The Winter Haven Public Library has announced its 2026 Lecture Series titled “Our Florida!”, featuring presentations on various aspects of Florida’s history and culture.
All lectures are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Library Multi-Purpose Room, with doors opening at 5 p.m.. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Previous speakers in the series have included:
- Craig Pittman, presenting “Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State.”
- James Abraham, presenting “Bloody Streets and Crooked Lines: 100 Years of Black Voter Suppression in Florida.”
- Keri Watson, presenting “The Art of Walt Disney.”
Upcoming featured presentations include:
- February 17: Ben Montgomery presents “For Their Own Good: The Dark History-And New Life-Of the Dozier School for Boys.” Billed as the state’s answer to juvenile delinquency in 1900, the Florida School for Boys grew into a profitable farming operation that ran on forced labor. By the 1960s, it was the largest institution of its kind and routinely scandalized due to unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, and extreme punishments. Author and journalist Ben Montgomery details the truth and reconciliation effort after its 2011 closure.
- February 24: Scott Deitche presents “Cigar City Mafia.” Author Scott M. Deitche uncovers the darker side of history in his book Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld. With bootleggers, gambling, ringleaders, arsonists, narcotics dealers, and gang murders, a variety of characters flourished in the era known as Prohibition, and Tampa was where they battled for supremacy of the criminal underworld.
The library encourages attendance to these events highlighting Florida’s complex history.
SOURCE: CITY OF WINTER HAVEN
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