A Few of Marilyn Baron’s Favorite Things about Florida

An Interview with Jamie Rich, Editor in Chief, Publisher and Founder of FLAMINGO magazine.

I’m a native Floridian. Born in Miami, I went to college in Gainesville, Florida, lived in Tallahassee for a year, own an oceanfront condo in Palm Coast, Florida, and have relatives in Miami, Ponte Vedra Beach and Sarasota. You might say I’m pretty familiar with the state. But for this blog, I wanted to offer readers a special perspective. So, I interviewed a former colleague and friend, Jamie Rich, Editor in Chief, Publisher and Founder of FLAMINGO, advertised as a magazine for Floridians, By Floridians, nearing its fourth year of publication. In my opinion, you can’t get a person who’s better connected in the Sunshine State. Rich has traveled up, down and across the state, photographing people and places, interviewing influencers, reading books, discovering music, exploring natural habitats, enjoying great food and spreading the word about Florida’s only statewide feature magazine. She knows what’s hot, where to go and what to do in the state.   

More than just the sunshine

MB: What is your favorite thing about Florida?

Stadium Course at TPC

JR: My favorite thing about Florida is that you can really do anything and be anyone you want here. So many fascinating people, whether natives or transplants, are connected to Florida, maybe because of the weather or the vibe in the air. The whole state buzzes with creative energy—music, literature and art. Everyone knows we have some of the best beaches in the world, but there’s something about Florida that attracts people from all over the globe. It has to be more than just the sunshine, a creative energy bubbling up from the aquifer, drawing people here.

I’m really inspired by the state and the culture that people sometimes overlook and the exciting places to visit and things to do. When people think of Florida and places to escape and enjoy themselves, their first thought is Disney in Orlando. That’s why we created the magazine, to highlight unexpected destinations for Floridians, to elevate the positive side and feature the best of the 

Sunshine State.   

Miami is exploding with culture, the art scene—the PAMM (Pérez Art Museum Miami), Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. It has changed so much in the last generation. It’s a different place than I lived in the early ‘90s. It used to be a breeze to drive across Miami in a convertible with the top down. Now it’s bumper to bumper traffic and you’re stopped on the causeways, looking at boats and cruise ships.

St. Augustine Art Scene

The Miami Design District has developed in the past decade and has become a destination for architecture, public art installations, high-end stores and restaurants. You can really dive into something deeper than just going to the beach to feel the Miami vibe. Some of the galleries carry the most expensive art in the world; some places you can buy street art that’s more affordable. Miami will be the next big global art destination. New talent is being discovered all the time.

MB: What is the biggest surprise about Florida?

JR: The population has nearly doubled in the last 15 or 20 years to approximately 20 million people. People who are transplants to the state don’t realize how rooted people really are here.  We’re all Floridians with a deep passion for the state, but the lifestyle, attitude and culture is different in every corner of Florida. Some families have been here for generations, steeped in history and culture and love of the environment.

For example, in the 1800s a settlement for Jewish refugees was established near Micanopy with a whole hidden history that people don’t expect to find in this small town. There are stories like this throughout the state, places with so much personality, so far off the beaten path that are worth taking a day trip to those towns with names that are hard to pronounce.

I’m partial to Northeast Florida. One of my favorite areas that’s underappreciated and undiscovered is Amelia Island. Fernandina Beach is a cool, quaint, beautiful small beach town on the harbor that has a European feel. You can completely immerse yourself in natural habitat, riding bike paths, driving or walking on the beach at a slower pace, with a natural beauty that would surprise most people.

Dining: Southbeach Grill special

There are ecosystems in the interior of the state—The Everglades and natural preserves throughout Florida where you can go kayaking on rivers (The Guana Nature Preserve), go on airboat rides, hiking and biking trails and fishing. There are lots of amazing landscape vistas (The Ten Thousand Islands, a chain of islands and mangrove islets off the coast of southwest Florida) to experience. People miss a lot of adventure when they are too easily directed to resorts on a beach.

Another underappreciated and unexpected area of the state is Port St. Joe and Apalachicola in the bend of the Panhandle—along what is sometimes referred to as the Forgotten Coast. There’s a seafood shack culture, a lot of quaint towns with a rich history that feel like you’re going back in time. Old seafood ports and an oyster culture, longstanding families who have been harvesting oysters, red fish and scallops for generations, offering fresh off-the-boat seafood that’s hard to find anymore, even in Florida.

Beach Pier at Sunrise (St. Augustine Beach)

Not everybody in Florida has pink flamingos in their yard. A lot of history is made here, amazing stories unfolding in one of the most special places in the United States. You can subscribe to FLAMINGO magazine www.flamingomag.com/subscribe even if you don’t live in Florida, if you’re interested in finding out what’s happening here and want to jump into something unexpected. Follow FLAMINGO on Facebook and Instagram @theflamingomag.

Photos Supplied by FloridasHistoricCoast.com 

  

Author Bio:

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, and Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel, Stumble Stones, and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel, The Alibi. Her new book, The Saffron Conspiracy: A Novel, is her 24^th work of fiction. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, she is co-chair of the Roswell Reads Steering Committee that promotes the value of reading, literacy and lifelong learning through the shared community-wide experience of reading and discussing a common book. She also serves on the Atlanta Authors Series Steering Committee, which gives prominent Atlanta area authors the opportunity to share what they’ve written. She is a member of Atlanta Writers Club, Georgia Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America. 

The Saffron Conspiracy: Blurb 

Botanist Andreas Bauer, passionate about saffron, plans to reintroduce organic farming of the world's most expensive spice to a region of Austria now known for its wine. Meeting resistance from vintners, he does research in a local abbey and discovers an explosive secret regarding a king's ransom gone astray hundreds of years before. Heiress Savannah Sutherland is on her way to learn the wine business from her uncle, who owns one of the largest vineyards in the area. She has no idea she is expected to marry the heir of a neighboring estate to expand her uncle's empire.

Sparks fly when Andreas sets eyes on Savannah, and he knows they're destined to be together. But their growing attraction is threatened by her uncle—and by whoever orders a deadly attack on Andreas. Dark family secrets and a dangerous, centuries-old conspiracy cast deathly shadows over the love Andreas and Savannah share.

BUY LINK:
The Saffron Conspiracy: A Novel Amazon eBook and Paperback

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