The Hidden History of Florida

Beginning in 1565 with the founding of St. Augustine, Florida has been making history; but, much of it is hidden. In his entertaining presentation, Dr. Clark traces the little-known facts of Florida, including the story of the state flag, the origin of Florida’s largest grocery store chain, Coca-Cola billionaires, and the origin of cars on the beach with over thirty unique and fast-paced stories. This presentation is based on the book Hidden History of Florida.

Jim Clark is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Florida where he has taught history since 1987. He earned a doctorate in Florida history from the University of Florida. He is the author of nine books on Florida history and the editor of a three-volume anthology of Florida literature. His articles have appeared in The Miami Herald, The Orlando Sentinel, The Washington Post, and The Florida Historical Quarterly.

This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the St. Petersburg Museum of History. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the aforementioned entities.