore Mark Twain, the mystery of his quotes, and unpredictability of Florida weather.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Read more of the investigation into Mark Twain and the weather quote right here!
Read the study of the predictability of weather here!
Learn more about the complex history of Tom Sawyer here!
All of the music was originally composed.

Monday Jul 10, 2023
A Shower of Rats in Miami
Monday Jul 10, 2023
Monday Jul 10, 2023
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 run to the playoffs in 2023, a different animal was a part of their celebration: rats.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Read more about the Panthers and the Rat Trick in this article from the Athletic!
All of the music was originally composed.

Monday Jul 03, 2023
Let’s Talk Politics! with Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani
Monday Jul 03, 2023
Monday Jul 03, 2023
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 Representative Anna V. Eskamani! We talk voting on bills, arguing with colleagues, performative politics, and snacks on the House floor.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Listen to our previous episode with Rep. Anna V. Eskamani from 2019!
Thank you to the Representative for her time! Check out her website for more on her work!
Read more about the six-week abortion ban in Florida right here.
All of the music was originally composed.

Monday Jun 26, 2023
Orlando’s Most Famous Motel
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
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 brought many international fame. How? It begins in 1962...
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Thank you to Rachel Williams from the History Center! Plan your trip to the Orange County Regional Historic Center here.
Read more about Parliament House history here.
Read about Hamburger Mary's suing Florida right here and the update on the block of the ban right here!
I do not own the rights to the clip of Miss P used in the episode. You can watch the original clip right here. (Fair warning, there's some adult language in the attached clip. She was a comedian, after all!)
All of the music was originally composed.

Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Florida and the Lost Cause
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
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 perpetuated an untruth of Florida history that has changed the narrative of Florida and our relationship to the Civil War for the l
ast century.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Thank you to Seth Weitz for his help on this episode! Check out Seth's book about Florida and the Civil War right here!
Learn about the Pork Chop Gang in a previous episode here!
Learn more about Florida's state flag here!
Read the paper about Florida's state flag right here!
Support Orlando and the gay community in our city right here!
All of the music was originally composed.

Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Did the Birds Return to Sanibel?
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
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 birds, the tortoises, the flowers, and the surprising discovery they made a mile island.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Thank you to Toni Westland for her help on this episode! Plan your visit to the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge here!
Thank you to Celina Kersh for her help on this episode! Plan your visit for the Sanibel Historical Village and Museum right here!
Support Orlando and the gay community in our city right here!
All of the music was originally composed.

Monday Jun 05, 2023
In The Hurricane’s Wake on Sanibel Island
Monday Jun 05, 2023
Monday Jun 05, 2023
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 what was lost - and what was evolving on the little old island.
Go to the Wait Five Minutes website for more!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Thank you to Celina Kersh for her help on this episdoe! Plan your visit for the Sanibel Historical Village and Museum right here!
All of the music was originally composed.

Monday May 01, 2023
Florida’s Cursed Train
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
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 Floridian was fraught with troubles and nostalgia.
Get your WFM Merch at Cast & Clay Co. on Etsy!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Read more about Route 66 here!
Read more about the Floridian and Amtrak here!
I do not own the rights to the song used in this episode. Listen to the song, Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash, here!
Unless otherwise noted, all music in this episode is originally composed.

Monday Apr 24, 2023
St. Pete Homers, Panhandle Mansions, and More Short Stories
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
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, and more stories from this past season!
Get your WFM Merch at Cast & Clay Co. on Etsy!
Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here!
Listen to the episodes mentioned in this episode!
Babe Ruth's Longest Home Run was in Florida (Maybe!)
I do not own the rights to the video used in this episode. Watch the full interview from NBC News here.
All of the music was originally composed.