Keeping Florida weird, one story at a time.
Greetings from Floweirda explores the strange side of Florida’s past — the history, mysteries, legends, and lore that make this place as weird as it is wonderful. Hosted by Joe Turino, each episode blends documentary-style storytelling with humor and heart, uncovering the truth behind the myths, mysteries, and high-strangeness events that haunt the Sunshine State.
🎙️ New episodes every other Tuesday
👻 Stay weird, Florida.
Late one night in April 1986, millions of HBO viewers suddenly watched their television screens turn to static.
The movie vanished.
The signal broke.
And then a message appeared.
“GOODEVENING HBO…”
For four and a half surreal minutes, a mysterious figure calling himself Captain Midnight hijacked one of the biggest television networks in America using nothing more than satellite technology, engineering knowledge, and a growing frustration with the television industry.
In this cinematic deep-dive, we travel back to the wild early days of satellite television — a time when giant backyard dishes pulled signals directly from space, premium channels were beginning to scramble their broadcasts, and a growing battle over money, technology, and control was reaching a breaking point.
We follow the rise of the satellite dish boom, the backlash against HBO’s pricing, and the strange late-night transmission that launched a federal investigation and exposed a vulnerability in American broadcasting no one thought possible.
Along the way, we explore the man behind the hijacking, the bizarre control battle that unfolded between Captain Midnight and HBO engineers in real time, and the legacy the incident left behind.
Because what began as a protest, would ultimately change broadcast security forever.
📡 One signal. One message. Four and a half unforgettable minutes.
This is the story of Captain Midnight.
🎙 Hosted, written & produced by Joe Turino
🎵 Original theme music by Modern Mimes — www.modernmimes.com
📸 Photos, show links & merch: floweirdapod.com
📲 Follow on Instagram: @floweirdapod
👻 And as always… stay weird, Florida.
16 Apr 2026
Coral Castle: Florida's Greatest Mystery
On a quiet stretch of road in Homestead, Florida… sits a structure that shouldn’t exist.
Built from more than 1,000 tons of stone… carved, shaped, and placed with precision—by one man.
No heavy machinery.
No crew.
No witnesses.
Just Edward Leedskalnin.
In this cinematic deep-dive, we follow Ed’s journey from a small village in Latvia to the swamps of South Florida, where heartbreak, obsession, and relentless determination led him to build one of the most mysterious landmarks in the United States.
We explore the early years that shaped him, the love he lost—the girl he called “Sweet Sixteen”—and the decades he spent working alone, mostly at night, constructing what would become known as Coral Castle.
Along the way, we break down the mysteryitself.
Did he truly move multi-ton stones alone using nothing but simple tools and leverage?
Or was there something more—something he never revealed?
From theories of magnetism and ancient knowledge to the very real engineering behind his work, this episode separates fact from folklore… while embracing the parts that still don’tquite add up.
Because in the end, Coral Castle may not just be a mystery of how it was built—
…but why.
🪨 One man. One love. Over 1,000 tons of stone.
This is the story of Coral Castle.
📍 Visit Coral Castle Museum in Homestead, Florida, and see it for yourself.
🎙 Hosted, written & produced by Joe Turino
🎵 Original theme music by Modern Mimes — www.modernmimes.com
📸 Photos, show links & merch: floweirdapod.com
📲 Follow on Instagram: @floweirdapod
👻 And as always… stay weird,Florida.
2 Apr 2026
The Conch Republic: Florida’s 1 - Minute War
In April of 1982, the Florida Keys did something no one saw coming.
They declared independence from the United States…
formed their own nation…
went to war…
…and surrendered in under a minute.
But this wasn’t a joke.
And it wasn’t random.
It was a calculated protest against a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint that had effectively turned the only road in and out of the Keys into an international border.
In this cinematic deep-dive, we follow the story from the moment traffic backed up for miles on U.S. Highway 1… to the courthouse steps in Miami… to the harbor in Key West—where a newly formed nation launched its first and only attack using water balloons, conch fritters, and stale Cuban bread.
We break down how the Conch Republic was born, why the protest worked, and how a one-minute “war” turned into one of the most effective—and most bizarre—acts of defiance in American history.
From frustration and economic pressure to satire, symbolism, and national attention, this is the story of how a small island community forced the federal government to listen.
🌴 A protest. A nation. A one-minute war.
This is The Conch Republic — Florida’s 1-Minute War.
📍 Want to experience it yourself?
Visit Key West during Conch Republic Days and witness the reenactment of the Great Sea Battle in person.
🎙 Hosted, written & produced by Joe Turino
🎵 Original theme music by Modern Mimes www.modernmimes.com (http://www.modernmimes.com)
📸 Photos, show links & merch: floweirdapod.com
📲 Find the show on Instagram: @floweirdapod
👻 And as always… stay weird, Florida.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Contact Greetings from Floweirda: A Florida Podcast
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Greetings from Floweirda: A Florida Podcast?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
