A Florida Stories invitation
What Was the Moment Florida Became Florida for You?
Nobody moves to Florida and receives a certificate confirming the transition. One day you simply realize you have developed a favorite hurricane spaghetti model, a preferred Publix and a completely serious opinion about where an alligator is allowed to be.
The change rarely announces itself. It happens quietly, usually while something loud is occurring nearby.
Maybe a thunderstorm stopped at the edge of your driveway as if your neighbor had paid for the premium weather package. Maybe you watched six strangers cooperate to move a turtle across a road, then argue about whether they had moved it in the direction the turtle wanted. Maybe somebody at Publix remembered your order before you did.
At some point, Florida stops being the place on your driver’s license and becomes a collection of stories you cannot explain properly to people who were not there.
I want to hear that story
I am inviting Floridians, former Floridians, visitors, travel writers, book creators, business owners, artists, librarians, performers and anybody else with a good memory to answer one question:
What happened that made you stop and think, “Well, this could only happen in Florida”?
It does not need to involve an alligator, although statistically that will help some of you. It can be funny, generous, strange, beautiful, mildly alarming or all five before lunch.
The small stories usually tell us more
I am not looking only for famous places or events that required a press credential. I want the parking-lot story. The neighbor story. The restaurant where everybody knew why the pie was gone by ten. The old motel sign your children complained about until it disappeared and they suddenly became preservationists.
Florida is often described through spectacle. The state I know is also made from routines, friendships, family legends, quiet kindness and people who have adapted to absurdity without losing their sense of humor.
A useful answer might include
- Where you were
- What happened
- The detail you still remember
- Why it felt unmistakably Floridian
- What the moment changed for you
Who this invitation is for
- Readers and Florida families
- BookTok and Bookstagram creators
- Travel journalists and bloggers
- Local businesses and community organizations
- Artists, performers and storytellers
What happens if you send one
Send a few paragraphs through my contact page. If the story feels right for a future feature, interview or collection, I will contact you before publishing it. Sending something is not permission for me to put your name, story or photograph on the internet without another conversation.
If you review books or create reading content, the As Florida As It Gets review-copy page explains how to request the book. If you cover destinations and local culture, the Florida travel-writer resource explains the subjects and context I can contribute.
Florida has already provided the material
All we have to do is notice it.
I have spent years writing down the moments when ordinary life leans slightly to one side and becomes a story. Many of them appear in As Florida As It Gets. The next one may belong to you.
Tell me when Florida became Florida
A few honest paragraphs are better than a polished pitch. Tell me what happened and why you still remember it.