Great Florida Invasion: From Pepper to Pythons

From the first medieval pigs abandoned in Florida in 1521 through the invasion of lionfish, this presentation looks at how escaped or introduced species have impacted the indigenous flora, fauna and sealife of the Sunshine State.  With information derived from the award-winning The Living Gulf Coast - A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida, author Charles Sobczak takes a sobering look at everything from the Burmese python to Brazilian pepper.  Other invasive species included in the presentation will be Australian pines, iguanas, starlings, Tilapia and nutria. Sobczak will discuss possible solutions and warn of other, even more harmful animals, that could impact Florida in the years to come.

Charles Sobczak lives and writes on Sanibel Island, Florida.  His first novel, Six Mornings on Sanibel, was originally published in 1999 and is currently in its seventh printing. In 2007 Sobczak turned his attention to non-fiction and published Alligators, Sharks & Panthers: Deadly Encounters with Florida’s Top Predator-Man.  The book went on to win several awards and continues to sell well in academic circles. In 2010 he published a nature guide titled, Living Sanibel – A Nature Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands. The book quickly became the best-selling book on Sanibel and rose to #34 in nature guide sales on Amazon.com during the winter of 2011.

Sobczak has appeared on National Book TV and has lectured on various nature topics to the Road Scholar organization, Audubon and Sierra Club groups. In early 2017 he became a featured speaker on board the Celebrity Equinox. Excerpts from his books have appeared in The Florida Weekly, The Islander, The Mullet Wrapper and The Cape Coral Breeze.

His second nature guide, The Living Gulf Coast – A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida, won the Gold Medal Presidents Award for the best work of Adult non-fiction, 2011, by the Florida Publisher’s Association. The book covers all the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians living within the six county region as well as 161 parks, preserves and eco-destinations where residents and visitors can discover these birds and animals in the wild.