Skate Paradise In The Florida Woods: Carl Naegele

A backyard skate ramp hidden in the St. Augustine woods sounds like a tall tale, but Carl Nagley lived it and built it. We sit down with the North Florida local to trace a 36-year skateboarding journey shaped by Kona Skatepark, contest-era Florida energy, and a deep love for spine ramps and technical coping tricks. If you’ve ever watched someone link lip trick combos that look straight out of Tony Hawk, Carl’s the kind of skater you’re thinking of. We get into the specifics that skaters actually care about: why certain transitions “feel right,” how to keep learning without chasing the biggest trick, and the mindset of taking what you already have and adding one small piece to create something new. Carl also talks favorite skaters, early sponsorship moments, Tampa Am memories, and how Florida skateboarding grew from a regional scene into a worldwide pipeline. Then we zoom out to the culture around the skating: the local skate shops that held scenes together, the overlap between skateboarding and music, and our chaotic “News with Idiots” segment. We also get honest about shared skateparks, from inline skaters to BMX and scooters, including the unbreakable rule that can save a session: don’t wax coping. Stick around for the ramp round-two plans, plus a real update on surgery, recovery, and the drive to get back on the board with unfinished business. If you enjoy skateboarding stories with equal parts history, humor, and hard-earned wisdom, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a five-star review.