In this episode of Water for Fighting, Brett Cyphers sits down with Matt Caldwell, a seventh-generation Floridian, former four-term member of the Florida House of Representatives, Lee County Property Appraiser, and president of the Florida State Parks Foundation. Matt shares how his family’s deep Florida roots, a childhood spent exploring Southwest Florida, and an early interest in history helped shape his path into public service and natural resource policy.
The conversation follows Matt’s unexpected path into politics, his years in the Florida Legislature working on Everglades restoration and natural resource issues, and a statewide campaign that became one of the closest races in Florida history. He reflects on what he learned from both winning and losing—and why he ultimately found his way back into public service.
Matt and Brett also discusses Matt’s work with the Florida State Parks Foundation, his perspective on the future of Florida’s environment, and the experiences that continue to shape how he approaches conservation and service. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about the people, places, and experiences that have shaped his perspective on Florida—and where the state goes from here.
This episode is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.
Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.
This episode is also brought to by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)
RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us
Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Brett Cyphers and Ryan Matthews, as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.
You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at FLwaterpod@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.
Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.
And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.
