ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2026) – For generations, Florida's lighthouses helped mariners navigate dangerous waters and find their way along the coast. In the latest episode of WUCF's Florida Road Trip, their stories offer a window into the people who kept the lights burning and the history that unfolded along Florida's coast.
Florida Road Trip: Lighthouses premieres Thursday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. on WUCF and will premiere on PBS stations across Florida. Check local listings for airtimes on WLRN, SFPBS-WXEL, SFPBS-WPBT and JAXPBS.
Hosted by Emmy® Award-winning journalist Scott Fais, the episode follows Florida's coast from Amelia Island to Key West. Along the way, viewers visit the state's oldest standing lighthouse structure on Amelia Island and the state’s tallest lighthouse at Ponce Inlet, while hearing about the keepers and families whose lives were tied to these towers.
The journey also reaches Cape Canaveral, where a 19th-century lighthouse now shares the landscape with the modern space program, and Key West, where a devastating 1846 hurricane led to a new lighthouse built farther inland. At the St. Augustine Lighthouse, stories of shipwrecks and women lighthouse keepers reveal another side of Florida’s maritime history.
Featured interviewees include:
- Tom Sintes, Great-Grandson of Former Amelia Island Lighthouse Keeper
- Amanda Goodall, Interpretation Manager, St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
- John Mann, Lead Docent, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
- Laura Lee Walko, Marketing Chair, Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation
- Stacy Barber, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, University of Central Florida
- Cori Convertito, Ph.D., Curator & Historian, Key West Art & Historical Society
The Lighthouses episode is part of the new season of Florida Road Trip, with eight new episodes exploring communities and stories across the state.
New episodes premiere Thursdays at 8 p.m. on WUCF and air on PBS stations throughout Florida. Episodes are also available to stream for free following broadcast, with early access to the full season through WUCF Passport.
The media tool kit with episode images is available here: https://www.floridaroadtrip.org/blogs/florida-road-trip-newsroom/
To request interviews with featured guests or producers, contact:
Christine Dellert Mullon
christine@sondersays.com
407.718.0199
About WUCF: WUCF serves as the region’s trusted source for educational programming, arts, culture and local storytelling. As Central Florida’s only PBS affiliate and home for jazz, WUCF offers free, accessible content that enriches lives, fosters curiosity and strengthens the community. Guided by the mission “We Change Lives,” WUCF is committed to connecting, inspiring and empowering audiences across all platforms. To explore WUCF’s impact and programming, visit WUCF.org.
