Fluent in Floridian is a podcast featuring the Sunshine State’s brightest leaders talking about the issues most important to the people of Florida and its more than 100 million yearly visitors. These issues include health care, economic development, environmental protection, transportation, tourism, politics, taxes, education, energy and more.   

Fluent in Floridian is a new podcast featuring the Sunshine State’s brightest leaders talking about the issues most important to the people of Florida and its more than 100 million yearly visitors. These issues include health care, economic development, environmental protection, transportation, tourism, politics, taxes, education, energy and more.   

Latest

Episode 97

Professional Golfer Kamaiu Johnson

When Kamaiu Johnson was spotted swinging a tree branch at golf balls that rolled astray near his grandmother’s house, onlookers could see that the teen was a natural talent. Although the odds were stacked against him, the middle school dropout from a single-parent home had his life changed when City of Tallahassee Golf Course Manager Jan Auger bought him a bucket of golf balls and set him up at the driving range.

With the support of the community, Kamaiu worked tirelessly for a decade to earn a spot on the PGA tour. Now, he is one of the few black golfers at the professional level and he’s committed to giving back and making golf look “more like America.”

In this inspiring conversation with SalterMitchell PR Founder and CEO April Salter, Johnson shares stories from the fairway and explains why his journey in golf is so unique.

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Episode 87
Fair Food Program Founder Greg Asbed
Advocacy

In this episode of Fluent in Floridian, agricultural and human rights activist Greg Asbed joins SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway to discuss his revolutionary journey in combatting human trafficking and slavery in one of Florida’s biggest farmworker communities. Tune in as he details his two-decade-long fight to make Florida the nation’s leader in farmworker conditions.

Episode 86
Labor and Employment Lawyer and Florida Chamber of Commerce Past Chair Charles Caulkins
Law

In this episode, SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway is joined by Florida Trend 500 Most Influential Leader and 2019-2021 Chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Charles “Charley” Caulkins. They discuss his childhood, his transition to Florida, his work as a nationally-recognized labor and employment lawyer, and the Sunshine State’s business boom amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Episode 85
Orlando City Soccer Club Founder Kay Rawlins
Sports

In this episode of Fluent in Floridian, Orlando City Soccer Club Founder Kay Rawlins joins SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway to discuss her remarkable journey to becoming a prominent female figure in the male-dominated sports world of soccer. From banking in the U.K. to owning two preschools to founding a soccer club in the U.S., Kay is a natural-born changemaker and leader. Tune in as she discusses the most exciting moments of her career and how the club became a beloved part of Orlando’s culture and community.

Episode 84
Award-Winning Economist & UCF Institute for Economic Forecasting Director Dr. Sean Snaith
Economics

In this episode of Fluent in Floridian, Sean Snaith, PhD joins Heidi Otway in a conversation that travels the globe. From America’s Rust Belt to Cairo, Egypt, to Kingston, Jamaica and other stops in between, Dr. Snaith studied economies and taught across the U.S. and in foreign countries before calling the University of Central Florida home. Tune in as he takes us through his journey from humble beginnings in Pennsylvania to becoming an award-winning economist.

Episode 83
Florida Municipal Power Agency General Manager & CEO Jacob Williams
Environment

In this episode, SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway discusses all things energy with Florida Municipal Power Agency General Manager and CEO Jacob Williams, who leads FMPA’s efforts in advancing and improving the utilities industry. His agency serves more than 2 million residents and 10 percent of Florida’s power. In a state dubbed the Sunshine State, that is no small undertaking.

In fact, Floridians use twice as much electricity as people in California and New York thanks to the heat and humidity. To make power more affordable, Williams is working to provide clean, low-cost solutions, such as solar power, and reduce FMPA’s CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2027.

Tune in to learn more about the energy we enjoy everyday to power our lives and how agencies such as FMPA are utilizing new sources to create an energy efficient future for Florida.

Episode 82
Florida Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell
Economics

SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway speaks with Florida Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell, a sixth-generation Floridian. During their conversation, he explains how his faith, family, and overseas military experience prepared him to serve as the state’s Florida Secretary of Commerce.

Episode 81
Florida State Medical Association President Dr. Cheryl Holder
Health

SalterMitchell PR President Heidi Otway and Dr. Cheryl Holder discuss her family’s journey from Jamaica to the U.S., her experience as a black female medical student and now physician, and her current roles at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the Florida Clinicians for Climate Action and the Florida State Medical Association.

Episode 80
Lieutenant Governor Nuñez
Politics

Jeanette Nuñez is not only the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Florida, she’s also the state’s first female Cuban-American to hold the title, a mother of three, and a daughter of immigrants. She describes the start of her career in politics as somewhat of a fluke, but nonetheless has had quite a successful run, having previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives and Speaker Pro Tem.

In our 80th episode, SalterMitchell PR CEO April Salter and Lieutenant Governor Nuñez discuss her South Florida upbringing, her education at Florida International University, and life outside of the office. Nuñez’s love for the Sunshine State and its people display what it truly means to be fluent in Floridian.

Episode 79
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida President & CEO Dave Krepcho
Advocacy

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida President and CEO Dave Krepcho wasn’t always in the food banking business. The native Canadian was formerly in advertising before moving to South Florida. Krepcho got involved as a volunteer at a local food bank in Miami and found his calling.

His previous work for Feed America led him to his position with Second Harvest, where thousands of Central Floridians have been fed and employed thanks to his leadership.