Cracker Crazy: The Invisible History of the Sunshine State

As a native of Florida, I found this documentary to be a wonderful introduction into the bizarre history of the 27th State. Using eerie organ music and stock footage from state archives, all sorts of facts and insinuations are put forward as to how and why Florida is the way it is. Who were the Seminoles and where did they go? How was Miami founded? Walt Disney had the right to do what on his land? What’s buried underneath that trailer park?

Since the majority of Florida’s terrain has been supplanted by immigrants in the last 150 years, it’s important to consider how the place has grown/adapted to withstand 18.5 million people; and to ponder where it’s going (into the Atlantic). Though I can’t vouch for every opinion in this film, I do appreciate the effort it makes to show that history is dangerously subjective. The history of the Sunshine state is also a tale of ethnic strife and misguided progress- just look at the place. Great fodder for anyone interested in a second look at one of the world’s greatest sandbars.