Hello,

I’m Buddy Martin, editor and publisher of the new Gator Bait Magazine. And I am beginning to feel like I just walked on the set of Ground Hog Day Starring Bill Murray as part of the new ownership group for the new GatorBait2019 effective July 10, 2019.

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Here I come again, boomeranging right back where I started from! Another fork in the road back toward the University of Florida, where I was educated, met my wife, became one of those Boys From Old Florida and wound up in journalism.  Maybe it was in my blood. I recently found out that my late grandfather, preacher-writer William Laban Martin, actually owned and operated The Gainesville Elevator newspaper in the early 1900s. Great name, The Gainesville Elevator. As most Gator fans know, it’s an up-and-down world. Right now with Dan Mullen and Mike White & Company, things appear to be going up.

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Gator Bait TV executive producer/director son Brenden is my co-owner/partner, so this is very much a family deal. We Martin Boys have ridden down this dusty trail before. Brenden likes to say, “We know what NOT to do, because we’ve already failed at it several times.”

 

Stay tuned for more exciting plans with the debut soon of GatorBait Plus and GatorBait Gold, which will soon merge with the #BuddyMartinShow on Facebook Live streaming where all our member/friend loyalists at #GatorNationKingdom hang out. And while I’m at it, I want to thank members of our GatorBait Lighthouse project for stepping up to support this project before it was even completed. 

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I am honored to be taking the reins of this iconic 40-year-old publication founded by David Stirt and, operated for many years by Landmark Publications, with Marty Cohen and my good friend Zach Abolverdi at the helm. We want to hear from you. If you need to reach me or one of our staff please feel free to reach out to the GatorBait Media Team.