ST. PETE SNAPSHOT- Prohibition! Rui Farias, St. Petersburg Museum of History
Season 2, Episode 1400, Nov 19, 10:38 PM
Share
Subscribe
In this episode of St. Pete Snapshot, Rui Farias, executive director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History, talks about Prohibition!
On November 5, 1918, Florida voters approved a statewide prohibition on the sale and manufacture of alcohol, a decision that aligned the state with the growing national temperance movement. The amendment passed by a wide margin across Florida, with St. Petersburg voters supporting it 266 to 64. The measure reflected a cultural shift already spreading through much of the country, as citizens linked alcohol with social disorder and moral decline. Newspapers reported that by midnight, returns clearly showed the amendment’s victory, alongside approval of a 10-mill school tax and a compulsory cattle-dipping law aimed at protecting livestock from disease. The prohibition would take effect on January 1, 1919, months before the national Volstead Act enforced federal prohibition. In Florida, the vote marked both a moral and political milestone, as the state joined others in reshaping everyday life through legislation. By early 1919, the St. Petersburg Times carried frequent reports of “moonshine raids,” describing deputies confiscating barrels of mash hidden in the woods or in backyard sheds. Federal prohibition agents also coordinated with local officers as Florida transitioned into national prohibition the next year.
Explore more at the Museum 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday or from Noon to 5pm on $6 Sundays! #HistoryStPete
#spmoh #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory #stpetesnapshot #ruifarias #prohibition #radiostpete #downtownstpete
On November 5, 1918, Florida voters approved a statewide prohibition on the sale and manufacture of alcohol, a decision that aligned the state with the growing national temperance movement. The amendment passed by a wide margin across Florida, with St. Petersburg voters supporting it 266 to 64. The measure reflected a cultural shift already spreading through much of the country, as citizens linked alcohol with social disorder and moral decline. Newspapers reported that by midnight, returns clearly showed the amendment’s victory, alongside approval of a 10-mill school tax and a compulsory cattle-dipping law aimed at protecting livestock from disease. The prohibition would take effect on January 1, 1919, months before the national Volstead Act enforced federal prohibition. In Florida, the vote marked both a moral and political milestone, as the state joined others in reshaping everyday life through legislation. By early 1919, the St. Petersburg Times carried frequent reports of “moonshine raids,” describing deputies confiscating barrels of mash hidden in the woods or in backyard sheds. Federal prohibition agents also coordinated with local officers as Florida transitioned into national prohibition the next year.
Explore more at the Museum 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday or from Noon to 5pm on $6 Sundays! #HistoryStPete
#spmoh #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory #stpetesnapshot #ruifarias #prohibition #radiostpete #downtownstpete