The fastest growing sector in the United States job market isn’t technology or real estate. It’s marijuana.Christian Bax, former director of Florida’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use, sits down with SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway. In their conversation, they discuss the growth of Florida’s medical cannabis industry from zero patients to over 250,000 in two years, the takeaways that Florida can learn from other states and the future of the industry in the state.

If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episode with Devoted Health Market President Dariel Quintana.

Dr. Larry Robinson has been a steadfast presence at Florida A&M University since joining the faculty as a visiting professor in 1997. A nuclear chemist and researcher by trade, Dr. Robinson went on to serve as interim president at FAMU on three separate occasions. In 2017, he was finally named the 12th president of Florida’s only historically black public university.

The strengthened relationship between FAMU and the global economy is one of the accomplishments Dr. Robinson is most proud of. He is also a proponent of the university’s research and regularly promotes the impact of many high-achieving FAMU graduates.

In his conversation with SalterMitchell PR President (and FAMU grad) Heidi Otway, Dr. Robinson discusses the role of historically black colleges and universities, his vision for the future, and details about a new partnership with tech giant Google.

If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episodes with FSU President John Thrasher, University of Florida President Kent Fuchs and Chancellor of the State University System, Marshall Criser III.

One of three U.S. Attorneys for the state of Florida, Larry Keefe has spent his life setting and achieving his goals as the result of hard work and great mentorship.On the newest episode of Fluent in Floridian, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Larry Keefe talks to SalterMitchell PR CEO April Salter about his career, his mentors, and how he progressed from the Levin College of Law to the highest federal law enforcement position in North Florida.

“The future 100 years of Southeast Florida will be about managing the water relevant to the land, building vertically, and connecting them with elevated transportation systems.”This week on Fluent in Floridian, SalterMitchell PR President, Heidi Otway, sits down with Jim Murley, the Chief Resilience Officer for Miami-Dade County to talk about the ways Southeast Florida is going to have to adapt to #SeaLevelRise.

In their conversation, they discuss Jim’s history serving under multiple Governors, his time spent researching with the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions at FAU and what exactly is in store for Florida and the planet.

If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episodes with CEO of the Everglades Foundation, Eric Eikenberg, Executive Director of the Florida Conservation Voters, Aliki Moncrief and Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

Since he was in the eighth grade, Tim Nickens knew he would be a journalist. What began as a dream to become a sports writer turned into a 35-year career reporting for two of Florida’s top newspapers and winning a Pulitzer Prize.

Nickens is Fluent in Floridian. Over the course of his impressive career, he has reported on many of the cultural events that have defined the 21st century, including 9/11, Hurricane Charlie and both election recounts in Florida.

On this episode of Fluent in Floridian, Nickens discusses his career in journalism, the way the industry has changed, his thoughts on today’s young voters, and his new role as Editor of Editorials at Florida’s largest newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times.

If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episodes with Orlando Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Lucy morgan and Miami Herald Capital Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas.

Sea level rise. Unprecedented super storms. Toxic algae blooms.The effects of climate change on Florida’s environment have become increasingly overt in the last decade. However, activists like Aliki Moncrief are reminding us that while global warming is a human-made phenomenon, it can also be solved by people working together. As the executive director of Florida Conservation Voters, her mission is to keep citizens informed of the threats of climate change.

Moncrief is Fluent in Floridian. Born in Greece, she grew up in South Miami before attending Emory University for undergrad and Harvard Law for her J.D. She has used her legal education to fight for the environment through the Department of Environmental Protection Enforcement Division and by spearheading The Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative in 2014.

In this episode of Fluent In Floridian, Moncrief sits down with us to discuss her career path, the impact Florida Conservation Voters has had on voter awareness, and what she expects from the new administration in Florida.

If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episodes with CEO of the Everglades Foundation, Eric Eikenberg, Former Director of the Florida Audubon Society, Eric Draper and Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

John Lux got his start in Florida working for Walt Disney World, but after leaving the mouse’s house, he was drawn to a career in film production. Since becoming involved with Film Florida, Lux progressed from volunteer to treasurer before being named the full-time executive director in 2016.

Lux is Fluent in Floridian. As an advocate for the film, TV, and digital media industries, he is aware of the natural benefits our state offers to digital creators, but also of the incentives that can help to move filming away from Hollywood studios, and bring that money to smaller communities. Lux speaks to the influx of money and notoriety seen by the city of Clearwater after it was featured in the hit film Dolphin Tale.

On this episode of Fluent in Floridian, John Lux discusses how the Sunshine State’s industry growth stacks up to our coastal neighbors across the South East. He also talks about some of the many memorable shows that were shot in Florida, as well as the engagement of companies like EA who help to expand the video game industry in the state.

When Eric Eikenberg graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, he had little idea who Stoneman Douglas was, or that he would be walking in her boot-prints as an activist championing the Florida Everglades. Eikenberg began his position as the CEO of the Everglades Foundation in 2012 and has since been an unapologetic advocate for one of the most distinctly Floridian landmarks.

Eikenberg is fluent in Floridian. Whether it’s discussing the blue-green algae being discharged from the east and west sides of Lake Okeechobee, the pivotal function of the Everglades in cleaning the water of millions of South Floridians, or the two former Florida Governors that he had the chance to work closely with, Eikenberg seems to have found his calling in Florida. However, when Eric first moved to South Florida from New York, he saw so many Mets, Jets, and Giants colors that he says South Florida was like the sixth borough!

On this episode of Fluent in Floridian, SMPR CEO April Salter discusses with Eric Eikenberg the ties he has to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas the advocate. They also dive into the effect of sugarcane production on water quality, the #NowOrNeverglades movement, and the long trek towards a more permanent solution to the issues in Florida’s water management.If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episodes with Former Director of Florida’s Audubon Society Eric Draper, Executive Director of the Florida Conservation Voters, Aliki Moncrief and Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

From top to bottom, the state of Florida is filled with distinctly ‘Floridian’ features, yet in one corner of Orlando it’s possible to experience the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of London. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has been one of Universal Orlando’s calling cards ever since it opened in 2010 with the help of PR pro, Alyson Sologaistoa.

Sologaistoa is Fluent in Floridian. As the Director of Public Relations at Universal Orlando, Alyson has a hand in one our state’s biggest economic drivers in the theme park industry. With over 120 million tourists projected to take trips to Florida, there needs to be something for everyone. Guests at Universal can expect for their vacation to be an immersive experience – right down to the Butterbeer taste tested by J.K. Rowling herself.

Listen as Alyson sits down with SMPR president Heidi Otway to discuss her last decade working with Universal Orlando, the way the PR landscape has shifted since the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and her best advice for young professionals in PR.