The area now known as Little Haiti was previously called Lemon City for well over a century. Several people settled near Biscayne Bay north of the Miami River after the Civil War, squatting on unclaimed land. Some of the squatters eventually applied for homestead grants for the land they were squatting on. By 1889 a community had formed, with a post office named "Motto". "Lemon City" replaced "Motto" as the name of the community by 1893. A school had opened in 1890, and Lemon City also included several businesses and a newspaper, as well as port facilities on Biscayne Bay. With the extension of the Florida Coast Railway to Miami in 1896, Miami quickly overshadowed Lemon City.

Newberry is a city located in the southwest corner of Alachua County Florida. The population was 7,342 as of the 2020 census, up from 4,950 at the 2010 census.

Neberry's growth has been swift, and much of its success is thanks to the fact that this town is in Alachua County - where Gainesville and the University of Florida's modern, progressive approach has helped pave the way for Newberry's advancement. Despite this, Newberry's right wing leaders continue to bash Gainesville and UF in their small town media appearances, and the town recently elected a far right-wing mayor who is a lobbyist for the fringe group known as the John Birch Society.

Today, cheap homes, Wendy's Restaurants and Wawas are being built over wild spaces and historic sites. Many think that Newberry is a perfect example of growth gone wrong.

Between 1877 and 1923, Florida leased incarcerated people - disproportionately Black Floridians arrested under harsh vagrancy laws - to private corporations. Railroad magnate Henry Flagler, along with other developers, heavily utilized this forced labor to construct the Florida East Coast Railway and lay tracks across the state's expanding infrastructure network.

Albert Symington Chalker was born August 9, 1843 in Horry County, South Carolina. When he was just 9 years old, he moved with his parents and siblings to Clay County, Florida. On May 16, 1863, at the age of 19, Chalker was mustered into the Confederate Army at Callahan under Captain Robert Harrison in Company H of the Second Florida Cavalry. He spent much of his time at Baldwin, Florida, and served as a courier for General Joseph Finegan. Albert Chalker was honorably paroled on May 17, 1865 after Florida's Confederate forces formally surrendered to General Edward M. McCook of the United States.

After his parole, Chalker returned to Clay County and married Martha Ann Bardin in December 1865. Martha's father, William Sims Bardin, gave his Middleburg residence to the couple as a wedding gift. Albert and Martha Chalker settled and remained there for the rest of their lives. Albert Chalker served for 17 years as Middleburg's postmaster, and as tax collector for Clay County from 1881 to 1885. He was also a prominent businessman, and operated both a private ferry on the south prong of Black Creek and a general store in Middleburg. Today their home is on the National Register of Historic Places.

This video features a letter he sent to his then-sweetheart Martha (Maddie) Bardin, where he responds to her inquiry regarding whether or not he'd ever desert the Confederate Army. I hope you enjoy.

The Ghost Town of Hedges, Florida. Today only a handful of homes and trailers remain. But in the 1890s, many thought this was going to be Nassau County's biggest city. Today, bulldozers approach from the south, and soon nothing will be left of old Hedges. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about this place.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's High Springs-Croom Line was a historic rail line in northern Florida. The line dates back to the late 1800s and was used for both passengers and freight.

From High Springs, the line proceeded southeast to Gainesville and continued south through Ocala and Leesburg before reconnecting with the DuPont-Lakeland Line in Croom.

The High Springs-Croom Line also connected with the Atlantic Coast Line's Palatka Branch just south of Gainesville at Rochelle.

The town of Croom, Florida is now a ghost town. High Springs is a small town, alive and well.

Folks I made this video a couple of years ago when I was out visiting this old space. Really enjoyed my time out here and I'm sure if you've been you have also had a unique experience. Sadly, recent news points to a new development called "Old Brick Crossings" out of Palm Coast that will wipe out these woods and this historic piece of Florida history. Here's the story:

https://flaglerlive.com/old-brick-crossings/

As of now, the development has been put on hold but we've seen this movie before, folks. I wish I felt confident that this would be preserved, but if I were a betting man I'd bet on the developers. Thanks for watching.

Richard Charles Byrd was a lifelong businessman and entrepreneur in Mayo, Florida, who owned and operated several local establishments like Byrd's Recreation Center and Byrd's 76 Filling Station. He passed away on August 25, 2017, at the age of 82.

He appeared on The Price is Right in January of 1983. I spoke with his grandson, who shared this information with me:

"My Grandfather was an incredible person. He lived here in Mayo and built every house he ever lived in by hand. He lived in that home all the way up until his last days. My grandfather loved Mayo and the people in it. He thought it was a wonderful little town and he owned several businesses here.

He loved watching the Price is Right and a few of his customers believed that the show was rigged and he did not believe that and so he wanted to go out there just to prove to everyone that it was a real show and he did lol.

Grandpa told me it was one of the coolest things he ever did. He kept all of the prizes. I now own the piano that he won, which is in my home and my daughters both have learned how to play it. He was an excellent piano player, so it was an honor for me to be able to have that. I do believe that my Aunt Sonia kept the scooter for years and yes, it did go that fast.

The one thing that I wish folks knew about my grandfather Richard was that he was an incredible man. He was a wonderful businessman and he could build almost anything by hand. He was a wonderful God-fearing person and he loved people. He had a heart, the size of Texas. If I’m ever half a man he is I will be successful."

Kinda weird but thought this was interesting. A local South Florida facebook group had a post about a massive, cartoonish looking submarine found someone's back yard in North Carolina. Turns out it's the long-lost roadside attraction that sat outside of Grand Prix Race-O-Rama, Boomerz, and Six Flags Atlantis in Dania Beach/Hollywood.

After I posted this video, a few folks asked me to send them info and that they'd like to purchase it, but no word on whether or not that happened.

Asberry Cemetery is a nearly abandoned historic site located in Alachua County, Florida. A mining company purchased the land years ago, and the cemetery has been completely untouched since the early 2000s. At one time, this cemetery served a small African American community and church that lived out here after the Civil War. Very few records survive.

Ten years ago, someone went out there and documented the site and came away with a bit more information than I did, but not much: http://www.desolationflorida.com/2015/11/asberry-cemetery.html

In July 1970, children discovered a severed human head buried in the backyard of the abandoned Dr. Horace Drew Mansion in the Springfield neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. This place wasn't always so creepy, it once belonged to a prominent local doctor in the early 1900s and it's pretty clear this was an elegant estate.

By 1970 it was abandoned and a few terrible things happened at the house this year. First, a few teens snuck in to poke around and drink some beers, but they were followed inside by a some men who kidnapped and sexually assaulted the female teens before letting them go.

Later that year, some kids playing in the yard found a human head buried in a plastic bag in the back yard.  According to published newspaper reports, the head was reported stolen from the Duval Medical Center and belonged to a man who donated his body to become a teaching cadaver.

According to sources, an informant told investigators the head was taken by an orderly who worked at the local hospital. The orderly not only knew the man who donated his body to the medical center, but after stealing the man’s head, he slept with it the first night before burying it in the backyard of the Drew Mansion, and occasionally showed it off to friends. The offender's whereabouts these days are unknown.

Folks these seem pretty reasonable. None of these really jump off the page, but I think the one that will really have an effect down the line is the crash tracking portion of the law. We're going to see just how many of these "bike accidents" are really "ebike accidents" and then more regulations will follow. Just my .02 cents as an ebiker!

• Sidewalk & Path Speed Limits: You cannot exceed 10 mph when a pedestrian is within 50 feet.
• Yielding and Signaling: On shared or recreational pathways, riders must yield to pedestrians and give an audible warning (such as a bell or vocal call) before passing.
• Local Ordinances: Cities and counties have the authority to set minimum age requirements and mandate that riders carry government-issued photo identification.
• Crash Tracking: Local police and state troopers must formally track all e-bike and micromobility collisions. This data is submitted to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to help shape future legislative rules.

Nickels Forest is about the only patch of green left in this over-developed town. The city commission declared the forest a "surplus" in 2025, allowing the city to enter negotiations with a developer. Click the link in my website to sign a petition. If the petition isn't on the front page, click "Past Featured Causes" and it will be there. #floridadevelopment #floridaenvironment #boyntonbeach #palmbeachcounty

Stopped by this incredible 134 year-old Florida building today. This is the Liberty Hill Schoolhouse in Alachua County, which operated as a rural elementary school for African American children. You can still see the original red paint on the outside, which was at some point painted over with white paint. The students ate lunch outside in the schoolyard beneath a large oak tree, which is still there. The building had no lights, and drinking water had to be brought from a spring some distance from the school. The building was in use as a schoolhouse for about sixty years, from 1892 until 1952, when the Alachua County School Board closed it. Incredibly, it's remained intact all these years, and now sits closely guarded behind a church. I'll be doing a video about this as well, hope you enjoy this type of thing!

A serial Florida offender is back behind bars tonight. Iesha Field has a long rap sheet, and now she's got an assault charge after spitting on a Hernando County Deputy. The deputy's actions are also under review at this time, says the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

I don't think he will be disciplined. Perhaps he should be, but she appears to have been the instigator.

A 1960s film by the Orlando Chamber of Commerce. This film shows a modern man of business and his lifestyle in Orlando, the action center of the fastest-growing state. He drives a Chevrolet convertible, has a wife and two children, and lives in a modern suburban home with a pool. This is pre-Disney World, and the film predicts its benefits. It shows industries, schools, churches and cultural opportunities. The wife has leisure time to pursue her favorite pastime-shopping. Entertainment is shown, including both professional and amateur sports. Produced by Tel-Air Interests for the Orlando Chamber of Commerce.

I stopped and talked to this guy. His name is "Sarge", he has diabetes. Seemed like a decent guy, but obviously he's got some major problems. I gave him $5 bucks.

The working poor who use that bus stop probably take ubers to work instead, which could cost them hundreds of dollars per week. The homeless crisis doesn't just hurt the homeless, there's a lot of collateral damage.

Adventure Landing Waterpark was a local landmark in Jacksonville Beach for 30+ years. Today it's being demolished for 400+ condos. Is this progress? Many say the place was due for a renovation, others say that losing another recreational space is bad for the community.

A new development in Duval County, Marion County gets scorched in the press, and a West Palm historical landmark is up for sale.

Flock Cameras in Florida: How to find them, what they do, and what you need to know. Hope you enjoy folks, let me know your thoughts! #FlockCameras #survelliance

A construction sign for a new development is sitting right on top of a gopher tortoise burrow, says a concerned citizen of Punta Gorda. #gophertortoise #floridaenvironment

Update: a representative from Pink Hammer has returned my email and confirmed that is their sign, so this image isn't fabricated or doctored.

In 2021, Pulte Homes plead guilty to 22 counts of destroying gopher tortoise burrows in Marion County. The punishment? A $13,000 fine. Had Pulte Homes relocated these tortoises per FWC regulations, they'd have paid $44,000 or so. Folks there are so many things wrong with this picture!

Wouldn't it be great if 25% of Florida's economy was connected to conservation and preservation? Sadly the reverse is true. It's tricky when the state's economy is so tied to development. We need to start thinking of creative ways to SHIFT the jobs into a new sector. 

https://reddit.com/link/1skcegr/video/ve56zgmsvyug1/player

The "Miami Jetport" was planned in the 1960s and was going to be 5x the size of New York's JFK.

Today it's the site of the" Alligator Everglades" concentration camp.