Course Reflection

 

Steven Stallone

Course Reflection

12/10/2022

History of Florida

 

                My favorite part of this class by far was reading the book “A Land Remembered”. I really enjoyed the way it was written. I usually get bored of reading and my mind wonders but with this book, I couldn’t stop. Patrick Smith made reading the book enjoyable and each chapter was full of adventure. I had read the entire book by the 3^rd week and I was sad it was over. I moved to Tampa in 2001 and lived all over Florida since then. I wish I had read this book years ago when I was growing up so I knew the history of the places I was visiting.

                The history of Florida book was good, but I didn’t enjoy reading the different styles of writing in each chapter. Some of the authors really lost me in the way they wrote and sometimes used so many unnecessary big words when the sentence could have been much simpler. I can’t remember which author it was but at one point I was looking up 3 or 4 words per page. I understand this will expand my vocabulary, but it makes reading and understanding the message much more difficult. I was really interested in the first European Contacts and learning how the Spanish originally explored Florida. The part that was so intriguing is that a lot of it happened right where we live so it was relatable. I enjoyed learning more about Castillo and how it was used in different ways over the years.

                The American Civil War was another area of history I was really interested in. There was a lot I didn’t know about Florida and the Civil war. I am taking American Federal Government also so I was able to connect the two together. I’ve learned so much about slavery and race in the History of Florida. It was amazing to see the timeline and how history played out over the last 200 years in the United States. I think this class was perfect to learn about Florida’s history, especially because of the political challenges we are facing today. It opened my eyes to a lot of things.

                The instructor did an amazing job with the work. Some of my other classes are basically just tests and reading. The variety of learning was great in this class. The podcasts, Cornell notes, current events, blog posts, site visits, and chapter sheets made it very exciting. It’s been the best class I’ve taken so far. Great job!

Jax Digital Scavenger Hunt

 

Jacksonville.com Digital Newspaper Scavenger Hunt.docx

 

Name: _____Steven Stallone____________

 

1. Write the first line of the caption of a picture on the first page of the News tab. Does it reflect POLITICS, ECONOMICS, SOCIAL (or a combination of 2 or 3)?  

Boy gunned down in car, 2 others struck; sheriff frustrated  (Social)

 

 

 

2. Write the headline of a local news article. Describe and reflect on the events, relevance, and level of importance.

‘Can we please stand together?’ Sheriff denounces death of boy coming home from practice.

This is a high level of importance. No child should be gunned down at the age of 13. In 2021, there were 123 homicides and as of this year, Jacksonville is at 151. A coach and four other children were gunned down in a car while stopped at a light. The 13-year-old was killed and the others were hospitalized.

 

 

3. Find an article about a State or Local Politics. What seat is it and what is the article about? Do you recognize any of the issues or politicians' behaviors that compare with ones discussed in our textbook this week?

‘DeSantis presents $5.5 million grant for Cecil Commerce center railway’. Gov. Ron DeSantis presented a grant of $5.5 million to build a 3-mile railway connector for the Cecil Commerce Center.

 

4. Write the name of a business that is mentioned in an article in the business section of the newspaper. Summarize the article including economic impact on the community, city, or state.

Sale of Winn-Dixie parent inevitable; who are the suitors?

Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie, Harvey’s, and Fresco y Mas may be up for sale. The company owns and operates 420 stores and has an annual revenue of $9.6 Billion.

If Southeastern Grocers were to sell, the impact on the Jacksonville community would be huge. It could mean the closure of the corporate headquarters and the relocation of thousands of jobs.

 

 

5. Write the name of a sport and a team mentioned and summarize an article in the sports section of the newspaper. Does it reflect POLITICS, ECONOMICS, SOCIAL (or a combination of 2 or 3)?  Explain the significances it bears on the ‘face’ of Florida.

 

Trevor Lawrence suffers leg injury on sack during game against Lions, but able to return

Social

Trevor Lawrence took a massive hit that caused an injury to his leg. The Jags need all the help they can get and can’t afford any serious injuries this late in the game. Lawrence has given the Jaguars a franchise quarterback look this season and North Florida needs a good season to remain in good standing.  

 

 

 

 

6. Which article fascinates you the most? Why? Offer summary, reflection and relevance.

The article about Southeastern Grocers fascinates me the most because I am a current corporate employee and have been for the last six years. If the company were to be bought out, it could mean the closure of the corporate office. I may not be willing to relocate for the new company.

Current Events (Marine Land)

 

Current Event

 

Source:_ WUSF Public Media_

 

 

Article Title: Marineland signs were hidden in a sand dune for 80 years — until Tropical Storm Nicole

Article date: __11/19/22___   Circle One:     Local     State     National     International

Who was involved? (Identify the people, groups, or organizations) _Steve Stallone, Marine Land Florida___

Where did this event happen? (Be specific) ________Fort Matanzas, Florida______________

When did this event happen? (Date, month, time frame, and/or year) __11/10/2022________

What happened? (Include sequence of events in complete sentences) Steven Stallone visited Fort Matanzas on November 10^th, the evening of the passing of hurricane Nicole. It was a dark, windy night when Steve and his family went out to the beach to find any hidden treasures that might have washed up from the storm. Using flashlights and a bucket, Steve and his family found various old bottles, turtle eggs, fossils, and these 80-Year-old Marine Land signs that were displayed before World War 2. The signs were from the very first opening of Marineland Studios in Flagler beach in 1937. They were found on the beach near Fort Matanzas inlet. The sand dunes were completely flattened which exposed the almost century-old signs.

Why is this event relevant? (how does this article connect to the theme you chose from our textbook?) Marine Land was a huge tourist attraction in 1937. It was labeled as the world’s first Oceanarium. In 1938, the price of admission was one dollar and was originally designed to be an underwater film studio. This attraction was part of the early tourism era of building Florida’s economy.

 

Reflection (for full credit, you must include support with each reflection)

The site that Marineland was originally built on is a 20,000-acre land grant given to Levett Blackborne of London in 1767. Levett Blackborne never visited Florida and the plantation was re-granted to John Graham, a Georgia loyalist fleeing the Revolutionary War. In 1936, the challenges of financing and construction were overcome, and the development started construction. In 1938, Over 20,000 tourists clogged A1A to visit the new attraction to see the bottlenose dolphin show. During the 1950’s, Marineland became one of Florida’s major attractions with over 500,000 visitors per year. It impacted the economy of the area and supported the development of local hotels, restaurants, and other small businesses. Since its opening in 1937, Marineland has undergone various developmental changes and still attracts a large crowd to this day. The article reads “Rusted and warped, they represent slices of St. John’s cinematic and tourist history of about 80 years ago”. This directly ties into the 1920 and 1930s of the text of the beginning of the great depression and the influx of migrants and tourists moving down to Florida. The history of Marineland also ties into the 1700s when Europeans were obtaining large masses of Florida land. The article also ties into the economic disaster Hurricanes bring to Florida every year, just like the great Miami hurricane of 1926. On Nov 10, 2022, Hurricane Nicole caused $34 million in damage to St. Johns County.

 

 

Steve Stallone (original Picture of sign)

 

 

First Text to Marine Land

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marineland’s first Social Post before going viral ( 1.5k Likes 400 Shares)

 

 

 

References

Scanlan, D. (2022, November 19). Marineland signs were hidden in a sand dune for 80 years - until Tropical storm nicole. WUSF Public Media. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/arts-culture/2022-11-19/marineland-signs-hidden-sand-dunes-80-years-until-tropical-storm-nicole

 

A history of adventure: Marineland dolphin adventure. Marineland Dolphin Adventure - Dolphin Adventure. (2022, May 19). Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://marineland.net/our-history/