Local PBS station WEDU-Ch. 3 joined forces with the Florida Humanities Council to produce The Florida Dream, an hour-long documentary that chronicles Florida's explosive growth after WWII. While no over-the-top tree-hugging screed, the program does offer a cautionary tale about the state's runaway development. "What does Florida do? Florida grows," says USF history professor Gary Mormino. The polished program is built in standard historical doc style, with loads of archival footage and talking-head experts, as well as commentary from regular folks who lived through some of Florida's tumultuous times. (Oh, and copious scenes showing waves lap onto beaches.) Did you know that the boom in awareness about Florida was sparked by the many military installations established in the state during WWII? Or that the Kissimmee River was transformed from a winding, 103-mile waterway into a 56-mile ditch in order to facilitate growth? Or that in 1964, Cypress Gardens was named America's most popular tourist spot, along with the Grand Canyon? The Florida Dream is full of good factual tidbits like that. Debuts Thurs., Oct. 18, at 9 p.m., on WEDU-Ch. 3.
This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2007.