In today’s volatile political climate, it can be hard to “cut through the noise,” as Dr. Bob McClure puts it. But Dr. McClure, as the CEO and President of the James Madison Institute, one of the oldest non-partisan think tanks in the country, makes it his (nonprofit) business to cut through the noise. The James Madison Institute focuses on “policy that advances opportunity and economic prosperity for all Floridians,” working with organizations such as the Republic Party, or the ACLU on issues such as criminal justice reform.

Dr. McClure is fluent in Floridian. He believes Florida is emblematic of the American Dream, saying “To me, what gets lost in all the weird Florida stuff, which is hilarious, I agree […] is that Florida is the prototypical example of the American Dream. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female, it doesn’t matter where you come from, and it’s not something somebody designed.”

Dr. McClure’s interest in politics and public policy began at an early age, in a household that he described not as being “overtly political,” but as engaged. “Both my parents were college educated class America, in the ‘60s and ‘70s […] they were informed. SO, I remember the first landing on the moon with that old black television set. I remember Richard Nixon resigning on television.”

Described as “today’s seminal civil rights lawyer” by Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan, Ben Crump has represented some of the most high profile civil rights and discrimination cases of the 21st century, including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Martin Lee Anderson, and the currently unfolding Chris Jones case.

Crump is fluent in Floridian. After graduating high school in Fort Lauderdale, he attended undergraduate and law school at Florida State University, and he feels his love for the state divided between those two places. “I think Tallahassee’s an incredible place to raise my family. Great educational institutions, as well as there’s not too much traffic. And there’s all four seasons, but we get three.”

When asked about what drove his career choice, Crump reminisces about a childhood desire to emulate the historic lawyer and Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall. After being told by his mother and school teachers that the reason why he had the opportunity to go to a new school with new books and technologies was because of the work of Marshall, Crump “made the decision right then that I wanted to be like Thurgood Marshall so that I could make it better for my community and people who look like to have a chance at the American dream […] That’s what motivates me, that’s what drives me and I clearly know that my focus is every day I wake up in the morning.”

For some college students, a hospitality job is nothing more than a necessity to pay for school. For Carol Dover, it was more than that; it was a stepping stone that led to her becoming the President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, a position she has held since 1995. Dover represents over the interests of over 10,000 members of the Florida hospitality industry in front of the state legislature.

Dover is fluent in Floridian. When asked about her favorite part of Florida, she responded by admitting that it’s difficult for her to choose, and that she’s reminded of the beauty of our state whenever she meets her counterparts. “There’s so many amazing places here. I feel so fortunate when I go to my national conferences, and I sit with my 49 other colleagues, and reminded about how blessed we are in Florida to have over 800 miles of beaches.”

Unconventionally, Dover commutes to work from a home that is likely quite different from those of her colleagues: the family farm that her father-in-law bought in 1942. “It’s an old tobacco farm […] I fell in love with that particular lifestyle, and my passion are my horses. I love the horses, and I jokingly say, ‘We’re a little bit like the Clampetts.’”

Dominic Calabro has been with TaxWatch, a non-profit non-partisan research institute, so long that he sometimes jokes “There’s no life before or after TaxWatch.” While he hasn’t yet discovered what comes after, there was a before, during which time Calabro worked in a Catholic Seminary. It was here that he asked himself who he wanted to be, a question that led him on the path of citizen advocacy.

Calabro is fluent in Floridian. He remembers the football seasons when the Miami Dolphins were an unstoppable force, truly earning their fight song’s boast as ‘the greatest football team.’ Says Calabro, “I was there in the 1971, ’72 back-to-back [Super Bowls]. One was a totally undefeated season. But back-to-back Super Bowls, that’s just incredible. I was a young man at the time, ringing the bells at seminary when that occurred.”

When asked what his favorite place in Florida was to visit, Calabro gave an answer that’s common amongst Fluent in Floridian’s guests: it’s too hard to pick just one. “We have so much to be blessed to live here for,” said Calabro.

At the end of each episode of Fluent in Floridian, we ask our guests four questions, including “What in Florida deserves more attention?” This episode presents the answers given by our first ten guests, with three particularly notable answers given below.

Eric Draper: “I think that the Florida springs deserve more attention. They are something that is rare and unique as the Grand Canyon. You would never allow to have happened to the Grand Canyon what we’re allowing to have happened to Florida springs. People need to recognize these vast, wonderful waterways are something that are really worth protecting and really something to enjoy.

Andrew Gillum: “I tell you, the Everglades are obviously getting a lot of attention. I remember as a student in elementary school taking a field trip to the Everglades, which is such an important asset in our state, but we’ve got so many important resilient places environmentally and ecologically that we could really be quite the environmental tourist destination in this country, a lot of important beautiful assets that we’ve got to maintain and protect.”

Peter Schorsch: “Probably the Space Center, probably Cape Canaveral, and that whole industry right now, which seems to have made a great rebound since the end of the space shuttle program. […] the space coast seems to be back and we probably could write and tell that story to a national level a little better.”

Over the course of his career as FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate oversaw more than 500 presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies, including Florida’s first back-to-back major hurricanes since the 1950s. Coming from a long background in emergency management, after updating Alachua County’s disaster plan in February 1987 shortly after being promoted to Lieutenant in Fire Rescue, Fugate’s focus during his tenure as FEMA Administrator was preparedness.

Fugate is fluent in Floridian. He appreciates the untouched natural beauty of Florida’s crystal-clears waters. “That old Florida, to me, is what makes this place so great […] I’m a North Florida kid. I tell people Florida’s the only state I know that turns more Southern the further north you go. But that’s my Florida.”

During his time with FEMA, Fugate developed something he calls a Waffle House Index to determine areas that should be prioritized following a disaster. “I kind of noticed Waffle Houses were always either the first thing to open after a disaster or didn’t even close […] so the Waffle house Index is if they’re opening a full menu, it’s green. If they’re opening on a limited menu, it’s yellow. And if they’re closed, it’s red."

Miami Herald Capital Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas is a celebrated journalist within the sunshine state. She notes that her interest in journalism was sparked at a young age. “I got into journalism because, as a little kid, I was really interested in writing. […] Florida as a state was growing fast and every newcomer who was engaged didn’t think twice about subscribing to a newspaper. So it was a really exciting time to be a journalist.”

Klas is fluent in Floridian. When asked of her favorite Florida sports team, she responds, “I really have to say I am a big time FSU baseball fan. […] I love football, I love the thrill of hockey and all that, but I am a die hard baseball fan. So, FSU baseball.”

Unknown to many, Klas consistently covers Florida governors and their respective campaigns. In her interview, she describes her experiences with several former state governors, including Lawton Chiles, Charlie Crist, and Jeb Bush, as well as her experiences with Rick Scott — the current Governor of Florida.“

He [Lawton Chiles] was a cagey politician, he knew how to evade like the best of them, but the one thing was his staff was not afraid of the press and they were allowed to get into the weeds with us. […] Jeb Bush came in with an automatic distrust of the media. […] Charlie Crist was painfully careful and cautious. […] When it comes to Rick Scott, I think that we have reached a new era. I think he has been the least transparent, the most managed and the least accessible of any administration in my 30 years of being up here.”

Martha Barnett is one of the Sunshine State’s most influential lawyers. A graduate of both Tulane University and the University of Florida, Barnett was a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission in 1997 through 1998 and previously served as President of the American Bar Association from 2000 to 2001. Currently, Barnett is a retired senior partner at the Holland & Knight Law firm.

Barnett is fluent in Floridian. When asked of her favorite Florida person, place, or thing that deserves more recognition, she insists that the state’s agricultural industry is currently undervalued. “When I was a young girl in central Florida, it was the Citrus Belt. Agriculture defined the state of Florida. […] And today I think that because of growth, because of environmental issues, because of things like citrus greening, because the value of land is getting so high, because of environment concerns about water, about pollution, all of these things. Florida is moving away from agricultural base.”

Unknown to many, Barnett is the first female attorney hired by Holland and Knight. In her interview, Barnett is adamant on using her profession to uplift society. “I want to live up to that standard, of being a lawyer who helps people. […] We have a constitutional obligation to the citizens.”

Since this episode of Fluent in Floridian was recorded, Jerry Demings was elected mayor of Orange County, FL.Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings is dedicated to serving and protecting his Florida community. A former Chief of the Orlando Police Department and Director of Public Safety for Orange County, Demings’s interest in law enforcement was sparked from his childhood experiences watching television shows such as Hawaii Five-0 and Mannix. After joining the Orlando Police Department in 1981, Demings moved up the leadership ranks to become the department’s first African-American chief in 1998.

In 2008, Demings became the department’s first African-American sheriff.Demings is fluent in Floridian. When asked of his favorite Florida person, place, or thing that deserves more attention, he insists that the answer is immigration reform. “We have lawful immigrants here that are working in our agricultural businesses and then of course we have undocumented persons who are also contributing to our economy, and I believe that we have got to do a better job as a nation of people and as Floridians, to address immigration reform.”

With more than 60% of the vote, Demings won the Orange County mayoral race in August of 2018. When previously asked about the mayor race, Demings indicated his strong interest in running for mayor, as well as the overwhelming amount of support he had garnered thus far. “It’s a humbling experience just to see the kind of outpouring of interest and support for me to pursue that endeavor. So I’m being prayerful about that and the main concern that my family supports it, making certain that my historic donor base support it and that the people support it.”