florida Archives - Public Seminar

Interviews

The Return of the Oppressed

A conversation with Robert Fieseler on American Scare and the recovery of queer history long obscured by state censorship

March 11, 2026 • by Robert W. Fieseler and Katelyn Kimberlin

“I kept wondering why it felt like we were all living in the United States of Florida,” says Robert W. Fieseler. In his new book, American Scare: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives (Penguin Random House, 2025), Fieseler examines the forces shaping the fastest-growing state in the ...

Past Present

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Past Present Podcast, Episode 368

March 28, 2023 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the politics and political future of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis....

Past Present

The History of Advanced Placement

Past Present Podcast, Episode 361

February 7, 2023 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the history of the Advanced Placement program. ...

Migration

Migrants Need Safety, Not Stunts

There are two big stories behind DeSantis chartering planes to move migrants from state to state

September 20, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

DeSantis apparently dispatched the migrants with a videographer to take images of them arriving, entirely unexpectedly, on the upscale island, presumably in an attempt to present the image that Democratic areas can’t handle immigrants (in fact, more than 12% of the island’s 17,000 full-time residents were born in foreign countries, ...