"I have this T-shirt that says, ‘Zora & Eudora & Harper & Flannery.’ They’re the legends. I’m the guy that buys the T-shirt."

  --Craig Pittman

Pittman on not expecting to be named a Florida Literary Legend.  

His five books about the state and award-winning environmental reporting for the Times earned him the title.

The board of the Florida Heritage Book Festival begs to differ. They named Pittman, the award-winning environmental reporter for the Tampa Bay Times and the author of five books, their 2020 Florida Literary Legend on Oct. 6. He’ll receive the award on Feb. 21 at a ceremony in St. Augustine.

He’s in some pretty high-flying company. Other Florida Literary Legends include Edna Buchanan, Michael Connelly, Harry Crews, Tim Dorsey, Michael Gannon, Carl Hiaasen, Stetson Kennedy, Peter Matthiessen, Patrick Smith and Randy Wayne White.

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times.