Like palm trees, the Everglades, Disney World, and “Florida Man,” the orange is a classic symbol of the Sunshine State. But maybe not for much longer. Production has declined more than 95% in less than 25 years, setting off alarm bells across the industry. So what happened? It’s a produce murder mystery—and reporter Alex Sammon and our friends at Decoder Ring are on the case. The suspects include insects, hurricanes, mortgage-backed securities, and the American habit of not reckoning with enormous, load-bearing flaws until it’s way too late.

Check out Decoder Ring wherever you get your podcasts. 

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. The Decoder Ring team includes Katie Shepherd, Evan Chung, Josh Levin, Willa Paskin, Max Freedman, and Merritt Jacob.

Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:

• "Feel Real Good" by Will Van De Crommert
• "One Night Tango" by Steve Pierson
• "Get In The Back" by Kenneth J. Brahmstedt
• "Take Me All The Way" by Aibai Tarrant
• "On The Floor" by Black Label Productions

Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library/flickr licensed under CC by 2.0.

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