This week, Craig and Chadd discuss Florida's state symbols with Mark Lane, Daytona Beach News Journal columnist and author of "Roaring Reptiles, Bountiful Citrus & Neon Pies." Did you know Florida has a state song and a state anthem? A state reptile, state mammal, marine mammal, saltwater fish, freshwater fish, tree (which is actually a grass) and a remarkably unremarkable state bird due to the lobbying efforts of one of Florida's most villianous influence peddlers. And a state soil too. Oh, and there's a state play with an outrageous history. The seemingly mundane becomes contentious and provocative with regularity in Florida and the state's symbols are no exception.
Craig Pittman is the award-winning author of Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, The Scent of Scandal, Cat Tale, Manatee Insanity and The State You’re In, and co-author of Paving Paradise. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him “the most destructive force on campus.” Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature.
