Craig Pittman is the author of seven books about Florida, including “Oh, Florida! How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country,” (2016) which became a New York Times bestseller, and “Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther” (2020). His most recent book is Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State (2025).
Hear more from the author during Welcome to Florida: Meet the Author Craig Pittman on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Southwest Branch Library. To register, visit ocls.org or call (407) 835-7323.
In your experience, what is the most common misconception about Florida? What do you wish people knew instead?
The most common misconception is that the state is just theme parks and beaches, and that’s all. In fact, we’ve got SO much more to offer, such as an award-winning state park system that offers everything from the soaring dunes of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park to the kitsch of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. I love telling people that because of Weeki Wachee, we’re the only state where the list of government jobs includes “mermaid.”
Readers resonate with the humor in your books—do you have any specific comedic influences?
My main comedic influence was my dad, a land surveyor who told corny jokes as a way to disarm people. I always say my mom taught me to appreciate a good book, and my dad taught me to appreciate a good story. Beyond him, I have to give a lot of credit to former Miami Herald humor columnist Dave Barry, who won a Pulitzer for sneaking the word “booger” into multiple major metropolitan newspapers.
How have you evolved as a writer since the beginning of your career? Do you have any writing goals you have yet to meet?
I’ve probably DEvolved, like the guys in the band DEVO. I used to aspire to create soaring and sophisticated sentences. Now that I write a weekly column, I realize a painful pun can get the message across faster. My one consistent writing goal is to get the next book done. I’m working on it now.
In 2020, you were named a Florida Literary Legend at the Florida Heritage Book Festival. Who is your personal Florida Literary Legend?
I always credit my awakening to the literary possibilities of Florida to John D. MacDonald of Sarasota. He wrote 78 books, 21 of them about his “knight in tarnished armor,” Travis McGee. He was the writer who first showed me that this was a sunny place full of shady people, and that the fast-buck artists would pave over every pretty place in the state unless someone exposed their plans and said, “No.” I always tell newcomers to Florida they should read two books: Condominium by MacDonald and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. But not during hurricane season!
What do you hope readers take away from Welcome to Florida?
As I mention in the prologue, my hope for people reading the book is that they will see what a marvelous place this is and why so many folks are willing to do whatever they can to defend their slice of paradise.
