Craig Pittman has authored seven books about Florida, including Oh Florida How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country (2016), Cat Tale The Wild Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther (2020) and his most recent work Welcome to Florida True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State (2025). He will speak at a Meet the Author event on Thursday October 8 2026 at 2 p.m. in the Southwest Branch Library. Registration is available at ocls.org or by calling 407‑835‑7323. In 2020 he was named a Florida Literary Legend at the Florida Heritage Book Festival.
Pittman notes that a common misconception about the state is that it consists only of theme parks and beaches, pointing to the award‑winning state park system that includes Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, where a government job title includes mermaid. He cites his father’s corny jokes and humor columnist Dave Barry as comedic influences, and acknowledges author John D. MacDonald as a personal literary inspiration. His ongoing writing goal is to complete his next book, and he hopes readers of Welcome to Florida will recognize the state’s unique appeal and why many work to protect it.
Press release issued by Orange County Library System:
https://ocls.org/ocls-blog/qa-with-author-craig-pittman/
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