30: The Crystal Beach Killing - Madman with M.F. Gross

🕯️ 1949 – Crystal Beach, Florida. A peaceful town. A brutal crime. A story too shocking to be fiction.

This week on Dark Florida, I sit down with author M.F. Gross to dive deep into his new book Madman, a chilling true account of one of Florida’s most shocking and forgotten crimes.

At the center of this story is John Calvin “Rastus” Russell. A drifter with a troubled past, a string of arrests, and demons that followed him everywhere. When Russell brutally murdered Norman Y. Browne and viciously attacked his wife in their seaside home, the crime shattered the tranquility of Crystal Beach and left the community reeling. Fear turned neighbors into vigilantes, and what followed was nothing short of chaos: a frantic manhunt, shocking revelations about the victims and their hidden pasts, and a string of twists that could rival the darkest crime fiction.

But this case didn’t end with Russell’s arrest. Secrets emerged about the Browne's, entangling the story in layers of betrayal, scandal, and questions that lingered long after the crime scene was cleared. When Russell escaped custody, the entire state was on edge. With a hurricane bearing down and law enforcement in pursuit, the chase for a madman became one of the most dramatic manhunts in Florida history.

Together, M.F. Gross and I explore the crime, the trial, the escape, and the broader social forces at play in 1940s Florida. From organized crime to the inner workings of Chattahoochee State Hospital. This case, nearly lost to time, is a haunting reminder of how violence, secrecy, and desperation can change a community forever.

If you’re drawn to true crime that reads like a gothic thriller, this episode will transport you back to post-war Florida and into the shadows of a town forever marked by one man’s brutality.

🔗 Connect with M.F. Gross

M.F. Gross Website: https://mfgross.com/

October 17th @ 6:30pm at Crystal Beach Community Center M.F. Gross will be giving a presentation on his book Madman. You won't want to miss that!

🌙 Connect with Dark Florida

Instagram: @darkfloridapodcast

YouTube: youtube.com/darkflorida411

Email: darkfloridapodcast@gmail.com

Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/darkflorida

🎙️Upcoming Events with Dark Florida

Moonlit Legends Cryptid Expo - October 11th 4-7pm - Homeland Heritage Park - Homeland, FL

Charlie's Beyond Belief Expo - October 18th - Doors open at 11am - Fort Myers, FL

https://www.charliesbeyond.com/general-info/

💌 Have a strange encounter or eerie story of your own? Reach out at darkfloridapodcast@gmail.com I’d love to hear it, and maybe even feature it on the show.

🎙️ Episode 29: In the Shadow of Big Red Eye: Bigfoot with Mike Familant

The Florida woods hold secrets, and tonight we’re venturing straight into them. On this episode of Dark Florida, I, Brooke Moreland, sit down with full-time Bigfoot researcher and investigator Mike Familant.

Mike’s story begins right here in the Sunshine State, where a strange encounter in 2011 changed the course of his life forever. Since then, he has dedicated himself to uncovering the truth about Bigfoot through countless expeditions, late-night investigations, and hours of analyzing mysterious evidence. He’s the producer and lead investigator behind the long-running docuseries In the Shadow of Big Red Eye, which documents his raw, unscripted adventures into Bigfoot territory. He’s also the creator of Squatchables, a series that helps new researchers learn how to take their very first steps into the field.

In this conversation, Mike shares his journey from that first eerie encounter in Florida to years of chasing Bigfoot across the Eastern United States. We talk about what it’s like to live the life of a squatcher—what really goes on during a night in the field, and the moments that have left him convinced that Bigfoot is out there. He also opens up about the challenges of being both a researcher and a storyteller, balancing skepticism with passion, and what it takes to keep going after more than a decade of searching.

Whether you’re a longtime believer or just curious about the unknown, this episode will make you look twice at the shadows between the trees. 👣🌲

🔗 Connect with Mike Familant

• Mike's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shadowofredeye
• Mike’s Website: https://www.youtube.com/@shadowofredeye

🌌 Connect with Dark Florida

• Instagram: instagram.com/darkfloridapodcast
• YouTube: youtube.com/@darkflorida411
• Email: darkfloridapodcast@gmail.com
• Support the Show: buymeacoffee.com/darkflorida

📅 Upcoming Live Events

I’ve got a busy fall ahead with some incredible events, and I’d love for you to join me! From Bigfoot to the paranormal and everything in between, I’ll be sharing stories, research, and strange encounters across Florida:

➡️ September 20 – A Day of Florida High Strangeness, Ocklawaha, FL

➡️ October 11 – Moonlit Legends Cryptids Expo, Homeland, FL

➡️ October 18 – Charlie’s Beyond Belief Expo, Tropical Lodge #56, Fort Myers, FL

Come say hi, share your own experiences, and let’s step into the unknown together. 👻🕯️✨

✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with a friend who loves spooky stories and strange encounters. Every little bit helps keep the lantern lit as we explore Florida’s darkest mysteries together.

Episode 28: Strange News - Florida Skunkape Sighting, UFO's, Antarctic Anomalies, and the Alien Threat

In this episode of Dark Florida, host Brooke Moreland takes you deep into the shadows of mystery, cryptids, and the unexplained. The journey begins with a chilling new Bigfoot sighting out of Florida, followed by the startling claims surrounding the “discovery” of an alleged Bigfoot body. From there, the focus turns skyward and seaward as we explore the possibility that UFOs may not just be coming from distant galaxies but emerging from the depths of our oceans. 🛸

The mysteries don’t stop there. A strange anomaly picked up on Google Maps off the coast of Antarctica raises new questions, suggesting the presence of something far from ordinary. Perhaps even a UFO hiding in plain sight. Brooke also shares her own personal UFO encounter, adding a firsthand layer to the conversation that connects the dots between cryptids, the skies, and the deep unknown. Finally, the episode unpacks 3iatlas and the eerie suggestion of a potential alien craft heading toward Earth, leaving us to wonder just how close contact might really be. 🌍🛰️

If you’ve ever questioned what lies hidden in our swamps, beneath our oceans, or in the skies above, this episode will leave you both thrilled and unsettled.

📸Instagram: @darkfloridapodcast

💌Email: darkfloridapodcast@gmail.com

☕Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/darkflorida

🎬YouTube: youtube.com/@darkflorida411