Curt and Jeannie Bartholomew’s jobs are anything but ordinary. They are both competitive skydivers with a combined 22,500 jumps and belong to a DeLand-based team with the most world titles in the history of the sport. So, what exactly is competitive skydiving? “It’s called canopy piloting and our slang term for that is called swooping,” Jeannie Bartholomew told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast. “Basically we take the smallest parachutes that they make and...

Bob Brown, the owner of Brown’s Taxidermy, started stuffing birds and other animals back in the 1970s, but he quickly realized mounting fish for people making big catches on chartered boats here in Florida was a more lucrative business. At first, he said he did taxidermy the old-school way. “A lot of times when they would bring us fish, we were just beginning, so we would make molds off of the original fish, which entailed taking the guts out of the fish and stuffing it back with some sawdust...

Like many people, Lauren Irving first experienced the circus as a child. “I remember watching the trapeze act, and the smell of the popcorn and just the lights, you know, everything and how I felt. I felt so inspired,” Irving said. Little did she know, years later, that she would be helping to lead that show. She told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate she is one of three people who helps to guide the audience through the experience. She plays the character of Aria but...

Walt Disney World is part of the fabric of Florida, but did you know the theme park almost ended up in St. Louis instead of Orlando? University of Central Florida History professor Dr. Jim Clark said Walt Disney had his eye on the “Show Me” state well before he began eyeing the “Sunshine State”. But a fight over beer changed everything. After successfully introducing the public to Disneyland in California, Clark said Disney was looking for a second location. The animation mogul considered...

If you still haven’t finished your Christmas shopping, you are not alone, but with just days left until the holiday, the clock is ticking. So, Florida’s Fourth Estate hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden are helping you identify some of the top gifts people are asking for this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sheriff Mike Chitwood gets real about his journey to becoming a law enforcement officer. He talks about how his relationship with his own Dad influenced his choice, why he is not afraid to take on controversial issues, and how his family has been impacted by his job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Waterfalls, koi ponds, trails, cliffs and exotic plants are just some of the things you will see inside the epic backyard tucked away in the small Florida town of Williston. Dr. Raymond Webber said he initially wanted a fish pond, but, his vision for a backyard oasis kept expanding. Now, 32 years after discovering an abandoned lime rock quarry, he has established a peaceful garden fit for a king. Though it was originally designed as a place to relax and entertain friends, word quickly got...

Kim and Penn Holderness pulled on their Christmas Jammies 10 years ago and churned out a viral video many still remember a decade later. They teamed up with their two young kids, Lola and Penn Charles, to rap about all the things that made 2013 special for them. Today, they are still making videos, but they are also releasing books, games, and merch. While they did win the 33rd season of The Amazing Race in 2022, Kim says another round of reality TV is not on their short list. She said,...

If you have ever been to Disney World, you have probably been on the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom. One of the highlights of the ride is the feeling of escaping to the jungle while laughing at a slew of “dad” jokes. Former Imagineer Brian Collins is responsible for some of those. “I was very lucky to be able to work on some very cool projects, like writing very corny puns for the Jungle Cruise,” Collins said. He said he wrote, “You don’t need to bring any money with you on the jungle cruises...

If you are looking for a discount car, truck, sunglasses or even office equipment there is one place to find it all. A quick look at the George Gideon Auctioneers website reveals many of the local governments in Central Florida use them to sell their surplus items. Right now a 2012 Dodge Charger from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is going for $1,025, a kayak from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is going for $3, Seminole County Public Schools is offering several school buses that...

Mar-a-lago is one of the most famous homes in Florida, if not the country, but the property former President Donald Trump referred to as his “Winter White House” wasn’t always what it is today. It used to belong to all Americans. In her book “American Castle One Hundred Years of Mar-a-Lago,” Mary Shanklin talks about how the mansion and surrounding property used to be part of the National Park Service. She said the original owner, Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the creator of Post...

People aren’t the only ones looking to avoid the cold this winter. Birds are also looking for a warmer spot to settle down, but their journey is proving to be difficult. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates up to 988 million crash into buildings every year and die. The Audubon Society said that’s because the majority of them migrate at night, and are drawn in by city lights, rest among the trees and when they try to return to the sky they crash into windows. “They see the sky in front of...

A boat, which experts believe is from the 1800s, has a new home after crews stumbled upon it during a road construction project. The Florida Department of Transportation was working on drainage improvement along King Street and State Road A1A in St. Augustine in October when they discovered the historic boat. Dr. James Delgado with SEARCH, a company headquartered in Orlando that describes itself as a global leader in maritime archeology, talked about what’s next for the artifact with Matt...

Most jobs don’t come with a warning, but this one does. “A ghost will go home with you. You do these tours they are going to come home they are going to visit you,” Ghost tour guide Ting Rappa said. It is a warning she gives when hiring guides to take people around the Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando. Rappa said she doesn’t allow the spirits inside of her house. “I will stop them at my front door. My dog will come greet me. If my dog looks behind me I will go ‘You are not welcome in the home. I...

Former Chief Judge Belvin Perry recently reflected on his decades-long career with the hosts of Florida’s Fourth Estate. Perry is well known for presiding over the Casey Anthony case, but long before that high-profile case he was the lead prosecutor in the Judy Buenoano murder trial. Perry says he was part of the team that transported Buenoano to jail in Orange County after she was arrested for fatally poisoning her husband, United States Air Force officer James Goodyear. “This was in the...

Over 12 years ago, Casey Anthony walked out of the Orange County jail a free woman. Much of the country watched her murder trial play out on live TV, including the moment the jury found her not guilty, but there were some things happening behind the scenes that you didn’t see. The judge at the center of it all, Belvin Perry, joined the hosts of Florida’s Fourth Estate to share the experience from his perspective. This includes his thoughts on how Anthony’s defense team was able to get her...

Alex Pring was born with one arm. His other extends to his forearm and stops. As he started growing up and going to school, he had some questions about his limb difference. “I kinda asked the question, ‘Why can’t I have an arm? Everyone else has an arm, why don’t I,’” Pring said. He said his mom loves solving problems, so she reached out to the University of Central Florida and a student helped to create his very first arm. Then, that student, Albert Manero, went on to launch Limbitless...

In June, the Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory after four confirmed cases of malaria in Sarasota County. They were the first cases in the state in 20 years. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 159 new cases of leprosy in the U.S. in 2020, with Florida among the top reporting states. “Some Biblical diseases started making a comeback in the state of Florida,” Florida’s Fourth Estate host Matt Austin said. “Leprosy and...

Even though theme park attendance is down this year, the companies are investing more than ever. According to the International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions, which is the global association for the theme park industry, American theme parks are expected to invest $1.5 billion in attractions this year alone. IAAPA’s CEO Jakob Wahl spoke with Florida’s Fourth Estate about some fascinating trends taking place across the industry. He said parks are creating rides less focused on...

From book bans to changing classes and educational requirements, what children are learning in the classroom will be different this year. “I think this is going to be a very strange year, simply because people do not know what’s happening,” University of Central Florida history professor and News 6 Political Analyst Jim Clark said. “Teachers are unsure. Administrators are unsure. You have one district doing one thing and another district doing another thing and I think there are just so many...

Instead of vacationing or partying, a group of students from the University of Central Florida set out for the U.S.-Mexico border this summer. They wanted to learn more about the people working to call America home and bring those stories back to students at UCF. Amy Diaz and Ian Rodriguez both said they brought a unique perspective to the trip. “Even though we are in Florida and we are far away from the border we have family that crossed, or we have family that has come here from Central...

Amy Siewe goes out at night, sometimes alone, to hunt pythons. She said it’s a passion that started when she was a child, but it’s not without risk. The python huntress talked to Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsdenon Florida’s Fourth Estate about her mission to rid Florida’s Everglades of the invasive reptiles. Siewe has bagged several Burmese pythons and knows how to “work the animal.” “They could easily crush us in a second without even thinking about it,” she said. She said she “really had an...

It was a typical spring afternoon in southwest Florida’s Myakka River. Jeffrey Heim strapped on his mask, fins and head-mounted GoPro and eased into the murky water to begin his favorite hobby: hunting for massive megalodon shark teeth. The hobby would later become a career for Heim, who now owns a company called SHRKco which collects and sells the ancient shark teeth and donates profits for ocean research organizations. “I did know the dangers but I don’t think I took them seriously enough...

On July 24, 2015, Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen left on a fishing trip. The two 14-year-olds took off from Jupiter Inlet on a 19-foot fishing boat. When they didn’t return, the Coast Guard started a massive search but never found them. Both of their families were left devastated. Perry Cohen’s Dad, Phil Cohen, recently discussed how he has dealt with the grief of losing his only child in a Ted Talk. Now he is sitting down with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate to...

It’s been a week and a half since Miki Sudo dominated the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest, downing 39.5 franks in 10 minutes. Now she is coaching two fellow Floridians, telling them what it takes to rise to the top of the competitive eating circuit. Sudo talked about her craft with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden during an episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate. “You want to minimize chewing,” she said. “Chewing is a waste of time and signals to your brain that you are getting full.” Learn more...