[country music]
[Peter] Good morning guys.
Today we have
quite an epic road trip ahead of us.
Got some great intel from
the locals here last night that said
Peter if you want to go into
the most remote area of…
arguably the most remote area of Florida,
go on these roads and get into
this part of the state.
So that’s what we’re doing today.
Going to the part of the state
that’s basically the opposite of Miami.
And the goal like always
is to get in with the locals
to get a better understanding
of what their world is like.
Let’s do this.
[country music]
Look at this guys. A hill.
This is a surprise.
The first hill I’ve seen this whole trip
from South Florida up to here.
Feels more like the Northeast
for a second with palm trees.
This is cool. Look at this.
Sort of old world feeling.
Old Florida town.
This is cool.
Spanish moss hanging from the trees.
Alright let’s try to meet some people.
See if there’s anyone around.
[dog barking]
[Peter] Hey buddy.
[woman] My attack dog. [laughs]
-How are you doing?
-Good. How are you?
Good.
-He’s friendly.
Just probably wants to meet ya.
This is a cool little town
you’ve got here.
-It’s quite unique.
It’s over 200 years old.
This town was the very first inland town
that people kind of like hacked
with machetes and dogs
and hogs and horses.
They hacked a trail from
St. Augustine to Micanopy.
It was pretty peaceful.
It was a railroad town.
It was the very first trading post between
the Seminole people and Europeans.
-Good place to raise a kid?
Absolutely. Yes.
You got this.
Peace, quiet, it’s very clean.
-I grew up here and of course growing up
didn’t quite value
the small town atmosphere.
It’s less than a square mile.
-So it’s like a square mile grid.
-Okay.
There’s about 700 residents.
I can look at every house in town
whether they’re newcomers or not
and I just know their face
kind of know their name,
what dog they have.
I pretty much know my neighbors
across the board.
A lot of folks when they enter town
they think they’re on a movie set.
They look around like is this real?
-Right.
-Is everything here actually a business?
Was this really history or just a facade?
And I love to tell them the history
because this is our history.
This is Florida history.
This is the oldest inland town in Florida.
Lots of the buildings are still standing
over 200 years later.
And you can’t find that
anywhere else in the state.
Just imagine settlers
coming from all over Scotland,
Ireland, England.
Some plantation owners
from Georgia coming here
and taking pictures in their
best clothes riding an alligator
through the prairie with their with bison
and Seminole on canoe, you know?
There are people here
even in the 1500s and 1600s.
[Peter] St. Augustine,
oldest city in the country.
Yeah. This was the next stop
after St. Augustine basically.
-I’m sorry, how old is this coffee shop?
I believe 112 years old.
-The building not the coffee shop?
-The building yeah.
Hey I’m going to just cruise around.
-So just cruise around?
-Yeah.
We’ve got like permaculture
banana food forest back there.
We’ve got a little of everything.
-Thank you.
-Yeah, enjoy.
-All right take care.
-My pleasure.
How you doing?
-Good, and you?
-Good.
Okay Mick and Opie because
nobody pronounces it correctly?
That’s a great picture
with a phonetic explanation
that if you’re old enough
to know who those two are…
-Who’s the guy on the right?
-Opie Taylor.
C’mon, Andy Griffith Show. Ron Howard.
-You’re not that old.
-I’m pretty old.
-[laughter]
-Come on, come on.
-She doesn’t look it.
-No.
These look really good you guys.
I’ll take one for the road actually.
A naked brownie.
-Guys, thank you.
-Thank you.
-And feel free to walk around.
-Oh in the back here?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
My husband’s got a nursery back here.
He grows bananas and bamboo
and turmerics and fruit trees.
-Alright.
[Peter] Samson’s a rescue dog?
[woman] Yeah Samson is a rescue. He’s two.
-Available for adoption?
-He’s available for adoption.
I’m posting this video in a couple weeks.
Maybe Samson will be adopted by then.
But if not where do people find you,
find Samson?
So we’re actually called
Kiowas House Husky Rescue.
We’re opening a sanctuary
here in Micanopy actually.
-For husky rescues?
-Only huskies?
-Primarily huskies.
Do you know his story?
He was in the Broward
County Animal Shelter.
He was attacked by a dog
in the shelter
and it caused trauma to his eye
and they had to remove it.
So he has one eye.
-Super well behaved.
-Very well behaved.
-Where are you from?
-My parents are from Colombia.
I was just there two weeks ago.
I flew into Armenia, went hiking.
They were born close by.
-Well Colombia is a great country,
beautiful.
-Thanks, you guys. Take care.
-Good luck.
[Peter] All right.
We’re off to an interesting start.
Didn’t think it would be like this.
This has like almost
Nevada City, California vibes.
And they’re doing bananas
back here I guess.
[water trickling]
[splashes and thuds]
-Great place you got here.
-Thanks a lot.
How are things going?
Pretty good considering
it’s a one man show.
-Is it?
-Back here.
-What is this?
-This is a loquat?
Yeah it’s a loquat.
-What’s a loquat?
AKA Japanese plum.
Fuzzy, sort of sweet, sort of sour.
Let’s see if I can find you
a good ripe one.
-Oh nice.
-I’m making a video, is that cool?
-Oh sure.
You’re from here?
Not originally
but we’ve had the business here
for 18 years now and we love it.
-These are good. I’ve never had this.
-It’s pretty common.
They use them a lot as a landscape plant
because it’s evergreen.
And they’re just super hardy
and don’t need any maintenance really.
-Oh cool.
-This variety is called Christmas.
-Oh nice.
-What’s your name?
-Peter Santenello.
-Joe Pierce.
-I’m doing a series on Florida.
So I’m hitting it from different angles.
-Cool.
-Miami to the Forgotten Coast.
Nice.
It’s cool that you’re covering
the whole state because Florida,
from a national level or even
a world level, Florida’s got a reputation.
I mean Florida man,
that kind of thing. Yeah.
-It’s 23 million people
and a lot of different realities.
Oh yeah.
In the central part of the state…
-If you haven’t gone to the Springs.
-The Springs?
When I went there 30 years ago
my first impression, actually it was
more like yeah 38 years ago.
My first impression was this is
what they were talking about in the Bible
when they said that
the Garden of Eden was on Earth.
It’s been 30 years
of high traffic since then.
So it’s not what it was
but it’s still really beautiful.
I’m gonna check that out.
Even better than that,
way less destroyed by traffic–
-Okay I’m going to leave the name out.
You can float, paddle, snorkel.
It’s crystal clear.
So it’s like floating in an aquarium.
There’s huge gar the size of you.
Fish that look like freaking dinosaurs.
-Totally fresh water?
Absolutely. Yeah, 100%.
-Then I was thinking about
going to Steinhatchee.
-Steinhatchee is a cool river community.
They got really hammered
by the hurricane last year.
-And so it’s–
-They’re rebuilding right now?
-Yeah.
-Okay. That’ll be interesting.
-Yeah. Good luck.
-All right. Thanks man. All the best.
All right.
Got my brownie for later.
Very nice people in this town.
Great first impressions.
And great Intel on the Springs.
We’ll definitely check those out.
But before we leave, just want to stop by
this gorgeous mansion here.
This is beautiful.
-What’s the name of this place?
-The Herlong Mansion.
-It’s a bed and breakfast.
-Okay.
[Peter] What’s the story here?
[woman] This actually was built in 1845.
But it was just a small little farmhouse.
-Consisted of this front room.
-Okay.
This dining room that we have here,
and then the kitchen.
And this is what the
original house looked like.
Then a gentleman, which was one of
the founding fathers of Micanopy
bought this place
with his new bride, 1901, 1902.
And built it to what you see today.
-It’s beautiful.
Yes.
So this is actually the
Herlong family tree.
-Oh, wow.
And some of these people are still alive
and they have actually
come and stayed with us.
-And then–
-The Herlong family tree. Okay.
Battle of Cow Pens?
-Mm-hmm.
So somebody actually has sat here
and actually made it.
-Wow.
-[Peter] Are you from here?
-No I’m from Kentucky.
-Do you like it here compared to Kentucky?
-It’s actually real similar.
So I used to live in Tampa, Orlando,
the big cities.
And then I had kids, decided that
I liked the whole country
going out and play kind of thing.
Actually have a yard to play in
and and stuff like that.
And I wanted my kids to have
that kind of same experience, so…
-At first they didn’t like it
’cause they’re on their technology?
Oh yeah. All the time.
Just because there’s
not much to do out in Orlando.
So you know you’re all on your phone.
You’re PlayStation and Nintendo Switch
and all that kind of stuff.
So they get wrapped up in that.
And then it came out here.
Then they started putting that stuff down
and actually going outside and adventuring
and starting to fish all the time.
Like my son this morning
when I was getting ready for work
about 7:00 this morning
he was like “Can I go start fishing?”.
I was like it’s a little early.
Wait a couple hours.
-These days that’s got to be
a parent’s dream right?
-Yeah.
-The child wanting to go outside
and do something.
-Versus get on the tablet or the phone.
-Yeah exactly.
-That’s cool.
-Exactly.
[birds chirping]
[Peter] Well Micanopy
feels like its own little world.
Once you’re in it
you feel separated from everything.
And then you pop out the other side
and it’s like something far removed.
I love those types of places.
Very, very cool.
Definitely worth checking out.
[country music]
[Peter] All right
let’s check these Springs out.
These beautiful old oaks here
with the Spanish moss.
That comes alive when it rains I believe.
It gets green.
But way more impressive
than I thought it would be
up in this part of the state so far.
Hey guys
is the watering hole over here?
Yes.
Is it pretty sweet?
There’s scuba divers right now.
I’m making a video.
Is it cool if you’re in it?
-Yeah.
-You guys from around here?
-We’re from Georgia.
-Oh right on.
Not that far from here.
I think it’s about a 45 minute drive.
-We’re 45 minutes from the border?
-Yeah.
Oh sweet.
What do you guys think of Florida?
-Love it. Honestly.
We’ve grown up running back and forth.
Yeah back and forth in between.
We always come to Florida
for vacations and stuff like that.
-Different vibe in Florida
than Georgia or no?
-Most definitely.
-How so?
It’s more relaxed and calm.
-Florida’s more chill than Georgia?
Except the driving.
-Except the driving?
Driving’s atrocious right?
-Yeah.
-It’s the worst.
-Yeah.
-It’s so bad.
-It was nice to see you.
-Over here, right?
-Yes.
-All right, later.
Just follow it down.
It’ll cut off on the bridge. Take a right.
So they have this saying in Florida
the more south you go
the more north it gets.
And that’s because when you get down to
West Palm Beach and those areas
a lot of Northeasterners,
New Yorkers, New Jerseyans,
people from Massachusetts
either snowbird down there in the winter
or they’ve moved down there.
You’ll hear a lot more New York accents
in that part of the state.
And then in the northern part of Florida
it’s much more like the old south.
You’ll hear the southern accent
like from those guys.
And it feels slower and just has
a way more Southern charm element to it.
I hope we’re gonna capture
that today on the camera.
23 million people right?
Massive state, many different regions,
many different types of people.
And then when you get
super far south into Miami
a lot of Cubans, a lot of Venezuelans,
a lot of South America,
they call it the capital of Latin America.
And so many Brazilians
go up there on vacation.
Colombians either vacation
or even have a second home, an apartment
in Miami, live in Miami.
Up here you don’t feel that vibe
quite as much. At least I haven’t so far.
And I’m actually quite surprised.
We get a little bit of topography
in this part of Florida which is nice.
Now up North,
here in Florida you can see
the leaves are just starting
to come onto the trees.
It’s early March.
And so in South Florida you don’t have
that effect, it’s tropical climate.
Only two tropical climates
in the United States.
One being Hawaii,
the other, South Florida.
And that’s when you start
getting down pretty far south.
Up here has a bit more of four seasons.
This will be all green
I’m sure in a couple of weeks.
And they even get
snow flurries sometimes.
I think this winter
there were some cold snaps
where they actually had
a little bit of snow on the ground.
That’s cool. Look at this tree.
[birds chirping]
So peaceful in here.
[Peter] So there are caves
down here you guys?
[man] It seems so.
It’s our first time here.
-Right on. Where are you from?
-Germany.
Oh yeah. [Peter speaks German].
-Yeah.
-[German]
-Yeah.
Do you have work? That’s all I know.
-What are you doing in Florida?
-We have two weeks holiday in Florida.
-Good stuff.
-This area is very nice.
It is nice huh?
Oh look at that water.
…cavern there.
-There’s a cavern down there?
-Yeah you see that like hole?
If you come this way.
-Yep. Oh yeah the bubbles coming up.
-Yeah.
-Sweet.
There’s a cavern there
and I think it leads to a cave as well.
A cavern means you can see light,
and a cave is when
you can no longer see light.
Yeah that’s right.
[German man] It’s amazing.
[Peter] What are your thoughts
on Florida so far?
-Ah, it’s great.
It’s quiet. It’s really good for vacation.
So you come totally down.
Sometimes we have some spots alone
or meet only a few people.
It’s not so crowded.
-Yeah.
I recommend Europeans do that
when they come here.
Get out of the big cities.
Go on the back roads.
The cities are cool
but that’s special about America.
-Yeah.
-Get lost on the back roads.
Our dream is make a road trip. It’s great.
[Peter] This water is
probably 10 feet deep.
Perfectly clear.
And I guess there are a lot of these
in this part of the state.
[people chattering]
-How you guys doing?
-Alright, how you doing?
Doing well.
Making a video of Central Florida.
Y’are?
-Yeah it’s cool out here.
Nice quiet country huh?
It is and it gets even quieter
if you keep going. [laughs]
-Okay this direction?
At the ferry there.
-That’s old Florida out there yeah?
And it ain’t sh*t out there
hardly. [laughs]
-Alright can I get
some vegetables over here?
Yes sir.
But yeah, the farther you go,
the quieter it gets, the less people.
That’s why we live here.
-When’s the last time you were in Miami?
-Oh I ain’t going to Miami.
-Been 40 years and I ain’t going back.
-[Peter laughs]
I used to work in Immokalee, Florida,
down near Fort Myers.
-What were you doing there?
I used to run packing houses,
sell produce.
-Okay cool.
I ran two packing houses.
2,400 acres of farms down there.
-Yep.
And then I’d go up to Georgia in May
and run packing houses there until June.
Then I’d go to North Carolina
and run one up there until October.
-What are packing houses? Packing what?
Pack produce.
-Tomatoes, peppers.
-Oh okay, yeah, yeah.
I did about a million packages every month
down in Immokalee area.
-Tough work?
Yeah it’s busy.
I worked 22 hours,
23 hours a day somedays.
-Really?
I’ve come home at 2:00 in the morning.
My wife fixed me something to eat
and I turn around
and leave for two hours
and go back to work.
-Oh wow, rough.
Yeah it’s a business, man.
We got tomatoes
we got in the ground, onions.
-Okay.
-I’ve got plants that I grow.
-Okay nice.
These vegetable plants here.
-Good business?
-Oh yeah, yeah.
I’m retired, it gives me something
to fiddle around with
and make a few extra dollars.
-Alright.
I don’t want to make so much
that I have to pay more tax.
[laughter]
-I’ll do the oranges. Yeah.
-Alright.
What’s the industry up here?
Mostly agriculture?
A lot of agriculture up here.
Hospitality.
There’s a lot of motels and stuff
over in Lake City and Gainesville.
you know the colleges there.
So we got a lot of farming.
-I mean there’s–
-Right.
I mean it’s field after field.
It’s a simple life huh?
Florida’s a simple place up North.
Down South it’s like living in New York.
[laughs]
[birds chirping]
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Now back to the story.
[motorcycles passing]
[Peter] Here we are across the city.
Girl Scout cookies.
Alright girls, you’re selling
Girl Scout cookies, yeah?
What are the best ones?
Peanut Butter!
Samoa!
-I’m with you on that.
[giggling]
-My favorite are these ones.
Those are your favorites?
-[truck honks horn]
-[girls giggle]
[laughter]
You guys are popular out here huh?
So ma’am what were you saying about
Girl Scouts these days out in this area?
We need leaders.
So there’s 25 girls in our troop
and we had to do a waiting list
because we don’t have enough leaders.
And leading, they’ve made it easy.
If you’ve got like the daisies they’ll
send you a box that has all the materials.
It tells you what
the meetings can be about.
It gives you everything.
All you got to do is show up.
-Okay so the girls want to be part of it.
-They just need help?
-Yeah we need leaders.
-People like you.
-Yeah, and Mallory.
Mallory’s a leader?
Yeah she’s my co-leader.
With the Girl Scout money we’re
gonna go to see Lion King off-Broadway.
We’re also going to go
camping at Wild Adventures
and then they want to go to the spa
and get their nails and toes done.
-Oh yeah?
-So we do all of it.
Okay off-Broadway what do you mean?
Like New York?
No we’re going to Tampa.
So they travel.
Last year we’ve seen Frozen 2
and this year we’re seeing Lion King.
-Okay, okay.
-And they get excited for that?
-Yes they love it.
-That’s cool.
-We’ve got more donations. Alright.
[woman] Have fun on your trip.
[girl] Can I try?
-You want to be a camera woman?
-Yeah.
Alright.
[giggling]
When somebody comes by
they’re supposed to say hi.
-My turn.
Can I have a turn?
Save those for me?
Yeah?
How much?
-Six dollars!
Six dollars.
Six dollars?
Let’s do this.
I’m going to give
a little donation to the trip too.
-So keep the change.
-Say thank you.
Okay, so… here.
I had fun with your camera.
Oh that’s all you’ve sold today?
Yes this is today.
-So how’s it going?
-Pretty good.
We’ve had a good day.
-So you’re going to have
your trip you think?
I definitely think we’re gonna have
more than one trip.
We’ve got three girls
that sold 1,500 boxes.
We’re gonna have a spa day.
-They’ve done really good.
-Spa day?
-Yeah.
-Alright.
Thank you. Good luck with everything.
Thank you.
-Bye.
-Bye-bye.
Okay we have 24 minutes
out to Steinhatchee.
I’m collecting a lot of food here.
So I’m going to go for this brownie
from this morning.
It seems like a long time ago.
The camera’s been off
most of the day guys.
Just because it’s just
endless roads like this.
This is actually getting a bit more swampy
as we get closer to the coast.
Okay so we have the brownie.
Mmm.
They know what they’re doing.
Perfect density.
Rich chocolate. Not too sweet.
They didn’t cut corners.
Mmm.
And then…
The Girl Scout cookies.
I can’t eat all of this but
gotta eat a little.
For anyone growing up in the States
this brings back the memories.
Once a year
it was Girl Scout cookie time.
The peanut butter ones were my favorite.
Tastes exactly the same as 1985.
Same exact flavor.
[country music]
[Peter] How you doing sir?
Is this hurricane cleanup?
-Pretty much.
-The hurricane hit here pretty hard?
Yeah.
-Really bad?
A while back ago.
I mean it’s all getting cleaned up.
Where should I go?
The town is down here?
All that’s f*cked,
just keep driving down the road.
You’ll be alright.
You’ll enjoy it.
[machine revs]
I don’t know if that audio
came through guys but…
He said this is all messed up down here.
Big cleanup.
Okay I’m guessing some of these people
probably lost their homes
and live in RVs now I’m guessing.
Let’s try to talk to these guys here.
What’s up, man?
Record him saying it.
You guys live out here?
Yes sir. We both do.
You live out here?
You don’t live out here?
We both live down here.
-You’re from where?
-South Georgia.
South Georgia. What’s cooler,
North Florida or South Georgia?
-Be honest.
-Definitely Florida.
-Definitely Florida.
-Florida.
-Florida.
That’s what everyone’s been saying.
Florida because you really have
a lot more to do, to go swim.
Okay.
“Jesus Christ 2024”. Nice. Did he win?
-He won?
-He always wins.
That sh*t right here at my house
it got to the second blocks
from right there almost at
the bottom of the house.
-This is your place?
That was two blocks away.
-Can we walk over? Is that cool?
-We can.
Alright so it came in…
My neighbor had a house
right there where that camper was.
-Oh okay.
-It destroyed that whole entire piece.
His house went underwater.
That shed and everything.
-So did you sit it out?
-No we went to Gainesville.
-You went to Gainesville?
So what’s that like when
a hurricane comes you’re just like,
“Alright time to pack up.”?
-My mom and them left, the four of us.
We wadn’t gonna leave
but it got to like right here.
That’s how far it was.
Yeah. Okay so this is a new house?
Yes sir.
We’ve built it like
four years ago probably.
-Okay so it withstood the hurricane?
-Mm-hmm.
-Every bit of it. Nothing got messed up.
-You get a lot of hurricanes?
-Oh yeah. They’re everywhere.
-You just get used to it?
We just stay through them usually.
-Is your buddy rallying in this car?
-Just sold it to him.
-How much?
-200 bucks.
That’s a deal man.
You gonna tune it up?
Wherever the wind takes it.
-Needs a little work?
I think it’s perfect.
-That’s what I’m saying.
-[laughter]
-Does it still go?
-Hell yeah.
[coughs]
I had to wiggle them terminals.
[laughter]
Them battery terminals is bad.
[ignition whines and quits]
Hold on.
That motherf***er just shocked me.
-Wiggle… it’s on.
[ignition whines]
[engine starts and revs]
He don’t know how
to wiggle the damn terminal.
[engine revs loudly]
That’s a cherry pop exhaust?
Cut off resonators and everything.
Everything’s been cut off.
-Alright so you’re young guys
like what? Young twenties something?
Dude I’m 15.
[laughs]
Fifteen?
Yes sir.
Seventeen.
Seventeen?
You guys grow up quick out here.
You guys go to high school?
Yes I do. Yes sir.
-I dropped out.
-You dropped out?
-[kid laughs]
Chasing that money.
Chasing the money. What are you doing?
I was crabbing,
I ain’t got a job right now.
-How’s crabbing out here right now?
That sh*t’s the funnest thing I’ve done.
-Really?
-It was so fun.
Just going out with the cages and…
It was awesome.
It was hard though.
It was fun. I done that
for like a year and a half.
It was good money too.
Yeah you can see the damage here
on some of these buildings.
Waterfronts.
Brand new homes.
Homes like this.
Up high.
Destroyed.
[man] There used to be
a bait store right there.
Oh right there?
There was a bar and a restaurant.
Hell, that Roy’s restaurant
been here since like 1959.
You can’t even tell it was even there.
-Just leveled?
Hell, that little bar has been here
since I was a teenager.
It’s gone.
I mean everybody had to
rebuild, rebuild, rebuild.
That was Helene right?
Sh*t, we had what?
Three within 30 days.
-Three?
-I think it was three.
I don’t remember, man.
Hell, we from Florida.
We just deal with it.
-It’s all a blur after a point I’m sure.
-Yeah exactly.
[waves gently splashing]
[Peter] Nice sea breeze
looking out at the Gulf.
Smells like fish and seaweed.
It’s a totally different feel
than where we were today.
You can see this hotel over here.
It was blasted pretty hard
and they’ve redone a lot.
[chattering]
It’s a cool little zone.
I was talking to some locals.
They didn’t want to talk on camera.
But one guy said something
I’ve never heard before.
He’s like,
“Don’t get insurance for your home
because FEMA will cover you
if you don’t have insurance.
And if you have insurance
it’s way more of a struggle.”
So he said FEMA actually did a good job.
In Lahaina I heard an opposite story
with FEMA for the most part.
Just want to call a spade a spade.
He said great experience.
They did everything
they said they were going to do.
Of course if you have a mortgage
you have to have insurance.
But that was interesting.
Did you do all the work on this?
This is a one owner ’79.
And I restored it about 12 years ago.
But I ordered it as such back in ’79.
I kept it all this time, man.
It’s just part of me.
Wow. What did you buy it for back in ’79?
$5,700.
-And what’s it worth now?
-I don’t have a clue.
I wouldn’t sell it, man.
If it didn’t leak oil I’d sleep with it.
-You’d sleep with it?
-[laughter]
I say but she does leak a little oil, man.
But this is ’79 really?
Yeah.
-But you did some aftermarket stuff on it.
Of course, yeah.
Are you from out here?
I’m originally from Northeast Alabama.
If you go on down along Riverside Drive
to the old River Haven,
that’s where they’ve got the boat lift
and up on the hill and some motel rooms.
Okay.
And they let us stay there through Helene.
I got to witness it
first-hand, that coming through.
You stayed here for Helene?
It’s a Cat 5.
-What’s it like living through that?
You just like get on your hands and knees
towards the ground or what?
I did brother. I did.
I’ve always been a little bit religious
but I got a whole lot after that.
-Everyone’s religious
when the plane’s going down right?
Amen to that.
And I stood outside
many times during the night
when I could get the door open
to that hotel.
And I prayed for safety
of us and our place.
And about just before daylight
a buddy of mine came by
in his truck and picked me up.
And I was eager to get back over
and see what damage I had received.
And there was places all down
around us, timber down.
We couldn’t get near my house.
I had to…
I didn’t know when we got there.
I had to get my bearings.
And I looked up at my place
and I had lost about
six or eight shingles.
And I lost the screen on my porch.
And the ceiling fan was missing a blade.
-That’s what you want.
I was so proud and happy that…
It was very devastating but…
I am much closer than I was
walking with my Lord.
-Do these hurricanes ever knock you down?
Like, “You know what? I’ve had this.
I’m moving out of hurricane country.”?
No.
-The people are resilient?
Oh yeah. I think it’ll come back.
But as you can see
it’s just not like it was.
-I’ve never been here though. First time.
Oh. It’s just been totally…
Well it’s not… I mean a Cat 5 is…
I got hearing stuff rattling.
I wondered what it was during the night.
And it was the tin roofs coming off.
These roofs and stuff along the river.
-Yeah, yeah.
There were houses…
There was a house right here
that got blown off it.
It had offices in it.
And right there at the point
of that corner right there, that concrete,
is where the corner of the restaurant was.
It was a wonderful view.
Used to come to Roy’s and eat.
Everybody had come from all around
to eat here and see the sunsets.
-Okay.
I’m gonna go up to Keaton Beach.
You’ve been up there?
I have. It’s very…
They’ve improved it a lot but it’s still…
When it just happened
it was extremely sad to see.
-Crazy surge coming in 20 feet high.
But you know what man?
It makes you think.
I have kinfolks that live
up around Northwest Alabama.
And I’ve been watching their weather too.
And there’s a major storm right now
that’s heading up there.
-And then you think you can
get away from it in North Carolina
and then it hits North Carolina right?
It’s not like you can totally plan it out.
Man that was so devastating.
And those people, bless their hearts.
-Yeah.
This is a different feel out here though.
This part of Florida.
This feels remote. Like you’re in
your own little world out here.
It is. It’s just a bubble.
-It’s a bubble.
Time slows down.
Well we’re 30 miles from anywhere.
And Al Capone,
he kind of had the right idea.
You know he used to hang out
down there at Cross City.
-Oh yeah?
-The gangster, Al Capone.
He was here?
Well he…
His official hangout was in Cross City.
Cross City’s like 25 miles.
-I just came through, yeah.
-Okay.
-I got some Girl Scout cookies.
-Right there in that big old hotel.
-That was Al Capone?
Well it’s a hotel and all
but he had a room in it.
And you ought to go in there sometime.
They got the old-style elevator that
goes up and they have excellent dinners.
Their steak dinners,
but that’s where he used to hang out.
See you guys.
-Thank you. Yes sir.
-All the best.
[Peter] That’s such a cool old home.
Look at that.
I don’t know if you can see it
with the camera but it’s a log home.
Partially a log home.
It’s really interesting out here.
You know?
There’s a El Camino.
The old cars,
the slow feel,
the sound of the wind in the palms.
Steinhatchee.
I never knew about this place.
Okay, “Located at the mouth
of the Steinhatchee River
Deadman Bay was on Spanish
maps by the early 1500s.”
Du, du, du…
Second Seminole War,
The General, Zachary Taylor
was sent to put down the Seminoles
during the Second Seminole War.
Fort set up here.
The name Steinhatchee was derived
from the Native American “Steinhatchee”
meaning river, “hatchee”, of man, “stein”.
Prehistoric man dating from 12,000 BC.
Pirates from the 15th
through 18th centuries.
Loggers in the 1800s.
Sponge divers in the 1940s and ’50s.
And commercial fishermen,
shrimpers, and crabbers today.
What a history.
Yeah, I am remarkably naive
with Florida history.
I mean I knew it was
the Spanish settlement at first
but St. Augustine, the oldest city
in America where I started this morning.
Steinhatchee,
and the Spanish just making their mark
and coming for the riches and the goods
and the battles with the Natives.
and then the Americans coming down
and the battles with the Natives.
I gotta say the more…
I say this a lot
but the more I travel the country
the more I realize
I don’t know the country.
Because I’m constantly coming into
places like Steinhatchee.
Where until you go
you can’t really get a feel or know.
And the second best is watching a video
and getting it through the lens.
But it’s just…
it’s almost endless at this point.
From St. Lawrence Island up in Alaska
to here.
Different countries in many ways.
I mean all bound together
through a common language and a flag
and a lot of cultural similarities
but also very, very much different.
Being in a place like here.
And just even other parts of Florida
feel totally different.
It’s cool. I love this stuff.
-[Peter] Fresh today?
-[man] Yeah.
-You get them off the beach over here?
-Yeah.
And you got shrimp here too?
Yep, fresh..
Fresh off of his boat.
[Peter] That’s awesome.
What’s it like living here?
Pretty laid back.
-Old South would you say?
-Oh yeah.
-This is like the real deal.
-Yeah it’s the real deal.
Have you been inside our shop?
-No.
-You need to check it out.
-Check that out?
And we got bait, tackle,
and seafood in there.
Alright I’ll check it out.
-What’s up?
-How you guys doing?
Wilbert told me to show off the shop.
His seafood’s good right?
Yeah, get the seafood
that’s in that cabinet.
That’s one of the main things.
-Are you Willie Bob’s manager?
-No I’m a website developer.
Oh you’re his web developer.
You got a website? Okay.
They’re real alligator heads.
-Okay.
-He’s got them for sale. $10 or $15.
Oh yeah, $25 down here.
Locals catching these? Like around here?
-No that was a professional.
Locals aren’t allowed to do it.
You have to have a license.
-You gotta have a license? Okay.
-You diggin’ it?
-I’m diggin’ it.
So Willie Bob, you’re sending your fish…
If someone orders your fish online
will you send it to them?
-If they pay enough.
-[chuckling]
If they pay enough.
But it’s hard with the ice
and everything huh?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, okay.
So they gotta come here.
[Matt] This is the real old Florida.
We’re just kind of a small town.
We’re a Podunk bait shop man.
Like to keep it that way.
-Are you Willie Bob’s son?
No man.
I’m just… I’m Captain Matt.
I have Lazy Island charters.
Oh nice. I’ll promote that.
I just… Me and him are partners.
He’s got the shrimp boats
and I know everybody in town so…
Okay so you do charters?
Someone wants to come here and go fishing.
They get in touch with you?
Yeah inshore flats fishing,
trout, redfish, stuff like that.
He’s gonna take you next door
and introduce you to the world-famous
homemade ice cream store,
Steinhatchee Scoops.
-World-famous?
-World-famous.
I started… Well I did a brownie today.
I did a whole thing of Girl Scout cookies
and now I’ll finish up
with some ice cream.
Wait till you taste this,
best ice cream you’ll ever have.
-Are you serious?
-Absolutely.
Better than Ben & Jerry’s?
100 times better than Ben & Jerry’s.
-It’s homemade.
-We make it all here.
-I’m in.
Thanks guys.
-Thank you.
-It’s over here.
-Okay you’re making this here on site?
-On site.
Man I’m doing sugar coma today
but when in Rome…
We serve them in…
We serve the waffle cones or…
-I’ll do a small.
Okay.
We’re famous for the banana pudding.
-You want that one?
-Yeah let’s do it.
You making this yourself?
Yeah I make it right here in the shop.
This is you in the Navy?
-It was.
1999 that was.
Okay here we are guys.
We came out… Where are we? Steinhatchee.
So we came from the interior out here.
Now this is all–
-It’s on the house.
-Oh boss, thank you. I don’t expect that.
I’m going up to… Keaton.
So Keaton’s up here somewhere right?
-Storm hurt Keaton pretty bad.
-Okay. So I’m gonna cruise up here.
This is all uninhabited forest, swamp.
And you guys are sort of
sticking out on your own here.
There’s some houses like in here
but yeah most of that is forest.
-Okay.
-Can you go camera?
-Sure.
I want to show people the…
The experience.
World-famous
Steinhatchee Scoops ice cream.
Made in house.
Mm-hmm.
-It’s the real deal.
-Yeah.
-Real banana in there.
-Real bananas, real vanilla wafers.
Great texture, great flavor.
Not too sweet. I like that.
-Yeah. We don’t use…
Only…
Only six cups of sugar
in a three gallon bucket.
Alright.
What’s going on here?
-That’s a vanilla wafer.
-You got the wafers in the ice cream?
-Yeah.
That’s innovative right?
Who’s doing that?
-Well they usually use imitation.
I’ve never seen that.
[chuckles]
Yeah we use quality products.
That’s why we’re a little expensive.
It’s ’cause we’re using the good stuff.
You get what you pay for.
Oh and you’ve got arrowheads out here?
-Yeah, Dad likes to collect those.
You can find them somewhere around here.
Places, especially in the falls.
A lot of people don’t realize this
but Taylor County
was actually named after
President Zachary Taylor.
-Oh.
He would chase Indians.
If you go to Steinhatchee Falls
you can actually see
the wagon wheels embedded
when they crossed when
there was no bridge.
That’s where they crossed up
there at Steinhatchee Falls.
-Fascinating.
This is an axe.
-Oh that’s a Native axe?
-Yeah.
That’s the head of the axe.
[Peter] That is so cool.
So much Native history here.
-Yeah.
A lot of people don’t realize we’re
the largest cruise port in the world.
-Down in South Florida there?
We’ve got one in Jacksonville too.
And there’s a Navy base there as well.
That’s why everybody
goes to join the Navy.
-How was your time in the Navy?
-I loved it.
I used to have the issue
of following through
and they taught me how to follow through.
-You got discipline there?
-Yeah.
You get in there serving country
get to see the world,
have greater appreciation for America.
-Where did you go?
I was stationed in
Little Creek in Virginia, Okinawa.
And then when I got out
I traveled to the Philippines myself.
But with military experience I wasn’t
afraid to go to a different country.
[country music playing from laptop]
-[Peter] Kissed by the rain?
-Yeah.
♪ I still remember the first time we… ♪
-That’s you?
-Oh yeah.
♪ ♪
-Good voice Spencer.
-Thank you.
spencerlambofficialmerch.com
is where I’m selling my CDs.
-Alright.
I’m working on my CD
called “Love in the Philippines”.
I’m doing the personal biography of like…
I fell in love with a girl
in the Philippines.
-Oh nice.
-And so I’m dedicating that album.
And then my next one one,
I’ll do the country version.
I got a song called
“Redneck in the Hood” which is my top–
-“Redneck in the Hood”?
-You want to hear that one?
Yeah give me “Redneck in the Hood”.
Views, 1.7 now.
[country music plays]
-[Peter] “Redneck in the Hood”.
-Yeah it’s hilarious.
You ever spend time in the Hood?
No but he’s from Chicago
and we collaborated.
-Is he from the Hood?
-Yeah.
[country music plays]
And I’m country so it’s…
[music continues]
That’s you?
-That’s me.
-Nice.
We collaborated with writing.
-Oh okay.
-Yeah.
♪ I’m a Redneck in the hood,
can’t you see? ♪
[Peter] Nice.
You ever see there’s a Black guy
and a White guy on videos
that are always going back and forth
like, you know, just innuendos
and they’re making fun of racism.
Man you can tell
they’re best friends right?
-Right.
That’s us.
-That’s cool.
-And so we’re like…
He said I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna
make a song called “Redneck in the Hood”.
And he started adding
stuff to it and I added to it
and then I started mixing
and putting everything together.
And then I played it for him and he’s like
“You gotta release that.”
I wouldn’t release it for a week
’cause I was afraid people
would get the wrong idea.
-Oh really?
-Yes.
Apparently…
Played it for everybody else.
Got everybody else’s opinions.
They said “No you got to release it.”
And that’s my top
performing song right now.
It’s just a joke.
-“Redneck in the Hood”. I like it.
-[Spencer laughs]
Well Spencer you got
a little bit of everything going on here.
From ice cream, to “Redneck in the Hood”
to alligator heads.
Oh yeah, that’s…
And crabs.
Steinhatchee’s a good town.
It’s got that feel.
We’ve been destroyed by that storm.
It hurt us bad but this town
has still got that family.
We don’t need the government.
We’ll show you.
We’ll build it ourselves.
You don’t want to help us.
We support Trump
but you’re not going to help us out,
we’ll do it ourselves.
-You got a strong community?
-Very strong community.
-We got our problems but–
-Who doesn’t?
[Spencer laughs]
So cool. People like Spencer.
You know, I walked in at first,
he was stone cold.
Like I thought the guy
was mad at me right?
And uh he opened up slowly.
And then all of a sudden
you get into someone’s story
and they make ice cream
and they were in the Navy
and then they’re into making music.
And they’re into bringing down
racial divides through humor and music.
and really nice guy.
And most everyone has a story right?
And once you get past the shell
most people are good.
I’m doing this work
going all over the country
and all over the world.
It’s like at the end of the day
if you come at people with respect
and curiosity
you get that in return in volumes.
And If I came back here and had some time
I’m sure I’d meet all sorts
of cool people to hang out with.
And it is very beautiful about America
that you can pull up as a stranger.
It happens everywhere in the world
but especially in the Western world
I do think America’s
more of an outlier in the sense that
there’s not much of a guard.
I mean I just said Spencer
had a bit of a guard.
But in general
there’s not as much of a guard
and people open up.
And I just think it’s in our DNA,
in our nature,
it’s that pioneering spirit where people,
you know, just as like a tool of survival
had to open up to others
because they were going into new lands
and meeting new people.
And it’s the story of the country.
And I think it’s
a beautiful thing about the culture.
A lot of Americans don’t realize
if they haven’t, say, traveled to…
And I’m not putting Germany under the bus.
It’s a great country. I love it.
But you’re not going to get
the easy casual conversation
with most people by just meeting them.
It usually doesn’t go that way.
You can get some of it
but in general people are more guarded
or in Eastern Europe
they have to be more guarded
because their history was always…
There was an invader and the person
that’s different that I don’t know
is gonna steal and rape and pillage
and you have to be guarded.
Where we have not had that invading army.
in our history.
And so the beauty of that is
it’s enabled our culture
to be more open with one another
with strangers.
[country music]
[Peter] You can see
all along the roadside here
debris everywhere.
Still hasn’t been cleaned up
with things like shoes
tile and whatever else.
People’s belongings, their memories.
All of this got flooded over.
We’re not close to any homes.
[music continues]
Just long straight roads without any cars.
A lot of nothing. A lot of remoteness.
Quite possibly the most remote part
of the state apart from the Everglades.
Up to Keaton Beach.
A very remote outpost.
Wow, look how high these homes are.
See all the new stairs
built underneath that one?
Same with this one.
This is wild.
Never seen anything like this.
Look at this old one here.
Sort of hung on.
Some fared better than others.
This guy didn’t fare too well.
Look at that, you can still see
into the home, into the kitchen.
[sighs in disbelief]
-[Peter] Are these second homes?
-[man] Yeah.
Well the guy down at the end
lives in there full time.
Waves have beat the floor up.
-Oh really?
-Yeah it was the surge
and really the surge was up to the floor.
It knocked this wall out
and the windows and blew the doors out.
But it took the gutter off the back side.
-Did insurance come through?
-$35,000.
-That doesn’t cover much.
-$10,000 short for the damage.
And then we don’t have the contents yet.
[Peter] Here we have Keaton Beach.
One of the few beaches in this area.
This part of the state.
[Peter] So you moved from Tallahassee?
-Yep. I was born and raised in Tampa.
South Tampa.
-Okay.
-Right on the shore on the coast.
And I got sick of being
landlocked in Tallahassee.
So moved out here.
It’s affordable and it’s the most
unpopulated area in Florida
outside the Everglades.
-I was thinking that driving through here.
You can’t get more away
from people in Florida.
I got four kids and I just want to give
them a lifestyle that I knew growing up.
I lived in the woods a lot
in Brooksville and Tampa.
I was always in the water
fishing four days a week
and just wanted to give them that.
And got some cows coming
in a couple months.
-No way.
Springtime, we do chickens,
we do honeybees.
I have a sawmill.
I make lumber.
And…
-So just like homesteading?
Homesteading. Yeah.
-You got 12 acres?
-12 acres.
Like interior a little bit?
Actually right on the coast.
Like 15 minutes up the coast.
Oh okay. Up there?
-Yeah but we don’t have a beach.
-Okay so I’ve been in Central Florida
all day today.
Florida gets labeled easily as Florida man
and all the Florida whatever.
Or Miami right?
It’s all true.
It’s fairly true.
-A lot of that’s true right?
-It’s all true.
But even Northern Florida today,
Micanopy I think I started in.
Totally different than here.
-Yep.
-Totally different vibe, culture.
This is the coast.
It’s trailer parks five minutes away.
Here’s the coast.
I mean low expectations.
[laughs] You know
I don’t really explain it.
We’re just not trying to try too hard,
you know?
We’re just trying to enjoy life.
-You don’t worry about the hurricanes?
Just build your house high. That’s it.
I build timber frame structures.
-So they’re hurricane proof.
-Okay.
So that’s how you do it.
So the new construction done right
can withstand all this stuff right?
Supposed to, you know?
I mean they had 20 foot storm surge here.
110 mile an hour winds, 140 gusts.
It’s a little hard
to put a warranty on but…
I mean all the houses that were
up high here,a they all stayed.
They stuck around,
some of their siding got lost,
some windows blown out
if they weren’t hurricane proof.
It was all the low ones that are gone now.
Completely gone.
-So what’s so awesome about
this part of the state do you think?
Completely out of the rat race.
Completely out of the rat race.
Like it is just as blue collar as it gets.
Everyone’s just kind, you know?
Couldn’t ask for more.
I grew up in South Tampa.
I grew up in Tallahassee.
My clients are like the highest end
you can get, politicians, everybody.
And uh…
I don’t want that for my kids.
I don’t want them feeling like
they’re comparing to anybody else.
I just want them to have
the self-sufficiency and know-how
of being good people.
So we try to escape from the world
as much as possible you know?
Is it cool if I put the camera that way?
-Yeah.
-That’s cool.
So you just let your kids play and you
don’t have to worry about anything?
Nothing. No. No.
Just needing as little money as possible.
So just eliminating overhead, you know?
If we’ve got our produce, our grain,
we’ve got our meat source down.
Like slowly going off-grid
with your appliances.
Like creating your own natural gas.
Creating your own…
-Are you guys totally off-grid?
-Not yet.
-You have water? Well?
-We have well water yeah.
Water was easy.
It’s natural gas creating
the methane biodigester
out of the septic tank.
That’s gonna cost me like 10 grand.
That’s why I’m still working towards that.
Getting the natural gas refrigerator
you know?
It’s like two, three grand.
So still got some
stepping stones to go to.
I need a tractor
so I can move some bigger logs.
But you you just want your overhead
as low as possible.
-Your burn’s super low.
-Yeah.
-No mortgage?
-No mortgage.
You’re gonna still do framing out here?
-Timber framing.
-Timber framing.
So uh give me the plans.
I build all the beams all the tenons
and mortises. It comes in a kit.
And I can erect it
or some local contractor if it’s far away.
-Okay so you can do that at your place?
I mill all the lumber at my own place.
-How sweet is that?
-It’s the best.
[woman yells] Nature Coast Dad!
-Uh yeah it’s uh…
[Peter] Nature Coast Dad?
The YouTube channel
is Nature Coast Dad.
-Okay Nature Coast Dad.
I just started.
There’s not much on it at all.
-But uh…
-That’s cool.
-Does wifey want to get on here?
-Nah she’s good.
-No way!
-Okay.
[laughter]
-Are you gonna get on
Nature Coast Dad’s channel?
-No way!
-That’s what my wife says.
-Oh yeah?
She doesn’t want to have
anything to do with being on screen.
-I’m good. I’m good.
-Alright cool.
My wife edits all my videos.
So you have plenty of work?
More than you can deal with?
I’ve been booked out nine months
to a year for the last five years.
-Just new construction?
No kitchen bath remodels, all that.
But since I moved from Tallahassee
I’ve moved away from
working in other people’s homes.
Tired of it. [laughs]
Just tired of being in
other people’s lives all day
and being around them so…
-What about your kids with school?
-They’re all homeschooled.
-Homeschooled?
-How is that?
It’s the best. A kid goes to school
for eight hours a day.
There’s so much time wasted
between transitioning classes,
waiting for all the kids to be quiet,
bathroom breaks, whatever.
We knock out in two hours a day,
an entire school day.
And it’s way more catered to them.
You know they’re never…
-Is it okay your kid here?
Hey Livia. This is my oldest.
-Okay. Livia.
He’s asking how do you like homeschool?
Um… I like it.
-Is your dad a good teacher?
I’m not a teacher. That is my wife.
She’s on it? Okay.
I have… I teach…
I teach the hands-on stuff.
You know the uh…
-You teach shop class?
Pretty much, my wife does
all the formal educating.
How did you guys come to this decision?
If you don’t mind me asking.
Honestly we’re traditional Catholics.
And we just believe in living in the world
but not being a part of it.
And just the worldliness of everyday life
in a big city is just completely draining.
And we moved out here
to hear the voice of God clearly.
Away from all the hustle and bustle.
-Do you find that to be true?
You hear it more clearly here?
You can’t hear anything out there.
It’s about all you can hear, you know?
There’s no traffic.
There’s no noises of any type.
You can’t even hear neighbors.
-Do you have any friends out here?
Not yet.
-You stay with the fam?
This is all you need
to be happy is your family.
That’s it.
[wind gently blowing and bird chirping]
[Peter] All right guys.
End of the road for today.
I had a much more ambitious goal
to cover more ground
here in Northern Florida.
But we’re running out of daylight
so we’re gonna end it here.
Big takeaway for me is…
Well here…
Keaton Beach and Miami.
Two different universes.
But even in a small part within
Northern Florida
have totally different feels.
And the places in between
had different feels.
You never know until you go.
Different cultures,
types of people, landscapes.
And all very interesting when you can
course them together through a road trip.
All right guys.
This is part of a Greater Florida series.
Watch the other Florida videos.
We’ve got great ones
from all over the state.
And thanks for coming along
on that journey.
Until the next one.
[country music]
[birds chirping]
[music continues]