Welcome to Florida

A much-loved Florida writer chronicles the quirky, touching, and thought-provoking stories of the Sunshine State today

In Welcome to Florida,

award-winning investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling

author Craig Pittman introduces readers to the people, creatures,

places, and issues that make up the Florida of today. Through lively

stories told with cutting insight and always with a joke at the ready,

Pittman captures the heart of what he calls “The Most Interesting

State.”

From threats to Florida’s environment

to a hippo that became an official state citizen, these tales range

from the moving to the bizarre. Pittman follows the escapades of crime

writers, hungry predators, politicians, and developers across the state.

At the core of this collection is a deep sense of admiration for the

resilience of those who live here. Again and again, this book showcases

the power of “ordinary Floridians fighting to save some part of the

state that they hold dear.” Often, that means folks rallying to protect

the state’s unique natural landscape; sometimes it means former CIA

agents incorporating their own island community.

Welcome

to Florida is both a love letter to and hilarious deep dive into the

nation’s fastest-growing state. Imbued with Pittman’s characteristic

humor and undeniable fondness for both the weird and wonderful parts of

his home, this book shows why, despite some of its reputations, Florida

continues to prove irresistible.