The Florida Forum Speaker Series, presented by The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, will welcome Floridian, Journalist and Novelist Carl Hiaasen on Feb. 12, 2025. The program begins at 7 p.m. at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. The moderator for Hiaasen’s program is Florida Times-Union Columnist Mark Woods.

          Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. He has published 11 national bestsellers, including Strip Tease, Stormy Weather, Lucky You, Sick Puppy, Basket Case, Skinny Dip, Nature Girl, Star Island, Bad Monkey, Razor Girl, and his latest, Squeeze Me. Hiaasen’s book, Bad Monkey, has been turned into a series starring Vince Vaughn on Apple TV. Hiaasen has also written several popular novels for young readers: His first, Hoot, won a Newbery Honor and was made into a feature film starring Brie Larson, Luke Wilson and Logan Lerman.

Hiaasen's books have been published in 34 languages. His nonfiction work has appeared in many magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Playboy, Time, and Esquire. Hiaasen began writing a regular column for The Miami Herald in 1985, covering everything from local issues like polluted rivers, the criminal justice system, and animal welfare, to national stories like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Trayvon Martin case, Bernie Madoff's trial, and Florida's presidential election woes. He has received numerous honors for his incisive journalism and commentary, including three Pulitzer Prize nominations, the Damon Runyon Award from the Denver Press Club and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Tickets to the Florida Forum event start at $85 each for general seating, $115 for preferred seating, $150 for one reserved Bronze level ticket, $300 for two reserved Bronze level tickets, $750 for two reserved Silver level tickets and $1,500 for four reserved Gold level tickets. The purchase of a Silver or Gold ticket package includes invitations to the private reception honoring Carl Hiaasen following the lecture. Patrons under the age of 30 may purchase Young Subscriber tickets for $50 each. To purchase tickets, visit www.thefloridaforum.com, call 904.202.2886, or email [email protected].