Florida’s Fourth Estate
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Sanford is charming and inviting. It boasts a growing craft beer scene and enough restaurants and small shops to keep you engaged all weekend long. But, the original plans for the city were much larger. Brigitte Stephenson is the museum curator at the Sanford Museum. She talked to Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate about what almost was. “Henry Sanford originally came down here in Florida and realized after the American Civil War that Florida was probably going to be a place that’s going to rebound, mainly because of citrus,” she said. Sanford had a wealth of knowledge about the citrus industry and was even inducted into the Citrus Hall of Fame for his experimental gardens and groves. So when he came to the area that is now named in his honor, he thought it was the perfect spot to design a city because it was the end of the line for riverboats on the St. John’s River. “We were going to become the gateway city. The idea was that we would be the gateway to South Florida,” Stephenson said. For a while, Stephenson said Sanford was the major Central Florida town in the area thanks in part to investors in the United Kingdom pouring into Henry Sanford’s Florida Land and Colonization Company. But she said, “There are several different factors for why we didn’t become what Orlando is today.” One reason is people who were focused on agriculture didn’t want to grow. She said another is because, “We had a mayor on the eve of the great recession, turns out he was embezzling money.” The fact that Henry Flagler built a railroad system to the Keys also cut into the plan of establishing Sanford as the gateway to the South. Still, the town continued to establish itself as a citrus hub, despite controversy within the workforce. “Henry Sanford tries originally hiring the local population, he does not think they do a good job and fires them. Then he tries bringing in people who were formerly enslaved, that were Black from Monticello, Florida in this area. Now, most of the people he fired before were white and very upset that they viewed these people were taking their jobs and tried to conduct a series of basically intimidation and murder to drive out these workers in the area,” Stephenson said. She pointed out, “That’s the reason we have Georgetown, which is a historically Black community that was recently inducted in the National Register.” To help overcome this issue, Henry Sanford brought in Swedish workers. “Underneath the contract labor law, he is able to bring in Swedes and they have to work for him for five years and that would pay for their room, and boarding, and passage and they would eventually get a little bit of property in what is the area that we call New Upsala.” After overcoming the heat, Stephenson said those families quickly assimilated and pointed out you will still meet a lot of people with Swedish last names in the area. “But unfortunately, we had a freeze in 1895 and 1896 that destroyed our citrus industry and instead of being like, ‘Welp, I give up,’ the people of Sanford decided to do another luxury crop and they chose celery,” Stephenson said. You wouldn’t know it, based on prices today, but Stephenson said, “It used to be considered one of the most expensive vegetables” and that “You can actually look at old hotel menus, like The Waldorf, and it’s like blanched celery is as much as like filet mignon or something like that, it’s wild.” However, the celery gold mine also fizzled out after Stephenson said farmers over-inflated the industry to the point celery was no longer considered a unique commodity. Despite the fact Sanford didn’t become everything Henry Sanford planned for it to become, Stephenson said it’s still a great place to call home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Joseph Dituri’s story of spending 100 days underwater gained worldwide attention back in June when he resurfaced from the Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, shattering former record attempts. Now we are learning more about the health benefits that came along with that study. The retired Navy diver and Executive Director of the International Board of Undersea Medicine said being underwater for so long was like being in a hyperbaric chamber. He told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast that being nestled about 30 feet under the lagoon for more than three months, reversed the age of his DNA. “I’m 56 now. My extrinsic age was 44. When I got out of the water my extrinsic age was 34. So my telomeres lengthened, I actually got younger when I was under the water,” Dituri said. To better explain how it works, Dituri explained, “On the end of your chromosome, you have these little extensions.... and every time you replicate this, the telomere shrinks, shrinks, shrinks, shrinks, shrinks... let’s just say you get one-thousand replications. That’s all you get. When the telomeres are gone, you have no more ability to replicate, that’s called cell death... so that is truly the world-class definition of aging. But, if you can make that telomere longer you can actually extend life.” He said 9 months later his telomeres are still longer than they otherwise would be. Those aren’t the only benefits. Dituri said he also had 17 times the number of stem cells as usual and a reduction in pain which was likely associated with the fact that his inflamatory markers were reduced by 50%. He said these kinds of results are promising but not altogether surprising. He said hyperbaric treatment has been used for hundreds of years and is currently being used to treat people with brain injuries and PTSD because of its ability to help with cognitive issues. However, the treatment is not open to everyone. He said people interested in getting it do need a prescription from a doctor and treatments can start at $250 per hour. You can learn more about the results of Dituri’s time underwater for 100 days and the following research that took him into weightlessness on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Some of the most recognizable names in golf used to walk the greens at Rio Pinar Golf. Now the new owners are hoping they will inspire the next golf greats to get their start in East Orange County with their family at their side. Gregor Tilch-Jensen and his wife recently bought Rio Pinar Golf and the duo isn’t wasting any time breathing new life into the historic golf course. If the walls could talk they would probably tell you all about the Florida Citrus Open. “It was a great event they hosted here with an unbelievable winner’s list, from Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Hale Irwin, Julius Boros, all Hall of Famers and people who tried to win here and never did, Sam Sneade, Jack Nicklaus, they were here, couldn’t do it.” But, the walls would also tell you about the new owners’ plans to go beyond that history. Tilch-Jensen stood on the green telling the hosts of Florida’s Fourth Estate that he sees this location as less “members only” and more community. “We want to be a destination for families,” Tilch-Jensen said. He said he is bringing new technology to his hitting bays, building a pickleball court and re-furbishing one of his tennis courts. The amateur golfer turned instructor, turned golf course owner told hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden that creating a space where parents and kids can play together is near and dear to his heart. “My kids love golf as well. My wife and I met on a golf course. It’s just part of our life, it always has been,” Tilch-Jensen said. He admitted it’s not as popular of a sport in his home country of Germany, but once he got a hold of a golf club, he fell in love and wanted to introduce that passion to the next generation of golf enthusiasts. To do that he said he has developed a long-term plan, which involves moving his wife and their children to Central Florida. He said he is committed to making Rio Pinar Golf a success again. “You want to make it work and you don’t want to let down the people you love the most,” he said. His wife is fully onboard and has focused on helping to redesign the interior of the golf course’s clubhouse. “It’s not really like a golf club, it’s really loungy-modern, which is located at a golf course. Leaving the former Champions’ Room, which is now the Oak Room, just modernize that a little bit, which you still have the history part of it and still have the trophy from Arnold Palmer in it, but that’s a separate space, so now again, everyone feels comfortable,” he said. To learn more about Tilch-Jensen’s plans for Rio Pinar Golf check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts and watch it anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lou Holtz is famous for his incredible college coaching career, which included leading six different programs to bowl games, helping the Fighting Irish secure 100 wins, and then embarking on an enviable career as a sports analyst. When you get into a room with him, he is as humble, funny and sincere as they come. News 6 Insiders and other viewers were invited into the room as Florida’s Fourth Estate hosted a live recording with Holtz at Miller’s Ale House in Winter Park Village. He talked to podcast hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden about what keeps him humble, his time coaching Notre Dame, and the current state of college football. Austin asked, “I’m fascinated, coach, to ask you where you think college football is headed, because as a fan it’s been frustrating to see these teams — it seems like the players I root for one year are gone the next year, money is playing a big role, what are your thoughts on how college football is going?” “I think an athlete should be paid if he works at McDonald’s, but not to go to college. Not to go to college. You go to college to get an education. It’s a 40-year decision, not four. You pick out the school you want to be part of the rest of your life, and you go do that, and to get paid for that is setting the wrong perspective,” Holtz said. He said he made $95,000 a year at Notre Dame, but feels the approach to coaching and playing has changed since he was on the field. “I think that coaches followed the money, then the players are following the money, now the schools are following the money,” Holtz said. “Florida State is talking about leaving the ACC, because the SEC just got $51 million per team.” When it comes to the transfer portal, Holtz called it the “worst thing that’s ever happened.” “There is nothing wrong with being patient and proven, waiting your turn, and being ready when you get that opportunity,” he said. According to Holtz, hopping from college to college is not what football is all about, and that it is causing fans — including himself — to turn away from the sport. “I’m starting to lose interest in it because I can’t tell who plays for who,” Holtz said. However, he said he remains optimistic something will be done to slow athletes from jumping from team to team so often. When he talks about his time as a coach, you can tell Holtz is still passionate about making an impact. He said that if given the opportunity today, “I would like to coach anywhere that I could do it physically.” And if he was at the helm again, he wouldn’t be taking it easy. Holtz told News 6 Insiders, “The biggest mistake that leaders make and parents make... they lower the standards for their children to try to keep them happy. What you do is raise the standard then teach them how to reach that standard.” He said part of that is focusing on the details. “You win because you do the little things the right way. Everybody does big things, winners do the little things. The shoe was lost, the horse was lost, because the horse was lost, the rider was lost, because the rider was lost, the message was lost, because the message was lost the battle was lost, because the battle was lost the war was lost, because of the little thing,” Holtz said. As for the coaches coming after him, he freely shared what helped him to be a success. Holtz said when he accepted the head coaching job at Notre Dame he was told leadership involved having a vision for where you want the organization to go, leading by example, and holding people accountable for the choices they make. He said throughout his life he chose to prioritize his faith, his family, and then football. “I don’t care what you achieve in this world, I don’t care how much money you make, if you aren’t successful as a husband and a father, you failed,” he said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
News 6 anchors Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden debuted Florida’s Fourth Estate on Oct. 10, 2018. They said when they realized how good their chemistry was on the news set, they started thinking of a fun way to get stories to people outside of the traditional newscast. They sat down in a conference room, started talking about the headlines in our state, pulled out a cell phone and started recording. They soon realized those off-the-cuff conversations about the things that interested them would be a good way for others to stay informed when they weren’t in front of the TV. And Florida’s Fourth Estate was born. Now, more than five years later, they are celebrating their 200th episode and taking a look back at some of their favorite moments. That includes an interview with a researcher who spent 100 days underwater only to find out all of that pressure left him half an inch shorter. Months after shooting that episode they learned, he had not regained that height. Another favorite is a young inventor who created a visor with the potential to help up to 2.2 billion people who struggle with vision problems. It uses haptic feedback to alert users they are approaching something so they can have better mobility without using a cane. Since that interview, Tiffani Gay has announced she is working to help other young inventors bring their ideas to fruition. No one can forget the Fruitland Park cowboy, Clayton Sellars, and how he made Ginger swoon as he shared highlights from his bull riding career. Ginger said she has no regrets about asking Sellars about his swagger and even bought Matt the same hat Sellars wore in the interview during a Christmas gift exchange. They have talked to several celebrities during their time on the podcast, but one of their favorites was Carrot Top. The Winter Park native has been making people laugh in Las Vegas for years and had Matt and Ginger cracking up too, but the duo said they were also impressed with how down-to-earth he is and how generous he was with his time. Check out some of their other favorite moments over the years on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whether it’s off-the-wall weird or business-related, anytime there is a question about the theme parks, especially Disney World, News 6 producer Ken Pilcher has the answer. He is not only a lifelong Floridian and Disney historian, but he also helped bring you all the special coverage News 6 had on Disney’s 50th anniversary. Add to that his mom was the woman at the center of coordinating Walt Disney’s announcement that the theme park was coming to Central Florida and it’s clear Disney is in Pilcher’s blood. So, Florida’s Fourth Estate hosts Matt Austin, and Ginger Gadsden invited him on the podcast to separate fact from fiction and debunk some of the craziest myths they have heard about The Most Magical Place on Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Gerardo Bloise took the stand in the Casey Anthony murder trial to discuss evidence he processed from her car. He told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast that it smelled like something was decomposing in the vehicle. He said this case is something that has weighed heavy on him for years and by writing a book about it he hopes to let people see evidence that was “never explained at trial”. He said that includes, “How long Caylee was inside the trunk, what really killed Caylee, and why the human remains were found in the wooded area near the Casey Anthony residence, those questions, right now I have the answers for everybody, that never was told, in my book.” Bloise stressed there was a lot of evidence that was never presented at trial. But, that the evidence that he presented was enough for the jury to convict Anthony of murder. “In my opinion we didn’t fail, in my opinion the jurors failed our community, failed Caylee,” Bloise said. He said he hopes the pictures, timelines, and descriptions in “CSI The Casey Anthony Child Murder Case” will help the public to come to a more fully educated decision on the case and that they will stand in stark contrast to some of the statements Casey has made in the public since she was found not guilty. “Casey is a pathological liar”, she proved to this community that she lied and lied and lied. She was a liar and is still a liar,” said Bloise. The former investigator for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said during his time as a law enforcement officer he had to be objective, but now as a private citizen he feels her words have been anything but honest. Bloise said in addition to shedding new light on the case his book will help get results for missing children through the The Missing Child Project. You can learn more about the case and Bloise’s book on Florida’s Fourth Estate. Hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden have also spoken to the judge at the center of the case. Both episodes are available now. Just download the episodes from wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to Florida’s Fourth Estate anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Curt and Jeannie Bartholomew’s jobs are anything but ordinary. They are both competitive skydivers with a combined 22,500 jumps and belong to a DeLand-based team with the most world titles in the history of the sport. So, what exactly is competitive skydiving? “It’s called canopy piloting and our slang term for that is called swooping,” Jeannie Bartholomew told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast. “Basically we take the smallest parachutes that they make and we dive them at the ground going 100 miles per hour, bring the parachute out of the dive, go across the water and navigate different courses over a body of water and basically we have four different events that we compete in.” They start at a much lower altitude than regular skydivers and say it takes about two-and-a-half minutes from jump to touching the ground. Curt Bartholomew has the most individual world titles in the event. “This is one of the best places to skydive in the country,” said Bartholomew. He points to Florida’s year-round warmth for being the reason he decided to stay in the Sunshine State after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Jeannie Bartholomew wanted to skydive since she was six years old after seeing her older sister do a tandem jump. “When I saw the video, I started making my own parachutes out of sheets, blankets, pillowcases, Mary Poppins umbrella — I jumped off of everything and drove my parents crazy,” said Bartholomew. Even with their room of medals and trophies, the Bartholomews do not earn a living off competitive skydiving. Most of their paid gigs involve coaching, tandem jumps, shooting videos and training with the military in Sebastian, FL. You can learn more about the Bartholomews’ competitive skydiving career, including the technique behind their 18-person jump in Dubai on Florida’s Fourth Estate. Just download the episodes from wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to Florida’s Fourth Estate anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bob Brown, the owner of Brown’s Taxidermy, started stuffing birds and other animals back in the 1970s, but he quickly realized mounting fish for people making big catches on chartered boats here in Florida was a more lucrative business. At first, he said he did taxidermy the old-school way. “A lot of times when they would bring us fish, we were just beginning, so we would make molds off of the original fish, which entailed taking the guts out of the fish and stuffing it back with some sawdust so it would take its shape again, then we would pose it in sand, put Plaster of Paris around the edges, once that plaster dries, we would actually fiberglass the fish.” Once the fiberglass mold was finished they would throw out the fish, create a replica, and then mount that for their clients. Now after decades of working in the business, Brown said he has accumulated about five thousand molds. So, instead of having fishermen bring in their catch, they can just take a picture, measure the fish, and send him the details. After that Brown and his sons get to work. They create the shape, paint, seal and mount the fish replicas, then ship them all over the world. Brown said his new way of doing business is gaining in popularity for many reasons. “It’s been a big selling point for conservation these days with the dwindling of the fish stocks,” he said. His business plan allows people to preserve their memories when they are doing catch-and-release fishing. Brown said he plans to pass his business, located just across the street from the port at Cape Canaveral, down to his sons. To learn more about Brown’s Taxidermy check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the app from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like many people, Lauren Irving first experienced the circus as a child. “I remember watching the trapeze act, and the smell of the popcorn and just the lights, you know, everything and how I felt. I felt so inspired,” Irving said. Little did she know, years later, that she would be helping to lead that show. She told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate she is one of three people who helps to guide the audience through the experience. She plays the character of Aria but said she gets to bring a lot of her personality into the role as well. She said her experience doing a Broadway show on the Norwegian Cruise Line, and performing at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando prepared her for the position. Beyond her current role, she said she is also trying to learn to juggle because she is inspired by all of the talent around her. The show — which used to feature a variety of animals, including elephants — has changed its act and now focuses on what Irving called “human ability.” She said it brings together people from dozens of countries pushing themselves to their limits to bring a smile to the people who come out and watch them perform. The acts include a record-breaking unicyclist, musicians, tightrope walkers, jugglers and more. Irving said she loves to see how much everybody is enjoying it, much like she did as a young girl. “You see people who you can tell they have been to Ringling before and then they are bringing their children,” she said “The Greatest Show on Earth” will be in Orlando at the Kia Center from Jan. 12-15. Tickets are on sale starting at $25. To learn more about the woman helping to keep the new and re-imagined circus running smoothly, and about Matt’s secret skills that could qualify him as a circus performer check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Walt Disney World is part of the fabric of Florida, but did you know the theme park almost ended up in St. Louis instead of Orlando? University of Central Florida History professor Dr. Jim Clark said Walt Disney had his eye on the “Show Me” state well before he began eyeing the “Sunshine State”. But a fight over beer changed everything. After successfully introducing the public to Disneyland in California, Clark said Disney was looking for a second location. The animation mogul considered Niagra Falls and another area near Washington, D.C. “They seemed to settle on St. Louis for a different kind of attraction, kind of incorporating the city and the Mississippi and Walt got into a disagreement with Augie Busch — the family that owned Anheuser-Busch, makers of Busch beer and Budweiser — and basically Augie Busch said to Walt, ‘Hey you are not coming to St. Louis if you are not serving beer,’ and he wanted the beer concession and Walt said, ‘We are not going to serve any beer or liquor in the Magic Kingdom’ and it kind of went downhill from there. And literally, they had the dinner the night before, Augie Busch made a comment, and they were supposed to sign the papers the next morning, and Walt called it off, so it was that close.” Clark said Busch was greatly insulted. “That was his thing. I mean, he had the beer concession for the football teams, for the baseball teams, and here was this major thing coming to St. Louis telling him, ‘No, we don’t want your product in our theme park,’” Clark said. But Disney wasn’t budging. “Walt was worried that it was going to end up kinda like a carnival or a county fair or something like that and he did not want drinking in his park,” Clark said. To learn more about how Disney chose Orlando over other cities competing for the theme park check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you still haven’t finished your Christmas shopping, you are not alone, but with just days left until the holiday, the clock is ticking. So, Florida’s Fourth Estate hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden are helping you identify some of the top gifts people are asking for this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sheriff Mike Chitwood gets real about his journey to becoming a law enforcement officer. He talks about how his relationship with his own Dad influenced his choice, why he is not afraid to take on controversial issues, and how his family has been impacted by his job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Waterfalls, koi ponds, trails, cliffs and exotic plants are just some of the things you will see inside the epic backyard tucked away in the small Florida town of Williston. Dr. Raymond Webber said he initially wanted a fish pond, but, his vision for a backyard oasis kept expanding. Now, 32 years after discovering an abandoned lime rock quarry, he has established a peaceful garden fit for a king. Though it was originally designed as a place to relax and entertain friends, word quickly got out. Brenda Standridge helps manage the property. “Locals, all the master gardeners kinda were hearing about it and were coming out on their own and visiting while it was his private property,” she said. Then, after more people caught wind, and said they wanted to see it too, Webber turned his backyard into a non-profit and opened it up as Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens. Standridge said even at 80 years old, Webber walks the property six days a week to check on and plant more plants. “He wants to make sure there is beauty year-round,” Standridge said. The gardeners on the property said it all looks natural, but all of it is manmade and manicured. To reward those who help maintain the property, Webber has named certain parts of the gardens after the men and women who have helped bring them to life. That includes Jesse’s Japanese Maple Garden. If you would like to visit the property, you can get a ticket here. Adults are $12.00, children are $7.00, and children under five years old are free. If you would like to help preserve the garden and educate others about it Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens is also inviting people to donate to their “Raise the Roof” campaign. You can also learn more about the epic backyard turned public garden on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kim and Penn Holderness pulled on their Christmas Jammies 10 years ago and churned out a viral video many still remember a decade later. They teamed up with their two young kids, Lola and Penn Charles, to rap about all the things that made 2013 special for them. Today, they are still making videos, but they are also releasing books, games, and merch. While they did win the 33rd season of The Amazing Race in 2022, Kim says another round of reality TV is not on their short list. She said, “Maybe like if you needed really middle-aged comedy, like the Golden Survivor. Also, if I needed to get trim really quick for an event.” But, she and Penn are game for sharing their family experiences in a fun and relatable way. “I think a lot of people make content that shows how funny they are, how great their life is, but as a viewer watching it, what’s in it for me, that you’re funny? No, I would prefer like make me laugh, show me something that I can relate to, make me feel something,” Kim said. She said News 6 helped shape her creative process. “I would say I learned a lot from our news director at WKMG, when I was there. His name was Skip Valet. When I was there for the afternoon pitch meeting, you had to walk in with three ideas. And if you didn’t have an idea, (he would say) you need to take another way in to work.” And after making a pitch Kim said, “He would always kinda answer back like, ‘why would a viewer care about this story you just pitched.’” In addition to nailing the creative process, Kim and Penn bring a lot of raw talent to their content. Kim was trained in dance and Penn is a musician. But, even with all of that working in their favor, Penn said the duo threw a lot of spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick. Every video didn’t go viral, but their success is evident. They currently have their own website, have nearly 5 million followers on Facebook, amassed nearly 18 million likes on TikTok, and are releasing a new book called “ADHD is Awesome.” Kim says Penn’s book, “Is written for and by an ADHD brain.” The duo already has a game available at stores but said they hope to have another one available on Amazon by Black Friday. They also have taken up pickleball and are now offering a line of paddles online. They aren’t alone in their success. Kim said their kids are very busy, but they are still active in some of their videos and have been making money with them since their original Christmas Jammies video went viral. To learn more about Kim and Penn Holderness check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you have ever been to Disney World, you have probably been on the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom. One of the highlights of the ride is the feeling of escaping to the jungle while laughing at a slew of “dad” jokes. Former Imagineer Brian Collins is responsible for some of those. “I was very lucky to be able to work on some very cool projects, like writing very corny puns for the Jungle Cruise,” Collins said. He said he wrote, “You don’t need to bring any money with you on the jungle cruises because there are plenty of banks along the river.” “One of the reasons I think I got hired in as a writer with Imagineering is because writing was something I always loved to do, it came very easy to me and I could write anything from technical writing to poems, to ‘dad’ jokes and everything in between,” Collins said. Being an Imagineer can be a coveted role, but Collins, who is now an instructor at the University of Central Florida, said he tells his students there is enough room in the theme park industry for all of them. “Don’t focus on being an Imagineer. What you need to focus on is finding what your passion is, finding what you love to do, and focus on that and become happy and an expert in what your passion is and if you can do that, hopefully the rest will take care of itself,” Collins said. “There’s so many ways that you can create a path, whether it’s Imagineering, or Universal Creative, or working for Legoland, SeaWorld. I mean there is a whole cottage industry, especially here in Central Florida, of amazing firms that support the themed entertainment industry for example that Imagineers will work with,” Collins explained. Still, he says it’s important to differentiate yourself. “I have a favorite saying for my students, it’s that ‘if you do the same thing as everyone else, you’re just going to be like everyone else, and you don’t want to be like everyone else,” Collins said. To hear more of Collins’ advice for becoming a staple in the theme park industry check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you are looking for a discount car, truck, sunglasses or even office equipment there is one place to find it all. A quick look at the George Gideon Auctioneers website reveals many of the local governments in Central Florida use them to sell their surplus items. Right now a 2012 Dodge Charger from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is going for $1,025, a kayak from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is going for $3, Seminole County Public Schools is offering several school buses that have not been bid on yet. Volusia County is selling a 2018 ambulance. The current bid is $1,000. Pam Wilsky is the Purchasing and Contracts Director with Volusia County. She joined Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate to talk more about how the surplus program works. She said the items people buy from the county through the auctioneer website may have a few miles on them but are well maintained. “We try very hard with this program to keep the lifecycle good so that what we are sending still has residual value when we get ready to send it to auction, so it’s not broken down, it’s not beat up,” Wilsky said. “It’s not to say that there will not be some things wrong with it, but everything within the county is maintained on a regular basis, so it probably is a good value as far as a vehicle to somebody.” She said there have been some interesting finds at the auction and that the county once re-sold a mosquito control helicopter. “They actually had one that for whatever reason had been disassembled and they wanted to sell it. The appraised value was $350,000,” Wilsky said. She said a firm in Montana sent a truck to pick it up and used it to fight wildfires out west. Austin said he also noticed some drones on the auctioneer’s website going for as low as $27 after Gov. Ron DeSantis made it illegal for counties to use ones from China. Wilsky said Volusia County dealt with the situation differently, but “a lot of law enforcement and things like that had a lot of these and it was a big impact so I’m not surprised you saw them.” Aside from providing a savings opportunity for customers, Wilsky said putting surplus items up for auction also helps the county’s bottom line. She said last year the program brought in about $1.7 million in revenue. Learn more about the program and how you can score some good deals by checking out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar-a-lago is one of the most famous homes in Florida, if not the country, but the property former President Donald Trump referred to as his “Winter White House” wasn’t always what it is today. It used to belong to all Americans. In her book “American Castle One Hundred Years of Mar-a-Lago,” Mary Shanklin talks about how the mansion and surrounding property used to be part of the National Park Service. She said the original owner, Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the creator of Post Cereal, died thinking the home she built was in the hands of the federal government. But there were a lot of competing interests after Post died that changed the course of the property’s history. “The heirs needed some cash which they could get by selling Mar-a-lago. The people of Palm Beach, they didn’t want any part of having tourists come on their island, so it was divested,” Shanklin told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate Shanklin said the heirs went through several prospective buyers, one of them being Donald and Ivana Trump. “When Donald Trump went to purchase it, he was purchasing for $7 million. The Mar-a-Lago that exists from South Ocean Boulevard to Lake Worth, which is the intercoastal waterway, and the heirs — the Marjorie Merriweather Post Trust — they had sold off an oceanfront parcel. So he had to buy that because Mar-a-lago is not going to be sea to the lake if you don’t own the oceanfront parcel. I think the oceanfront parcel may have went for $ 2 million,” Shanklin said. Many call that $9 million price tag in 1985 a steal considering Shanklin said it cost Post $7 million to build Mar-a-Lago in the 1920′s. Shanklin said to establish yourself in Palm Beach in the 1920s your house had to be regal and you had to host all of the big parties and dinners. “That’s where they wintered, that’s where everybody of power and means went. That’s where you build your relationships and gain trust with people. That’s where it all happens in Palm Beach,” Shanklin said. Shanklin said the regalness of the home is still intact. She was given a tour of the property during Trump’s presidency and said the ceiling looks like something straight out of Venice. “Everything gets politicized today. You hear Republicans say, ‘Mar-a-Lago is such an amazing beautiful place.’ You hear Democrats say, ‘It’s gross, it’s crawling with roaches.’ What was the feeling in there?” Austin asked. “The people who are paying a quarter of a million dollars to become members there are probably getting a bang for their buck,” Shanklin said. “I felt like it looked immaculate. I felt like the furnishings, if not from the original era, which probably they weren’t, they were tastefully done. A lot of the original artwork was still on the walls. I don’t know what was going on in the kitchen or anything. You could see the signature public places and spaces. I feel like it’s really been preserved and maintained and kept well.” Regardless of what the house looks like, Shanklin said having a membership to Mar-a-Lago is about access and says it still remains unclear if, as the political season gets underway, being the former President will encourage just as many people to maintain their memberships at Mar-a-Lago as when he was President. Learn more about the history of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s use of the home and the case surrounding possibly classified documents being kept on the property by checking out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People aren’t the only ones looking to avoid the cold this winter. Birds are also looking for a warmer spot to settle down, but their journey is proving to be difficult. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates up to 988 million crash into buildings every year and die. The Audubon Society said that’s because the majority of them migrate at night, and are drawn in by city lights, rest among the trees and when they try to return to the sky they crash into windows. “They see the sky in front of them and it’s actually a reflection of the sky in the glass and they fly towards it not knowing that it’s a death sentence and they hit the glass and they are either injured or killed by hitting the glass,” said Mike Taylor, the curator of herps, birds and others at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. It’s not just skyscrapers in the city drawing birds back to earth, Elizabeth Filippelli with the Duval Audubon Society said residential house lights are too. Lights Out Northeast Florida is asking people to take a few steps to help the birds make it safely to their destination. The organization advises turning off non-essential lights between 11 p.m. - 6 a.m., direct lighting downward instead of upward into the sky, putting timers on outdoor lights and turning off interior lighting, especially on upper floors. Birds migrate from Sept. 15 - Nov. 15. So, your actions over the next few days can have a lot of impact. If you would like a closer look at what birds are migrating over your neighborhood just plug your county into the Birdcast Dashboard. A quick search of Orange County reveals 122,200 crossed the area and more than 1.1 million crossed our state in a single night. To learn more about bird migration, the risks they face, and how you can help, check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch any time on the News 6+ App for your smart TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A boat, which experts believe is from the 1800s, has a new home after crews stumbled upon it during a road construction project. The Florida Department of Transportation was working on drainage improvement along King Street and State Road A1A in St. Augustine in October when they discovered the historic boat. Dr. James Delgado with SEARCH, a company headquartered in Orlando that describes itself as a global leader in maritime archeology, talked about what’s next for the artifact with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate. Delgado said it took crews five days to remove the vessel from the ground. He said the job included removing dirt, muck, and even oysters from the outside of the boat. After exposing it, he said the team then documented it and lifted it out of the ground. The boards were then wrapped in cloth and put into freshwater tanks at the Lighthouse Maritime Museum so they wouldn’t deteriorate. He said it is now safe and out of the way, but the work is not done. “Now what would have to happen is more documentation, reconstructing it on paper, and discussions beginning about what’s next,” Delgado said. What’s next could include putting it on display. Delgado described that as a lengthier and more costly option, but stressed that, at this stage, things are being lined up so more informed decisions can be made. Despite being only 20 feet long, Delgado said the boat still has cultural significance. “In all the years I have worked on this, whether it has been a bigger shipwreck, (the) Titanic, wrecks at Pearl Harbor, others that I have worked on — Clotilda, the last slave ship — these powerful stories that connect us to ships like that are one part of it, but there’s also these vessels that with no name speak to the reality of life as well and sharing that is practically one of the best days on the job,” he said. To learn more about the unnamed vessel and Delgado’s work uncovering other vessels in Florida with National Geographic check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch it anytime on the News 6+ app for your smart TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Most jobs don’t come with a warning, but this one does. “A ghost will go home with you. You do these tours they are going to come home they are going to visit you,” Ghost tour guide Ting Rappa said. It is a warning she gives when hiring guides to take people around the Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando. Rappa said she doesn’t allow the spirits inside of her house. “I will stop them at my front door. My dog will come greet me. If my dog looks behind me I will go ‘You are not welcome in the home. I will see you guys tomorrow night back in downtown.’” Greenwood Cemetery is one of Central Florida’s oldest cemeteries and is the resting spot of many of the city of Orlando’s founders. Once or twice a year it also plays home to ghost tours facilitated by American Ghost Adventures, which is owned by Rappa. She offers tours around other parts of Orlando but said this experience is different. “This is the only location I can tell people, I cannot guarantee you friendly interactions with spirits. People can get scratched, they can get touched here. There are different people there. There are different spirits there,” Rappa said. She said the spooky experiences started soon after she and her partner started offering tours at the site. While he was taking a group around the grounds she said they saw another group of people about 200 feet in front of them. “He was in the military area and they saw apparitions marching. His entire group saw apparitions with lights walking and the lights disappeared into thin air, and nobody else was there,” she said. Rappa said tours can get so scary that some people don’t finish. “There are a lot of shadow figures that walk through there and voices that you cannot explain,” she said. The tour guide said specialized equipment does help explain some of the interactions. She said the spirits communicate via flashlights and will sometimes lead you back to their headstones. To learn more about the Greenwood Cemetery and ghost tours offered by American Ghost Adventures check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Former Chief Judge Belvin Perry recently reflected on his decades-long career with the hosts of Florida’s Fourth Estate. Perry is well known for presiding over the Casey Anthony case, but long before that high-profile case he was the lead prosecutor in the Judy Buenoano murder trial. Perry says he was part of the team that transported Buenoano to jail in Orange County after she was arrested for fatally poisoning her husband, United States Air Force officer James Goodyear. “This was in the summer. I never been in the car with an individual and it felt like wintertime in there. I have never been around a person as icy and cold — I felt it. I never experienced anything like that since then,” Perry said. Perry said Goodyear’s 1962 death was not the only one “The Black Widow” was responsible for. “She poisoned her husband, she poisoned her common-law husband, she poisoned her son, and she attempted to poison her fiancé, and then blew his car up,” he said. Still, when the Orange County Sheriff’s Office was transporting her back to Orlando, Perry said, “She was as cool as a cucumber, and she had this coldness about her that would actually make you shiver.” Perry said it was 10 years after Goodyear’s death when the trial began, and he didn’t know what angle the defense team would take. Quickly he said he realized they were attempting to pin the poisoning on Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide used during the Vietnam War. But an expert witness made it clear, “He would actually have to drink a 30-gallon drum of Agent Orange (in order to die from it),” said Perry. A jury convicted Buenoano of murder and she was executed in Florida’s electric chair in March 1998. She was the first woman to be executed in Florida since 1848. Learn more about Former Chief Judge Belvin Perry’s role in the “Black Widow” trial and his experience with Judy Buenoano on Florida’s Fourth Estate. The podcast can be downloaded from wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also watch Florida’s Fourth Estate on News 6 on Mondays and Fridays at 3:30 p.m. or anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Over 12 years ago, Casey Anthony walked out of the Orange County jail a free woman. Much of the country watched her murder trial play out on live TV, including the moment the jury found her not guilty, but there were some things happening behind the scenes that you didn’t see. The judge at the center of it all, Belvin Perry, joined the hosts of Florida’s Fourth Estate to share the experience from his perspective. This includes his thoughts on how Anthony’s defense team was able to get her acquitted of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter Caylee Anthony. “Jose Baez, at the time, probably wasn’t the sharpest person on the evidence code, but he was well prepared, and he did something that good lawyers do,” Perry said. “Once you determine the makeup of the 12 people in that jury, he tailored his case to fit them. It’s just like a great football coach. You go into any game with a gameplan, but you must make adjustments and Baez made those adjustments and he learned how to play to the jury.” The jury was made up of seven women and five men who had to be sequestered for the full length of the trial. Perry said it was a lot of work dealing with a case that would last six to eight weeks with jurors that had to be holed up in a hotel room, but added that the Central Florida community helped to lighten the load. He said the media agreed on the best way to cover the trial and when they found out the jury was staying at Rosen Shingle Creek, “they did not publish it, we had no problem with them following jurors.” He said Harris Rosen also bent over backward to make sure the jurors were well taken care of while being sequestered. “Harris Rosen was just tremendous when we talked to him,” Perry said. “He gave us an excellent deal on the rooms, gave us everything we wanted — even structured the meal prices to fit into the per diem, which is unheard of. They even changed the locks on the doors on the stairwell on the floor that they were on you couldn’t access it from the outside.” Perry said there were also times when the pool and exercise facilities were shut down so the jurors could use them uninterrupted. The TVs were also adjusted so the jurors could not watch news shows. Towards the end of the trial, with so many people interested in the case, Perry said the jurors were down to only three channels they could watch. To better cater to the jury, Perry said each one was allowed to have one visitor on the weekends. “They could come on Saturday afternoons, they just had to be out by midnight,” Perry said. The judge had to deal with some fallout from the trial as well. That includes becoming, what felt like, an overnight celebrity. “One day we got out of court and for whatever reason I went by Ross on Michigan and I went in there and I was looking for a picture frame,” Perry said. “When I got home my daughter called me. She said, ‘Daddy someone recorded you in Ross and they posted it on Facebook.’” It didn’t end there. Perry said people approached him about the case everywhere he went. Once, a group of people even started recording him while he was eating dinner. “I had to stop going to the grocery store. If I did go eat, I had to eat at certain places where I could be left alone. I couldn’t go anywhere,” he said. Still, he said the trial was a great experience for himself and the community. “I think it opened up to the world how the judicial system works,” Perry said. “You got a chance to see firsthand. Most people didn’t agree with the outcome of the case, but at least they saw what happened and I think it is very important that courts that are open to the public, that the public gets to see it firsthand.” To hear more about Perry’s experience serving as the judge on the Casey Anthony murder trial check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alex Pring was born with one arm. His other extends to his forearm and stops. As he started growing up and going to school, he had some questions about his limb difference. “I kinda asked the question, ‘Why can’t I have an arm? Everyone else has an arm, why don’t I,’” Pring said. He said his mom loves solving problems, so she reached out to the University of Central Florida and a student helped to create his very first arm. Then, that student, Albert Manero, went on to launch Limbitless Solutions, a company that makes prosthetics for children. Manero then upgraded Pring’s arm, giving it an “Iron Man” design, and invited Robert Downey Jr. to present it to him in 2015. The moment went viral. Pring said the experience, “was probably the biggest time for any 7-year-old possible.” The first version of the arm helped him to hold a pencil, and the “Iron Man” arm helped him to build confidence, but because he is growing so fast, he said he needs to be resized regularly and sometimes he goes without his prosthetic. That includes when he is doing football conditioning. Pring said he power cleans 135 pounds with one arm. He said his teammates at South Lake High School are often surprised at what he can pull off. And, his opponents often underestimate him. “In one of our games, the seniors told me all the players were trash-talking me saying, ‘There is no way this one-armed kid can do it.’ Next play, I destroyed the running back,” Pring said. It’s not always easy, but he said he gets his confidence from his parents. “They have taught me every single day of my life, work hard and you will be rewarded at the end of the day,” he said. Pring said he would love to eventually play football professionally and that he looks up to Shaquem Griffin, the former University of Central Florida, football player who also has a limb difference and went on to play for the NFL. But, if football doesn’t pan out, Pring said he would like to go UCF to pursue aerospace engineering, the same degree Manero pursued. To learn more about Pring and how he is making an impact on and off the field check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In June, the Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory after four confirmed cases of malaria in Sarasota County. They were the first cases in the state in 20 years. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 159 new cases of leprosy in the U.S. in 2020, with Florida among the top reporting states. “Some Biblical diseases started making a comeback in the state of Florida,” Florida’s Fourth Estate host Matt Austin said. “Leprosy and malaria, these are two things I never thought we would be talking about again on the news.” Austin and his co-host Ginger Gadsden invited Dr. Elizabeth Borrero with Health First to discuss the diseases that still have a lot of people talking. When it comes to leprosy, Borrero said it is an old disease that has never been able to be eradicated and that most of the new cases are likely spread by people who are traveling out of the country to areas where leprosy is endemic. Borrero said that list includes Nepal, India, Brazil and Malaysia. The disease can be contracted via the nine-banded armadillo or through soil. Borrero said you likely won’t catch it from someone else. “As long as the person doesn’t have prolonged contact with another individual, you’re OK. You’re not going to acquire it immediately from somebody who has leprosy,” she said. “It’s not that contagious really.” More is known about Malaria. Borrero said it is spread via infected mosquitoes and symptoms include night sweats, nausea, vomiting and headaches. “The majority of patients that come into the hospital system have a high fever — fevers of over 103 lead them to seek medical attention, which is a good thing.” Borrero also suggested travel as a way that malaria is spread. She said if you are traveling to a country where it is endemic to see a travel medicine specialist. She said the World Health Organization has done a lot to help stop the disease from spreading including a vaccine, though it is not available in the U.S. yet. To learn more about leprosy and malaria and their impact on Florida check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Even though theme park attendance is down this year, the companies are investing more than ever. According to the International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions, which is the global association for the theme park industry, American theme parks are expected to invest $1.5 billion in attractions this year alone. IAAPA’s CEO Jakob Wahl spoke with Florida’s Fourth Estate about some fascinating trends taking place across the industry. He said parks are creating rides less focused on being the biggest and fastest. Instead, companies like Disney, Universal and SeaWorld are honing in on new technologies and intellectual property. “Delivering the same services to the same people is stagnation. The theme park industry is huge about innovation,” Wahl said. Last Year at IAAPA’s big convention in Orlando, SeaWorld announced a new idea for a ride. The rollercoaster called Pipeline would allow riders to feel like they’re surfing a wave. The ride keeps guests in the standing position instead of the standard strapped-in coaster. The roller coaster is now open at Sea World. Disney used IP and technology fused together to create the new Tron ride, which uses a new seating position and some serious technology to give a new experience. Universal used a motorcycle and sidecar in Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure to make muggles feel like they’re experiencing Harry Potter’s magical land in a whole new way. But, with all the new technology, questions have arisen about safety. In 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson tragically fell from a ride at Orlando’s Icon Park putting ride safety at the forefront of the national conversation. “I can guarantee you safety is the number one priority for our industry,” Wahl said. Wahl claims engineers make safety decisions early in the process of creating a ride, but, questions about how theme parks police themselves when it comes to ride safety have crept in. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has questioned whether Disney should be put under the microscope of state inspectors. Wahl didn’t want to speak on the political battle. “I prefer not to comment on that individual case between Disney and DeSantis, but I can tell you Disney has an excellent safety record. Disney has always been on the forefront of safety globally. I think the industry today is a better place in terms of safety thanks to the efforts of Disney and many others. I’m not sure how that would help the already excellent safety records of Disney,” he said. Either way, with tourism cutting back in Florida it will be interesting to see if theme parks continue making these huge investments in the coming years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From book bans to changing classes and educational requirements, what children are learning in the classroom will be different this year. “I think this is going to be a very strange year, simply because people do not know what’s happening,” University of Central Florida history professor and News 6 Political Analyst Jim Clark said. “Teachers are unsure. Administrators are unsure. You have one district doing one thing and another district doing another thing and I think there are just so many red flags flying that it’s going to be a strange year.” One point of difference this year focuses on AP Psychology. There was a battle over the coursework and any potential focus on gender identity which encouraged some schools to drop it right before classes began. Matt Austin shared on Florida’s Fourth Estate that his daughter was supposed to be in the class and was stuck in the middle wondering what the school district would decide. “My kid has been like, ‘Oh, I’m in the class, I’m out of the class, I’m in the class, I’m out, what am I gonna do?’ and this is after the schedules have already come out,” Austin said. This isn’t the first class caught in the middle of the political debate over education. “Earlier we had the controversy over the AP History exam, which is still going on, so for students that want to take these, this is a troubled time,” Clark said. In addition to focusing on coursework, lawmakers are also working to rid school libraries of books that “depict or describe sexual conduct.” That means librarians must now inspect over a million books. Ginger Gadsden pointed out it’s not just Florida politicians focused on the classroom. “There are a number of states, led by Iowa, that see Florida as the role model, and the governor there is an admirer of Gov. Desantis and has been copying much of what goes on,” Clark said, To learn more about the political impact on Florida’s schools check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Instead of vacationing or partying, a group of students from the University of Central Florida set out for the U.S.-Mexico border this summer. They wanted to learn more about the people working to call America home and bring those stories back to students at UCF. Amy Diaz and Ian Rodriguez both said they brought a unique perspective to the trip. “Even though we are in Florida and we are far away from the border we have family that crossed, or we have family that has come here from Central America, or from other countries,” Rodriguez said. They both also speak Spanish, so it made it easier to learn the stories of those working to gain citizenship in the United States. Diaz said some of the conversations he had were “hard to think about.” That includes one he had with two fathers at a shelter in El Paso, Texas. “They told me they started in Venezuela and walked up into Mexico and it’s just with kids, with a family, walking up there. It’s hard to even imagine that happening,” she said. Diaz said experiencing the process from their point of view was gripping. She said when the group of students and professors went into a stock room where clothes, baby shoes and toiletries are kept everyone got quiet. “It just put it into perspective that thousands of kids and parents are going through these, just as a stop in their journey, but this is making such an impact on them,” Diaz said. Rodriguez said he has never experienced anything like standing at the border wall. “You are just separated by this man-made marker, but it’s just like lack of opportunity on the other side, but you know being in university and having the privilege to be able to get a college education that many people literally a stone’s throw away from you don’t have, it’s interesting,” he said. He said being able to “touch the fence” and to learn the stories of the people trying to cross it has made him feel more connected to his father’s journey to America and appreciative of his own American experience. Now, the stories he and Diaz helped gather will be turned into a multi-phase documentary called “A Break for Impact.” “In addition to that it’s going to be used in several classes for Criminal Justice, for Human Trafficking, for Immigration law and for Journalism, and it’s going to be used to teach students in a more immersive way what it’s like out there,” Diaz said. To hear more about their journey to the U.S.-Mexico border, what they learned and how it will be used to teach others check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Amy Siewe goes out at night, sometimes alone, to hunt pythons. She said it’s a passion that started when she was a child, but it’s not without risk. The python huntress talked to Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsdenon Florida’s Fourth Estate about her mission to rid Florida’s Everglades of the invasive reptiles. Siewe has bagged several Burmese pythons and knows how to “work the animal.” “They could easily crush us in a second without even thinking about it,” she said. She said she “really had an appreciation for their power” when she caught a 9-foot python and it wrapped its tail around her leg for leverage. She described it as “no big deal” because “that’s what they always do.” But, then things took a turn. “This thing vice grips me, vice grips my calf and it felt like either my calf muscle was going to explode or my bone was going to break. I have never felt anything like it in my life and it was only a nine-foot python,” Siewe said. She added that it usually easy to deal with a python when an encounter goes wrong. “All I have to do is let go and it will take off,” she said. “It will probably bite me a couple times, but it will take off.” Aside from this unexpected encounter things are a bit more quiet when the Python Huntress heads into The Everglades. She even describes the experience as cathartic, but she is always paying attention, ready for the next takedown, even if it’s not her own catch. Recently she was driving down the road when she happened to come upon Jake Waleri wrestling a 19-foot, python. It was the largest documented Burmese python ever captured in Florida. “I saw him go on the ground which was a little risky,” Siewe said. Then she hopped into action. “So I told two of the kids to pull the tail, I got the coil off of his shoulder, I came around and told him to sit all the way on top of her, and so then I wrapped her mouth up,” she said. Waleri also talked to Florida’s Fourth Estate about the experience. “It felt incredible. I thought this was just a big snake at the time. I thought it would maybe be 16 or 17 feet. I never dreamed that it would actually be the record holder,” he said. Waleri donated the snake to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. But he kept the skin for himself. “I’m going to turn it into some leather and make a nice trophy out of it,” he said If you are interested in being part of the solution, you can join the Python Elimination Program or learn the ropes from Siewe, who also teaches people the basics of Burmese python hunting, and make some big money along the way by taking part in the Florida Python Challenge. Learn more on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was a typical spring afternoon in southwest Florida’s Myakka River. Jeffrey Heim strapped on his mask, fins and head-mounted GoPro and eased into the murky water to begin his favorite hobby: hunting for massive megalodon shark teeth. The hobby would later become a career for Heim, who now owns a company called SHRKco which collects and sells the ancient shark teeth and donates profits for ocean research organizations. “I did know the dangers but I don’t think I took them seriously enough back then,” Heim told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the latest episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate. While sifting through sand on the river bottom, Heim says he felt what seemed like a boat strike his head. “It was very powerful. It seemed a lot larger than it actually was,” Heim said. “I saw her. She did bite me twice before I knew what was happening.” The GoPro strapped to his head was recording at the time and the footage shows a large jolt and bubbles in the cloudy water as the camera sunk to the bottom of the river. Heim then realized a large female alligator bit a section of his scalp and his hand — and was coming back for another strike. “You never want to thrash or splash or act like prey, so I stayed calm,” Heim said. After avoiding two more attempted bites, Heim managed to make his way onto the riverbank and call for help. He was rushed to the hospital where nurses put 34 staples into his head and treated severe puncture wounds on his hand where the gator chomped down. Heim believes his injuries could have been much worse if it weren’t for the waterproof camera strapped to his head. “I still don’t think I felt the full force of that bite. And if I did, my head would’ve exploded,” he said. It has been over two years since the attack and Heim’s scars have healed while his passion for megalodon tooth collecting has only grown. “Eventually someday when I’m old I want to have a museum of my best finds... and then pass that story on when I’m no longer here as well,” he said. Heim’s most well-known megalodon tooth find came about two months after the gator attack when Heim uncovered a “miracle” 6 inch megalodon tooth. Watch the full interview on Florida’s Fourth Estate at the top of this story to learn what happened to the 8-foot alligator that bit him and Heim’s advice for finding ancient megalodon teeth in Central Florida. You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
