Correspondent

ST. PETERSBURG — Back in the day when motorists drove the few roads available through a mostly-undeveloped state of Florida, a series of roadside attractions tempted them to pull off the highway and linger and spend a dollar or two to see oddities that were both natural and entirely unnatural to the state.

This was long before the “mouse” was even conceived by its creator Disney. Those attractions, often family-owned and operated, of the early 1900s were usually small in scale, but big in hyperbole. Gaudy signs with fluorescent lighting and garish colors and graphics announced their presence.

They included attractions like Cypress Gardens (with its antebellum maidens in hoop skirts); the Monkey Jungle; Weeki Wachee (“real mermaids!”); Marineland and a Seaquarium in Miami; Gatorland; St. Augustine's Alligator Farm; the ubiquitous citrus stands that dotted the highways (“Freshly squeezed delicious juice!” and “See the orange grove!”); McKee Jungle Gardens and Sunken Gardens are a few of that era.

Sunflowers:National flower of Ukraine, flower of hope and more

More gardening news:Camping at an organic garden in Florida's garden capital

Many are gone now, but some are still there, competing today with the likes of more than one “world” of epic manufactured entertainment and amusement. And some of them are better than ever, and are still drawing crowds. Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg is one of the survivors with almost a century under its green “belt” of lush foliage and flowers still awing visitors.

Sunken Gardens actually dates to about 1903 when local plumber, George Turner Sr., looked to cultivate a tropical garden at a 4-acre site at what was then the center of town. His plumbing skills were put to a test as he excavated the site to drain a small shallow lake which exposed rich peat soils under the surface. Then he began creating a network of pools and waterfalls that would punctuate the meandering pathways through his exotic jungle.

Over the years he added more and more plants, trees and shrubs, and today those specimens are some of the oldest of their kind at any botanical garden in Florida. According to Sunken Gardens’ literature, by 1925 word of those gardens had spread and visitors were paying a quarter to tour them. Many of the plants were imported from tropical regions (St. Petersburg being in a marginal subtropical growing zone) and in some winters citrus grove heaters were employed to protect those tender, cold-sensitive plants as well as huge native royal palms.

In 1998, Sunken Gardens was designated a local historic landmark and the City of St. Petersburg purchased the property in 1999. What followed that was an extensive, years’-long restoration. So from being one of the state’s oldest family-owned roadside attractions, the gardens are now a restored botanical garden still welcoming visitors to enjoy this little gem of an attraction with its color, vibrancy, lush tropical jungle and many water features.

A maze of shaded walkways connect and divide the acreage with a series of plant-specific areas: a palm plaza; an oak pavilion; the orchid arbor; bromeliads; coconut grove; a meditation patio; butterfly garden; and so on. Throughout the gardens are the signature water features with cascading waterfalls, pools swimming with colorful koi fish or floating water lilies and tropical vegetation. In one, a small flock of flamingos struts and preens in a shallow pool.

On a recent sunny Sunday a crowd gathered at the entrance gate, just before noon when the gardens open for the day. As the morning wore on, more and more arrived to experience this tropical oasis in the middle of a bustling Florida city. Families with small children, young couples — people of all ages came to experience the beauty, the color and the tranquility of the lush gardens. It was proof positive that this little gem, Sunken Gardens, can still draw a crowd. Not bad for a few acres of exotic plants and a vision that came into focus more than a century ago. You could say that Mr. Turner had a pretty good idea there, knew what he was doing would endure and be appreciated for years to come.

Sunken Gardens offers educational programs, workshops, special events and tours throughout the year. Weddings, private parties and meetings are a frequent use of the facility with a special wedding lawn area and an indoor banquet facility dubbed The Garden Room, which offers stunning views of the Sunken Gardens from the second floor of restored historic 1926 building adjacent to the gardens.

Sunken Gardens is located at 1825 Fourth St., St. Petersburg, and is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. For information, call 727-551-3102 or visit sunkengardens.org.

Lynette L. Walther is the GardenComm Gold medal winner for writing, a five-time recipient of the GardenComm Silver Medal of Achievement, the National Garden Bureau’s Exemplary Journalism Award and she is the author of “Florida Gardening on the Go.” She is a member of GardenComm, the professional organization for garden writers. Her gardens are on the banks of the St. Johns River.

Deanna and Steve Knapp waded in calf-high waters while surveying the scene outside their stilted two-story home on Ramada Street in the Weeki Wachee Gardens community.

Debris and garbage cans from neighboring short-term rental properties floated down the road, although the floodwater had receded since the high tide early Aug. 30. A green and black snake slithered past, disappearing quickly into the marshy grass.

“I don’t know where to start,” said Deanna Knapp, 53. “It’s a big, big mess.”

Unlike many of their neighbors, the Knapps decided not to evacuate. They’d been through Hurricane Hermine, in 2016, which brought about 4 inches of floodwater into their home.

“This (wasn’t) our first rodeo and it won’t be our last,” said Steve Knapp, 54, who said he considers himself a “true Floridian.”

But when the water started rising around 6 a.m. Aug. 30, the couple decided to take their 18-year-old Pomeranian, Minnie, and leave. The water was up to their hips. They grabbed their kayaks and a few coolers with food and didn’t return until later in the afternoon.

Steve Knapp estimated the downstairs of his home took about 14 to 16 inches of water.

Still, he said, he considers himself lucky.

“We could have been ground zero,” he said. “Then it would’ve been all gone.”

Many residents of Weeki Wachee Gardens evacuated before the storm.

Over on Westwind Street, Tim Beach worked quietly and alone, clearing out Christmas decorations, family photos and furniture from the downstairs of his teal stilted house.

Wearing Busch Light shorts and drinking a Busch Light, Beach, 54, said Aug. 30 was just the second time in 25 years his property had flooded.

Like others in the area, Beach said the water came fast, accompanying the early morning high tide.

“At 6:30 a.m., it was just on the deck and an hour later it was under my house,” he said. “It kept coming up and coming up.”

Beach said his bottom floor took on about 16 inches of water, much more than the 9 inches that followed Hurricane Irma in 2017.

He decided not to evacuate when it looked like Idalia’s path had veered further west.

“I thought things would be safe in there,” he said. “But then things started floating.”

Major disaster declarations have been approved from areas as far north as Citrus and Hernando counties and as far south as Pinellas County

WEEKI WACHEE GARDENS, Fla. — Clean-up and debris pick-up is ongoing in hard-hit areas of Tampa Bay from Hurricane Idalia.

Several counties are still recovering from flooding and damage from the storm in the area from the Shore Acres neighborhood in St. Petersburg to communities around Weeki Wachee. Debris and trash pickup began in the last week in areas like Citrus and Hernando counties, but more progress needs to be made for some.

"I was shocked. I knew we were gonna have a little wind but it came so fast here," Summer Newmann of Palm Grove Colony, a neighborhood in Weeki Wachee Gardens, described the storm.

Remnants of the hurricane still remain as more dirt and debris sit in front of people's yards ready for pick-up, along with beds, couches and all sorts of cabinets no longer of use.

Related Articles

However, Newmann explained most of the debris has been hauled off due to efforts from the community to help each other out.

"Everybody's family around here. That's what's so special. You hardly see a house for sale because no one wants to leave the neighborhood," Newmann said.

Those like Trisa Ellis said she spent part of the day shopping for new furniture. Walls need to be repaired and belongings had to be thrown out as a result of the storm, Ellis explained.

Her family moved from Colorado during the pandemic and said it was their first time having experienced flooding from a hurricane.

"We still would not trade this life for anything," Ellis said. "There's a price for paradise."

In Pasco and Hernando counties, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is now reimbursing for the collection, but local leaders said time is of the essence to get that debris to the curb. Both for the federal funds and public health.

“That wood, that drywall, that carpeting, that flooring is all going to turn into mold. Mildew. It will start to deteriorate and smell, and we just want to clean it up as fast as we can for the residents to make it as safe as possible for them,” Hernando County Emergency Management Director David DeCarlo said.

While just about every area is picking up debris, some are handling it differently when it comes to hazardous materials.

If you have paint, chemicals, batteries and those sorts of things that need to be disposed of, check with your individual county to see whether they'll be picking up those materials as well or whether you need to bring them to them.

Earlier last week, the Crystal River mayor said it'll take a couple of rounds before the city can remove all the debris brought curbside. It'll take businesses and homeowners weeks to recover, possibly longer if there are delays from insurance.

The stabbing happened after an argument occurred over a woman.

Credit: Hernando County Detention Cente

Johnathon Gullo

WEEKI WACHEE GARDENS, Fla. — A man who admitted to stabbing another person after an argument escalated is behind bars in Hernando County, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

At around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, deputies responded to a home on Fine Street near West Richard Drive in Weeki Wachee Gardens on a report of a stabbing, the sheriff's office said.

Witnesses told deputies a man, who was later identified as 26-year-old Johnathon Gullo, was visiting a person living in the home on Fine Street when the stabbing occurred. A little after Gullo arrived, a 24-year-old man stopped by the residence to pick up some property left behind on the day before, according to the sheriff's office.

That's when Gullo and the man began to argue over a woman living in the home, according to authorities.

RELATED: Brooksville man charged, accused of exposing himself to teen girls

Gullo pulled out a knife during the argument and began stabbing the 24-year-old repeatedly, the sheriff's office says. He also accidentally stabbed himself during the struggle.

The 24-year-old was eventually able to get away and Gullo also ran off to a nearby neighbor's home, the sheriff's office reports.

Upon being arrested, Gullo admitted to deputies he stabbed the man numerous times, the sheriff's office said. He reportedly told them that he didn't want to kill him, but rather "put the fear of God" in him.

RELATED: Family, detectives seek answers in Spring Hill cold case

The man who suffered from multiple stab wounds was transported to an area trauma center and is expected to make a full recovery. Gullo was also treated for his injuries.

Following treatment, Gullo was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to jail records. He remains in the Hernando County Detention Center with a bond set at $25,000.

Florida nostalgia lovers, rejoice. And maybe say a prayer for your pocketbook.

After a multiyear hiatus, Floridania Fest returns to Tampa Bay on May 21. Thousands of historic Sunshine State souvenirs, artwork and collectibles will be for sale at the Gulfport Casino, from postcards and felt pennants to orange blossom perfume and alligator-skin handbags.

“It’s just a super fun hobby because it can combine your love of history, and especially Florida history, with collecting,” said author Ken Breslauer, who has hosted the event on and off since 1994. “You can have lifelong friendships with people who have the same passion.”

Breslauer typically spends six months or so promoting his events and works with about 20 dealers, who are all devoted to scouting out fun and quirky artifacts. The event will also have plenty of Florida books for sale, from Breslauer’s own volumes detailing the state’s souvenir history to coloring books about Florida’s lost landmarks.

Related: A St. Petersburg artist turned Florida tourist attractions into coloring books

Breslauer, 65, has an interesting history of his own: He grew up in Delray Beach and became a sports writer for the Pensacola News Journal, then spent 37 years at the Sebring International Raceway, where he retired after working as the media relations director. Along the way, Breslauer earned a master’s degree in historic preservation, publishing a thesis in 1999 based on roadside attractions in Florida.

“It wasn’t that big of a topic and then all of the sudden in 2003, Cypress Gardens went out of business,” he said. “Everyone was worried about the future of these roadside attractions, how they might be lost to development and so forth.”

Breslauer followed up his thesis with a book on the history of local roadside attractions. And he started collecting. His first show was at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, but over the years it’s traveled to other historic venues in cities around the Sunshine State.

Browsing the merchandise isn’t just a fun way to spend a Saturday. It’s also a way to understand how Florida has sold its sunshine over the years. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, most trinkets were handcrafted, including mementos made with natural Florida wood and gator skin.

Looking to explore the Tampa Bay area?

Subscribe to our free One Day in Tampa Bay newsletter series

Once a week, you’ll get insider tips on things to do, dining and more to help you plan a perfect day in a local city or neighborhood.

Loading...

“The early attractions of Florida are based on the natural appeal of Florida,” Breslauer said. “The springs, the gardens, the wildlife.”

As the 20th century progressed, the rise of the roadside attraction ushered in a new era of keepsakes: ashtrays, decals, plates and View-Master reels. Before Disney made a splash in the ‘70s, spots like Silver Springs, Sunken Gardens and Cypress Gardens reigned supreme.

Certain attractions have big crossover appeal among collectors and will be very present at the show, like Weeki Wachee’s mermaids and Cypress Gardens’ water skiers. Tiki Gardens, a now-defunct Indian Rocks Beach attraction that capitalized on the midcentury tiki craze, is popular with tiki enthusiasts. A 33 RPM record put out by the attraction now can go for up to $500.

“Whatever people tend to remember from their childhood tends to be what they go crazy for,” said author Rick Kilby, who will be selling his history books at Floridania Fest.

When Kilby was working on his last few books about Florida’s springs, he attended Breslauer’s events to find artifacts he could use. These days, he’s going more to have some fun shopping.

“Ken buys the cream of the crop,” Kilby said. “He has stuff no one else has.”

Kilby’s advice: If you see something you like, grab it. He still remembers unique items from previous festivals that he didn’t buy and hasn’t seen since, like tiny hand-drawn billboard inserts that Silver Springs sold to be added to model train sets from the 1950s and ‘60s.

“This is really a good chance to find your Florida treasure,” Breslauer said.

If you go

Floridania Fest takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21 at the Gulfport Casino. The last admission is at 3:30 p.m. $5, children 14 and under are free. 5500 Shore Blvd. S, Gulfport.