Today we’d like to introduce you to David Bulit.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Back in 2009, I saw a documentary called “Into the Darkness” about urban explorers which included a few locations here in Florida. Those locations were Xanadu in Orlando, a house located in Orlando made of hardened foam that was what the builders envisioned the “home of the future” would function and look like. The other location in the documentary was the old Aerojet Dade rocket manufacturing plant down in the Everglades. I was enthralled with the photos and footage shown and decided that if there’s a rocket out in the Everglades, there’s bound to be other abandoned places in the state worth seeing. After a bit of research, I found a prison work camp located West of Miami in the Big Cypress Preserve. After photographing that place, I shared my photos on an urban exploring forum called UER, the Urban Exploration Resource. I looked for some critique and someone commented that my photos were terrible, flat-out bad. I took that to heart and studied photography techniques, eventually purchasing a DSLR.
I founded my website Abandonedflorida.com in 2010 which details the history of many forgotten, lost, and abandoned places around the state. I kept improving over the years on my writing and my photography, eventually publishing books and founding other websites such as Abandonedalabama.com. These two websites are now part of the Abandoned Atlas Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose goal is simple; to advocate for the preservation and restoration of historically significant buildings and landmarks and to provide resources that may directly help with restoration projects.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In 2012, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and I had to get surgery in 2016 which removed a portion of my intestines. During the time before my surgery, it was a struggle having to deal with the constant pains and the regular hospital visits and finding the time to travel to these abandoned places. My hobbies of course, were very limited and purely focused on photography and urban exploring.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a photographer and author whose works can be found at AbandonedFlorida.com and AbandonedAlabama.com, as well as multiple books including Lost Miami, Abandoned South Florida, and Abandoned Jacksonville Vol. I & II. I’ve been featured in numerous forms of media throughout the world such as the Miami New Times, the Florida Times-Union, the Orlando Sentinel, NPR, Yahoo News, MSN, the Daily Mail, UK Sun, and many others.
I’m most proud of the websites I’ve created. They are labors of love which I have worked for thousands of hours throughout these past 12 years. The research, details, and history I provide alongside the photos I feature are what set me apart from others.
Any big plans?
I’m currently with the Abandoned Atlas Foundation and we have been working hard on getting the websites revamped and in line with each other. We are currently working with developers and owners of various properties on ideas on what to do with the abandoned structures they own. It’s a process and we’re still getting our bearings together, but you can look forward to any current and future projects by visiting our website AbandonedAtlas.com or joining our Facebook page.
Contact Info:
- Website: abandonedfl.com
- Instagram: abandonedfl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abandonedfl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/abandonedatlasfoundation
Image Credits
David Bulit
