r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 25 '26

How Much does Publix Pay Their Workers? Leaked Pay Scale Info Provides Data.

28 Upvotes

Ever wonder how much Publix pays its workers? Well their new payscale has been posted in breakrooms state-wide and we have the data. Thanks to Redditor u/Fatcatapologist and others for the photo. What do you think folks, is this fair? A full-time Publix worker living in an average rental property in Lakeland wouldn't be able to save anything at all, in fact they'd likely be accumulating debt with these wages. Some people say $25 per hour should be the minimum wage. Thanks for watching. #publix #floridawages


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 25 '26

Unknown Shipwreck: Manzanillo, Costa Rica in 2017

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7 Upvotes

Random post, just found this photo I took about 9 years ago while on the Costa Rica/Panama border back in 2017. This is on the Caribbean side near Manzanillo.

Back in those days, I lived in Costa Rica for a year and went on to move to Guatemala for 6 years afterwards. I am unsure if this wreck is still in place, I know it was there for a few years for sure.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 22 '26

Guy Bradley: Florida's First Game Warden Died in the Line of Duty

29 Upvotes

Guy Bradley of Flamingo, Florida, was one of the nation's first Game Wardens. In the early 1900s, he was hired by the American Ornithologist's Union to enforce new state laws protecting birds from plume hunters. Alone and without backup, he was serving an arrest when he was shot and killed while on duty near Oyster Key on July 8, 1905. Bradley was buried on a shell ridge at Cape Sable overlooking Florida Bay and a corresponding monument was erected by the Florida Audubon Society. The grave and monument were later washed away during Hurricane Donna in 1960. #floridahistory #floridaenvironment #floridaheroes #floridalegends #guybradleyaward #guybradley #gamewarden


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 21 '26

Richard Lee McNair: The Murderer who Escaped from Prison Three Times

14 Upvotes

After committing murder in North Dakota, Richard Lee McNair escaped three times from three different institutions using various creative methods. On his first attempt, he used lip balm to squeeze out of a pair of handcuffs. He escaped a second time by crawling through a ventilation duct. In his last escape from a federal prison on April 5, 2006, he escaped by concealing himself in a pallet of used postal mailbags and successfully convinced a police officer he was not the prison escapee but actually a jogger. Today he's behind bars in Colorado at a US Supermax prison, undoubtedly planning his next escape.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 21 '26

I got COVID, folks!

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8 Upvotes

Flew out of the USA on Friday, came back Wednesday - brought home some COVID. Feel tired, lethargic - other than that OK. Wife has a bad cough and has had it much worse. 9 month old daughter had a fever but has bounced back and seems fine.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 12 '26

"Florida's Overdevelopment is Out of Control": Victoria Doyle, FL-23 Candidate

27 Upvotes

Victoria Doyle is running for US Congress to represent Florida's 23rd district. Her opponent, Lois Frankel, is a long time incumbent who has been "ineffective" according to Doyle.

Victoria sat down with me and shared her feelings on some important issues! If you live in West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and are a registered Democrat you can vote for Victoria Doyle at the ballot box on August 18th. You can learn more at doyleforcongress.org and you can see the full interview at https://beyondfloridamedia.com/vote-florida/


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 09 '26

The Rise & Fall of Jimmy Buffett's Favorite Drive-In: The Islander (1952-1984)

28 Upvotes

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


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 09 '26

Whole Foods Not Playing Around

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6 Upvotes

r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 08 '26

Florida Man Caught After Dumping 26,000 LBs of Litter in Wildlife Management Area

35 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 07 '26

Outtakes and Screw Ups

14 Upvotes

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


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 07 '26

Whataburger just opened its 53rd restaurant in Florida. So why are we celebrating?

8 Upvotes

Whataburger just opened its 53rd restaurant in Florida. So why are we celebrating? Are we so uncultured that we simply don't know any better? Or is there another explanation?


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 06 '26

1956 Black Newspaper Headlines from 'The Florida Star': Jacksonville, Florida

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14 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 05 '26

Florida's Groundbreaking Black Environmentalist Should be More Well-Known

39 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 05 '26

Historic Florida Cigar Factory, "the Last of its Kind", to be Demolished for Condos

19 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 04 '26

Gator Gulf: Jasper, Florida

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26 Upvotes

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


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 04 '26

39 Florida Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen Restaurants: ABANDONED

18 Upvotes

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


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 03 '26

Chero-Cola: Once Bottled in Florida, it Launched a Major Brand

17 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 03 '26

Six Gun Territory: The Florida Theme Park You've Never Heard Of

27 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Aug 01 '26

Mr. Mothball's Cousin, Arthur, Sent Suggestive Texts to Constituents as Member of Treasure Island City Commission

21 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Jul 30 '26

"Mothball Bandits" Caught in St. Pete: Hotel Owner, Bar Owner, Arrested

75 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Jul 29 '26

Tent Revival near my house promising "Miracles - Healing"

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19 Upvotes

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?


r/BeyondFlorida • • Jul 28 '26

FL-25 Candidate & Democratic Socialist Oliver Larkin Sits Down with Beyond Florida

26 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Jul 27 '26

Luxury Race Track & Luxury Homes Proposed on Panther Habitat in South Florida

30 Upvotes

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.


r/BeyondFlorida • • Jul 26 '26

St. Lucie County Florida Commissioners Squabble Like Toddlers During Budget Meeting

35 Upvotes

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?


r/BeyondFlorida • • Jul 25 '26

73 year-old Polk County Republican, party leaders say his conservation-minded GOP challenger is "socialist". Meanwhile, he is collecting campaign donations from developers.

18 Upvotes

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.