u/BeyondFlorida

The Islander Drive-In opened in 1952 and operated until the summer of 1984. Jimmy Buffett fans may know this place from his song “Grapefruit - Juicy Fruit” or from his music video "Take Another Road". The land was redeveloped in the early 2000s for Islander Village Townhomes. Special thanks to Brad Bertelli and John Gibson Parker of the Stock Island Association for posting about this and giving some background. #floridahistory #jimmybuffett #floridakeys

Law enforcement arrested a Spring Hill man after over 26,000 pounds of litter was found dumped in the Ocala Wildlife Management Area, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Credit to WKMG News and WFTV News for reporting on this and supplying information for my post.

LANGUAGE WARNING. Hey folks this isn't as easy as it looks! Hope I don't get in trouble for this? Never posted this kind of thing before with all the swearing and whatnot. Hope you enjoy watching some behind the scenes narration. #blooperreel #bloopers #outtakes

Interracial romance, murder, boycotts, abandoned babies, integrated pools....and this is just Page One.

Being Black in The South during the Jim Crow era meant that injustices were around every corner. Just take a look at some of these headlines and items on the front page of this February, 1956 edition of the Florida Star, a black newspaper based in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Wahnish Cigar Factory was built in 1907 and was the largest cigar factory operating in Tallahassee when built. It will soon be demolished for new condominiums.

Constructed during the early 20th century shade tobacco boom which swept through the area, the factory figured prominently in local employment. The factory and warehouse is the last remaining building of its kind still standing in Tallahassee. It is also one of the very few tobacco buildings in the region constructed during the early 20th century shade tobacco boom, which lasted from circa 1900 to 1908.

Marvyne Elisabeth Betsch (January 13, 1935 – September 5, 2005), was an American environmentalist and an activist. She was better known as The Beach Lady, because she spent the better part of her adult life educating the public on the black history and environmental importance of American Beach. Born in Jacksonville in 1935, Betsch lived at American Beach on Amelia Island, Florida, the African-American Hyannis port, where the crème de la crème of black society came to relax in the Jim Crow South. MaVynee’s millionaire grandfather, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, founded the beach, and she was raised in luxury as a member of the African-American upper class. Her wealth and privilege vanished after she later gave away her entire fortune to environmental causes. Afterwards, she slept on American Beach in a chaise longue and spent her final years at the small American Beach Inn, which today sits abandoned.

One of many Ghost Signs you can find in North Florida.

39 Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen restaurants are empty and abandoned in Florida right now. Miami-based Sailormen Inc., one of Popeyes' largest franchise operators, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after piling up about $130 million in debt, blaming inflation, rising costs, weaker customer traffic, and years of financial problems. Minimum wage workers lost their jobs - wonder what happened to the CEOs at Sailormen who borked all of those loans? #fastfood #popeyeschicken #popeyes #bankruptcy

Cherry-flavored Chero-Cola was introduced in 1907. Its new fruit-flavored beverage, Nehi was introduced in 1924, and the company was renamed Nehi Corporation in 1928. Founder Claud A. Hatcher died in 1933 and Chero-Cola was reformulated in 1934 by chemist Rufus Kamm. The company reintroduced the "Royal Crown" to launch Royal Crown Cola, and went on to change its name from Nehi, Inc. to Royal Crown Cola Company in 1955.

Six Gun Territory was a popular 200-acre, Wild West-themed amusement park in Ocala, Florida that operated from February 2, 1963, to January 1, 1984. Created by R.B. Coburn, it capitalized on the TV Western craze by featuring narrow-gauge steam trains, live stunt gunfights, and over 40 replica frontier buildings.

Some of the most popular attractions were the Palace Saloon and Theatre, which featured live cancan dance shows, the staged shoot-outs and robberies, and a replica Mexican Border Town, complete with a casino, market, cantina, and village houses. In the late 1960s, Six Gun Territory was so popular that local restaurants, motels, and businesses replicated western motifs to increase sales through association. However, in the 1970, Coburn sold Six Gun Territory, along with its sister parks (Ghost Town in the Sky in Maggie Valley, NC and Frontier Land in Cherokee, NC). After poor management of the park under various owners, the park officially shut down in 1984. Today, the area that was once Six Gun Park has been redeveloped into a residential neighborhood behind the aptly named Six Gun Plaza shopping center.

A man famous for throwing mothballs on St. Pete Beach has a family member that's also made the news recently. Treasure Island officials initiated a recall effort against Arthur Czyszczon after he sent sexually suggestive texts from a city-issued phone to constituent Rick Matthew, which included comments about washing Matthew's feet and kissing him and his wife. The messages were read aloud at a city meeting, which led to a petition seeking Czyszczon's removal for alleged misfeasance. According to 10 Tampa Bay News, misfeasance is defined by Florida law as "a lawful act done in an unlawful manner." Arthur's cousin, Robert, recently was charged with throwing mothballs on St. Pete Beach to deter a protected bird species from nesting near his hotel.

Florida, USA

A months-long investigation is over. A beach hotel owner and beach bar owner were arrested for throwing 1,500 toxic mothballs on St. Pete Beach. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported the men targeted a vital nesting sanctuary for protected shorebirds.

2026 Gainesville, Florida USA.

It seems like this is the type of sign you'd see in 12th century England as some sly traveling snake-oil salesman comes to town with a few tent poles, a flute, and a good sales pitch.

Not much has changed in 1000 years I guess?

Oliver Larkin is running against Jared Moskowitz for the Democratic nomination in Florida's 25th District.

Larkin says "I think working 40 hours per week should be enough" for every American to live comfortably and own their own home. He's been called Florida's Mini-Mamdani and he's surging in the polls, I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Full 13 minute interview is at beyondfloridamedia.com, click "Vote Florida" at the top of the page.

Luxury Race Track and Luxury Homes on Panther Habitat? The "Hyper Club" is proposing a 500-acre development in Collier County, and opponents are in disbelief.

You can sign a petition quickly at beyondfloridamedia.com to help stop this.

St. Lucie County Commissioners Cathy Townsend and James Clansby tangled last weekend in a budget meeting. Cathy called her constituents "big mouths who like to lie", while James demonstrated why he was deemed "ineligible" for re-employment in St. Lucie County after underperforming miserably in lower-level jobs. St. Lucie County, is this the best you got?

Kelly Quinn, 32, is a conservation-minded Republican with a background in environmental activism. She is running for Polk County Commission, challenging incumbent Rick Wilson, 73, who has been in office for years and has signed off on much of Polk County's development projects.

As Quinn has gained ground, Wilson and Polk County GOP Chair Sam Romain have labeled Quinn as a "socialist" - seemingly because she's pro-choice and has promised to work across the aisle to stop and slow development in Polk county.

Public records show that much of Wilson's campaign donations come from developers.

Since there is no Democrat running in this race, it will be up to Polk County Republican voters to choose their next commissioner on August 18th. Go to kellyforpolk.com to learn more about why she may be the best choice.