Saving Florida

In Saving Florida, Leslie Kemp Poole casts new light on the women at the forefront of Florida’s environmental movement. From creating parks to protesting air pollution, fighting dredge-and-fill operations, and exposing the health dangers of pesticides, these women caused unprecedented changes in how the Sunshine State values its many and marvelous natural resources. At the beginning of the twentieth century women didn’t have the vote, but by the end of the century they were founding issue-specific groups, like Friends of the Everglades, and running state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They set the foundation for the next century’s environmental agenda, which came to include the idea of sustainable development, which meshes ecology and economy to enhance energy efficiency and the function of natural systems. This is an indispensable history that not only underscores the importance of women in the environmental movement but also shows how as a collective force they forever altered how others saw women’s roles in society.

In Saving South Beach, historic preservation clashes with development as each side vies for control of South Beach. A spectrum of characters are present, from Barbara Baer Capitman, the ailing middle-aged widow who became an evangelist for the Miami Beach Art Deco district, to Abe Resnick, the millionaire Holocaust survivor determined to stop her. From pioneers to volunteers, from Jewish retirees to Cuban exiles, from residents and business owners to developers and city leaders, each adds another piece to the puzzle, another view of the intense conflict that ensued. Although a number of the area's iconic buildings were demolished, the Miami Design Preservation League succeeded in entering almost half of the neighborhood into the National Register of Historic Places, kicking off a revitalization effort that spread throughout South Beach. Preservationist M. Barron Stofik lived in Miami during this turmoil-ridden period and, through hundreds of interviews and extensive investigation, weaves together dramatic themes of civic heroism, preservation, and cultural change in the passionate human story behind the pastel facades and neon lights.

The field of sustainability continues to evolve as a discipline. The world is facing multiple sustainability challenges such as climate change, water depletion, ecosystem loss, and environmental racism. The Handbook of Sustainability will provide a comprehensive reference for the field that examines in depth the major themes within what are known as the three E’s of sustainability: environment, equity, and economics. These three themes will serve as the main organizing body of the work. In addition, the work will include sections on history and sustainability, major figures in the development of sustainability as a discipline, and important organizations that contributed or that continue to contribute to sustainability as a field. The work is explicitly global in scope as it considers the very different issues associated with sustainability in the global north and south

In this book, Ashley Lear examines the relationship between two pioneers of American literature who broke the mold for women writers of their time. Pulitzer Prize–winning novelists Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Ellen Glasgow had divergent careers in different locations, Rawlings in backcountry Florida and Glasgow in urban Virginia, yet their correspondence on life and writing reveals one of the great literary friendships of the South. Rawlings felt such admiration for Glasgow that she spent the last year of her life compiling materials for Glasgow’s biography, a work she never completed. Lear draws on the documents Rawlings collected about Glasgow, Rawlings’s personal notes, and letters between the two writers to describe the experiences that brought them together. Lear shows that Rawlings and Glasgow shared a love of nature and social activism, had complex relationships with their parents and siblings, and prioritized their professional lives over romantic attachments. They were both classified as writers of regional works and juvenilia by critics, and Lear traces their discussions about how to respond to the opinions of book reviewers. Both were also forced to confront a new, quickly modernizing America, which at times clashed with their traditional values and naturalistic lifestyles. This is a fascinating portrait of a friendship that sustained two women writers in a time of social upheaval and changing norms in the American South.

Thousands of fascinating facts and figures on all aspects of life in the Sunshine State. This book, a combination atlas, directory, tourist guide, and reference manual, covers everything you want to know about the state of Florida. The current edition has updated statistics on all of the topics found in past annuals, a hurricane survival guide, and everything from basic history to residential requirements to live in the state of Florida. A very good resource for Florida natives as well as those planning to visit the state.

On May 22, 1931, the American National Red Cross issued its second charter for a life preserving organization to the Daytona Beach Red Cross Life Saving Corps. Composed of 30 young men aged 17 to 26 and trained in lifesaving and first aid, this volunteer corps protected 3 miles of beach, compiling daily records of the number of bathers, weather, first aid, and rescues. The neighboring communities of Ormond Beach and New Smyrna Beach maintained their own lifesaving units, and Volusia County monitored the remaining coastline. By 1972, these four corps had united, and the Volusia County Beach Patrol became one of the nation's most highly trained surf lifesaving rescue units. Protecting 47 continuous miles of Atlantic coastline, which holds the dubious honor of the shark bite capital of the world, the Volusia County Beach Patrol welcomes 10 million visitors and performs an average of 3,000 rescues annually.

Discusses the history, physical characteristics, behavior, and habitat of the small deer that have lived for hundreds of years in the Florida Keys, as well as threats to their continued existence.