
A noted adventurer, educator and author, Charles J. Kropke enjoys leading groups waist-deep through exhilarating explorations of the Florida Everglades, planning itineraries into the hidden corners of the Caribbean Basin and delivering a captivating speech on the history, legends and mysteries that are intertwined in his work.
Environmental Speaker Charles J. Kropke
An engaging, intelligent and dynamic speaker, Mr. Kropke can cover a remarkable range of topics including Florida history, the secrets of the Everglades, the fascinating chronology of the Florida Keys and Key West, the Age of Piracy, Spanish treasure wrecks and recovery off of Florida’s coast, sustainable tourism, environmental restoration, and the rise of Miami as a center of world commerce and culture.
Mr. Kropke is a true “Renaissance man,” who overseas a family of companies in sustainable tourism and progressive environmental change. As Managing Partner for Dragonfly Expeditions, Florida’s largest corporate tour company, Mr. Kropke is a leader in educational, ecological, historic, and cultural tours in Florida and the Caribbean basin. He has created more than 150 distinctive tours featured by The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler and many other media outlets. He is also the man behind the launch of Windjammer Sailing Adventures, patterned after the storied 60 year old Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, a company dedicated to offering intimate cruises on tall ship schooners in the Caribbean.
Recently, Mr. Kropke partnered with digital publishing pioneer, Eleanor Goldstein to launch Tropic Moon Media – a regional leader in multimedia publishing. They are also co-authors of “South Beach: Stories of A Renaissance,” an award-winning coffee table-styled hardcover book that chronicles the remarkable business and social entrepreneurs who brought world-famous South Beach back to life. A companion video to the book is about to be released. Their next book, “The Everglades: Stories of a Legendary Wilderness,” will cover the breath and scope, people and places of this mysterious World Heritage treasure.
Mr. Kropke, a Board Member of the Baptist Health Foundation, recently received the Outstanding Individual Award from Dade Heritage Trust, Miami’s largest nonprofit historic preservation organization. He is also a driving force in the ecological recreation of an extinct ecosystem, the Pond Apple forests of Lake Okeechobee; a project of the Arthur K. Marshall Foundation for the Everglades and frequently donates time, resources and expertise to advance fundraising efforts for environmental projects in Florida.
For more about Charles J. Kropke, visit www.southbeachstories.com, www.dragonflyexpeditions.com or www.SailWindjammer.com.
Adventurer
Florida Culture/History
Environmental Issues
Environmental Sustainability