Dominic Calabro has been with TaxWatch, a non-profit non-partisan research institute, so long that he sometimes jokes “There’s no life before or after TaxWatch.” While he hasn’t yet discovered what comes after, there was a before, during which time Calabro worked in a Catholic Seminary. It was here that he asked himself who he wanted to be, a question that led him on the path of citizen advocacy.

Calabro is fluent in Floridian. He remembers the football seasons when the Miami Dolphins were an unstoppable force, truly earning their fight song’s boast as ‘the greatest football team.’ Says Calabro, “I was there in the 1971, ’72 back-to-back [Super Bowls]. One was a totally undefeated season. But back-to-back Super Bowls, that’s just incredible. I was a young man at the time, ringing the bells at seminary when that occurred.”

When asked what his favorite place in Florida was to visit, Calabro gave an answer that’s common amongst Fluent in Floridian’s guests: it’s too hard to pick just one. “We have so much to be blessed to live here for,” said Calabro.

At the end of each episode of Fluent in Floridian, we ask our guests four questions, including “What in Florida deserves more attention?” This episode presents the answers given by our first ten guests, with three particularly notable answers given below.

Eric Draper: “I think that the Florida springs deserve more attention. They are something that is rare and unique as the Grand Canyon. You would never allow to have happened to the Grand Canyon what we’re allowing to have happened to Florida springs. People need to recognize these vast, wonderful waterways are something that are really worth protecting and really something to enjoy.

Andrew Gillum: “I tell you, the Everglades are obviously getting a lot of attention. I remember as a student in elementary school taking a field trip to the Everglades, which is such an important asset in our state, but we’ve got so many important resilient places environmentally and ecologically that we could really be quite the environmental tourist destination in this country, a lot of important beautiful assets that we’ve got to maintain and protect.”

Peter Schorsch: “Probably the Space Center, probably Cape Canaveral, and that whole industry right now, which seems to have made a great rebound since the end of the space shuttle program. […] the space coast seems to be back and we probably could write and tell that story to a national level a little better.”

Over the course of his career as FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate oversaw more than 500 presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies, including Florida’s first back-to-back major hurricanes since the 1950s. Coming from a long background in emergency management, after updating Alachua County’s disaster plan in February 1987 shortly after being promoted to Lieutenant in Fire Rescue, Fugate’s focus during his tenure as FEMA Administrator was preparedness.

Fugate is fluent in Floridian. He appreciates the untouched natural beauty of Florida’s crystal-clears waters. “That old Florida, to me, is what makes this place so great […] I’m a North Florida kid. I tell people Florida’s the only state I know that turns more Southern the further north you go. But that’s my Florida.”

During his time with FEMA, Fugate developed something he calls a Waffle House Index to determine areas that should be prioritized following a disaster. “I kind of noticed Waffle Houses were always either the first thing to open after a disaster or didn’t even close […] so the Waffle house Index is if they’re opening a full menu, it’s green. If they’re opening on a limited menu, it’s yellow. And if they’re closed, it’s red."

Miami Herald Capital Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas is a celebrated journalist within the sunshine state. She notes that her interest in journalism was sparked at a young age. “I got into journalism because, as a little kid, I was really interested in writing. […] Florida as a state was growing fast and every newcomer who was engaged didn’t think twice about subscribing to a newspaper. So it was a really exciting time to be a journalist.”

Klas is fluent in Floridian. When asked of her favorite Florida sports team, she responds, “I really have to say I am a big time FSU baseball fan. […] I love football, I love the thrill of hockey and all that, but I am a die hard baseball fan. So, FSU baseball.”

Unknown to many, Klas consistently covers Florida governors and their respective campaigns. In her interview, she describes her experiences with several former state governors, including Lawton Chiles, Charlie Crist, and Jeb Bush, as well as her experiences with Rick Scott — the current Governor of Florida.“

He [Lawton Chiles] was a cagey politician, he knew how to evade like the best of them, but the one thing was his staff was not afraid of the press and they were allowed to get into the weeds with us. […] Jeb Bush came in with an automatic distrust of the media. […] Charlie Crist was painfully careful and cautious. […] When it comes to Rick Scott, I think that we have reached a new era. I think he has been the least transparent, the most managed and the least accessible of any administration in my 30 years of being up here.”

Martha Barnett is one of the Sunshine State’s most influential lawyers. A graduate of both Tulane University and the University of Florida, Barnett was a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission in 1997 through 1998 and previously served as President of the American Bar Association from 2000 to 2001. Currently, Barnett is a retired senior partner at the Holland & Knight Law firm.

Barnett is fluent in Floridian. When asked of her favorite Florida person, place, or thing that deserves more recognition, she insists that the state’s agricultural industry is currently undervalued. “When I was a young girl in central Florida, it was the Citrus Belt. Agriculture defined the state of Florida. […] And today I think that because of growth, because of environmental issues, because of things like citrus greening, because the value of land is getting so high, because of environment concerns about water, about pollution, all of these things. Florida is moving away from agricultural base.”

Unknown to many, Barnett is the first female attorney hired by Holland and Knight. In her interview, Barnett is adamant on using her profession to uplift society. “I want to live up to that standard, of being a lawyer who helps people. […] We have a constitutional obligation to the citizens.”

Since this episode of Fluent in Floridian was recorded, Jerry Demings was elected mayor of Orange County, FL.Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings is dedicated to serving and protecting his Florida community. A former Chief of the Orlando Police Department and Director of Public Safety for Orange County, Demings’s interest in law enforcement was sparked from his childhood experiences watching television shows such as Hawaii Five-0 and Mannix. After joining the Orlando Police Department in 1981, Demings moved up the leadership ranks to become the department’s first African-American chief in 1998.

In 2008, Demings became the department’s first African-American sheriff.Demings is fluent in Floridian. When asked of his favorite Florida person, place, or thing that deserves more attention, he insists that the answer is immigration reform. “We have lawful immigrants here that are working in our agricultural businesses and then of course we have undocumented persons who are also contributing to our economy, and I believe that we have got to do a better job as a nation of people and as Floridians, to address immigration reform.”

With more than 60% of the vote, Demings won the Orange County mayoral race in August of 2018. When previously asked about the mayor race, Demings indicated his strong interest in running for mayor, as well as the overwhelming amount of support he had garnered thus far. “It’s a humbling experience just to see the kind of outpouring of interest and support for me to pursue that endeavor. So I’m being prayerful about that and the main concern that my family supports it, making certain that my historic donor base support it and that the people support it.”

New York Times Bestselling author and Tampa Bay Times reporter Craig Pittman is a celebrated journalist and storyteller in the sunshine state. A Florida native and graduate of Troy State University in Alabama, Pittman has won several awards, including the Waldo Proffitt Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism in Florida four times, the top investigative reporting award from the Society of Environmental Journalists two times, as well as three first-place awards from the Florida Magazine Association. Pittman notes that his parents influenced his career aspirations. He states, “I always joked that my mom taught me to appreciate a good book and my dad taught me to appreciate a good story.”

Pittman is fluent in Floridian. When asked of his favorite Florida location to visit, he responds, “I really love going to the beach, just about any beach. I always say I’m a beach baby because I grew up going to the beach when I was a kid.” Pittman recalls listening to the sound of waves, picking up seashells, and realizing his connection to the environment through his youthful experiences at the beach.

Outside of his bestselling work Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, Pittman is the author of nonfiction book The Scent of Scandal. The work focuses on a Florida court case involving charges of orchid smuggling.

Click here for a link to Craig’s book Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country.

Since this episode of Fluent in Floridian was recorded, Howard Simon has retired from the ACLU of Florida.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon is a prominent fighter for American rights and freedoms. Simon began his work for the ACLU as the Executive Director of the organization’s Michigan affiliate. In 1997, he was appointed as the organization’s Executive Director of Florida and became responsible for the organization’s legal, public education, legislative lobbying, membership and fund-raising programs. Simon has a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in legal and political philosophy and social ethics and served as a philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota and the DePauw University in Indiana prior to working for the ACLU.Simon is fluent in Floridian. As an avid traveler, Simon attests that he loves several areas in Florida, particularly those on the state’s west coast. “I love St. Petersburg. That’s a great city. I love all the arts and the culture that exist in Sarasota. I love the theater in Sarasota and the great restaurants there.”

Unknown to many, Simon was an active supporter of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a college student, he campaigned in the south for the passage of the act. Today, Simon fights to ensure that voting rights are maintained for all individuals within the state of Florida.

Since this episode of Fluent in Floridian was recorded, Pam Bondi has taken a position with Ballard Partners in Washington, D.C.

A prominent attorney and outspoken politician, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has a strong history of fighting for the progression of our Sunshine State through the legal system. A graduate of the University of Florida, as well as the Stetson Law School, Bondi has successfully worked her way up the leadership ladder. As the state’s attorney general, Bondi has fought to eradicate several notable public issues, including drug abuse and human trafficking. Additionally, Bondi has appeared on several cable news programs and worked for Fox News as a legal analyst. Bondi is the first woman Attorney General of the State of Florida.

Bondi is fluent in Floridian. She raves about the state’s natural landscape, specifically the Florida Everglades. She mentions photographer Carlton Ward’s Florida Wildlife Corridor project. “It’s a documentary. […] It starts at the tip of Miami, and they trek basically, all throughout the Everglades, and the Everglades are very important to me of course, and Florida forever. All throughout the Everglades, up through our entire state. I think the Everglades, and all of our beautiful parks and Florida, are so important.”

Before Bondi became the 37th Attorney General of Florida, she became a member of the Beta Lambda chapter of Delta Delta Delta during her time at the University of Central Florida. Bondi has been known to visit the award-winning international sorority and is continuously celebrated by the chapter for her post-graduation achievements.Link mentioned in this episode: YouCanStopHT.com