Apalachicola FL News Commentary and Reading Recommendations

The Chicago Sun-Times has a great article for Florida tourists to meet the wildlife of the state: meet Manatees, feed Gators, and go oystering. Well worth checking out even for Floridians themselves.

From http://www.suntimes.com/output/travel/tr...lanature13.html:
 
Book Me a Charter's half-day oystering trips (lasting three to four hours) often are booked a year or more in advance. (...) A pro will show you how to "tong" oysters, using a pair of tongs with wooden handles up to 14 feet long and weighing 60 pounds. You'll use these to swoop up as many oysters as your arms can lift and drop them on the culling deck. There, you'll sift through your catch, tossing small oysters, fish, crabs and other hitchhikers back into the bay, and bag the rest. Although your boat will pull right up alongside the larger boats from which professional oystermen are gathering catches to be shipped to restaurants nationwide, your trip is considered recreational. That means you're allowed to take two 60-pound bags of your catch (about 300 oysters). (...) "It's physically hard work, but you don't have to punch a clock."
And for the ladies, there's a bit of a bonus.
"The guys all have large upper bodies," she says, noting her great-grandfather wooed his Canadian bride during oystering voyages. "Everybody looks like a He-Man walking around."

Sounds great! ;-)
 
Make sure to check out Devan Stuart's complete article with lots of exciting info about things to do in Florida, for tourists and natives.

09:51 AM   

An interesting article in Herald Today.

From http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/10840706.htm:
 
The federal government will spend $9 million to restore hurricane-damaged oyster reefs in four Gulf Coast states, including a $1.7 million grant for Florida, officials said Monday.(...)
Oyster growth material will be placed on damaged reefs and monitored to assess oyster populations, settlement growth, survival rates and the stability of the restored reefs, NOAA officials said in a news release.
In Florida, reefs will be identified for restoration in the Escambia and East bay sections of the Pensacola Bay system, Choctawhatchee Bay, the West, North and East bay sections of St. Andrews Bay and Apalachicola Bay.

Lets hope there are no hurricanes next year. Ivan sure blew a big hole into county, state and federal finances.

07:20 AM   

Thank you Nature Conservancy. It's great to know some people do everything they can to preserve some of Florida's rich natural heritage for future generations.

From http://nature.org/wherewework/northameri.../press1769.html:
 
The Nature Conservancy helped protect 14,556 acres in Florida in 2004 through a variety of acquisitions, often made on behalf of governmental agencies.
The largest parcel protected was the Blackwater Conecuh Connector in the western Panhandle at 4,623 acres, purchased from International Paper for the state through the Florida Forever program. (...)
Another highlight was two parcels totaling almost 1,600 acres added to Torreya State Park in the Apalachicola River basin. The Crooked Creek/Short Creek parcels contain beautiful ravines, steephead streams and upland pine and hardwood forests.
“The Nature Conservancy works in communities across Florida to protect the lands and waters that sustain us all,” said Florida Director Vicki Tschinkel. “Given our state’s current rate of growth, I’m sure every piece of land that we help preserve now will benefit future generations even more than we can currently imagine.”

Learn more about The Nature Conservancy and its programs at nature.org/florida .

07:44 AM   

Another interesting article about current developments with St. Joe Company.
 
Still haven't heard about St. Joe Co.? You should. This company is shaping the world around us as they're constantly building homes and selling of thousands of acres of property at (in my opinion) inflated prices. Chances are you can blame a sprawling housing development near you on their activities.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahass...ss/10685983.htm:
 
The department in 2002 required Franklin County to update its expired growth policies in return for approval of St. Joe's 499-home SummerCamp development near St. Teresa.(...)

At a contentious meeting in December, the Franklin County Commission agreed to hold the "consensus workshop" on Tuesday to hear public concerns.(...)
Commissioners talked about possibly appointing a working group but didn't do so. Commission Chairwoman Cheryl Sanders said the commission couldn't legally take action because it was a workshop, not a formal meeting.(...)
But David McLain, the Riverkeeper group's executive director, said he's against changing land-use maps to allow development on St. Joe land before there are policies to protect the seafood industry and natural resources.

Clearly The Riverkeeper group is up against a giant. Real estate development is a multi-billion business and sadly, environmental concerns can quickly get lost among the dollar signs.

06:35 AM   

There is a lot of variation by area even in the panhandle. For example, Tallahassee's median sales price only rose 2% whereas homes in Fort Walton Beach gained 20% on average.

From http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/8458/1/1/:
 
Resales increased in October despite the beating that Pensacola took from Hurricane Ivan, says Julia Harbols, president of the Pensacola Association of Realtors and a broker-associate with Eric Gleaton Realty Inc.
"Following the hurricane, many people are still dealing with homes that were destroyed or need extensive repair, rentals are scarce and hotels are booked," she says. "Inventory is very tight, but our demand also remains high. Many of our residents are able to afford to buy a second home, which is what they're doing, so they can live in that home now and either keep it for an investment property or sell it when they're able to complete repairs."

There is no evidence yet of the effect of hurricanes, higher home insurance rates etc. on the real estate along the coastline. We will watch coming Hurricane seasons closely and see if there will be any fallout on the real estate market.

08:03 AM   

I did not know that a private company owns 900,000 acres in the panhandle (!). Sounds like they're raking in money by building houses and other new developments.
 
According to the article, St. Joe owns SouthWood in Tallahassee and SummerCamp in Carrabelle, as well as properties and developments in Port St. Joe, Lynn Haven, Panama City Beach, Seagrove Beach, Riverview, Jacksonville, Deland, Jupiter and Celebration.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahass...ess/9971163.htm:
 
No contracts have been finalized, but Ray said lot prices have climbed from $386,000 in April to about $407,000 now. Rummell said the rapid increase in prices led to the decision to hold back the sale of some St. Joe properties until 2005.
(...) Rummell also said rising interest rates haven't affected St. Joe sales.

All I can say is... wow.
 
According to the company spokesman, around 45 percent of their sales don't involve a mortgage... which is why they're less affected by rising interest rates.
 
How long will dramatic price increases continue? Is this a housing bubble... or are the high prices here to stay?

06:23 AM   

Very interesting reading. Makes you want to drive along the coast and enjoy the landmarks of old Florida before they're all gone. The face of the Florida Panhandle is in constant flux, and ten years' time, it will look completely different from what we see now.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/...ion/9743261.htm:
 
There is no place for the working man and his plywood boat here: How can he pay the nearly $200-per-month slip fee? (...) The few opportunities for the displaced fishermen will lie in sweeping up tourist crumbs in million-dollar waterfront condos. (...) [D]rive to Carrabelle and witness the respect paid to the local fishermen there. The shrimp houses have all but vanished, as have the fishing trawlers.
(...) There has been a rumor about the Apalachicola Maritime Museum being revived. Such an effort is honorable but also paradoxical. Today we have a living museum called the Apalachicola Bay working waterfront, where Old Florida still exists and where heroic souls work with the sea to forge a living. (...) Today we have a choice: Preserve that legacy or relegate it to a cobwebbed museum exhibit of what once was.

The article also features some vivid descriptions and quotes from local fisher- and oystermen. Some well over 70 years old, they brave humidity, furnace-like temperatures and the back-breaking work of hoisting 40 pounds of oysters from the bay floor. They may be the last of their kind as this important part of Florida heritage dies out, to make room for more profitable endeavors.

08:51 AM   

A great article in Florida Game & Fish Magazine, about catching 'Mr. Whiskers' in North Florida Catfish Hotspots.

From http://www.floridagameandfish.com/fl_aa060904a:
 
Florida has a reputation as one of the best states in the country in which to catch largemouth bass and, to a lesser extent, bluegills and black crappie. (...) For pure dining enjoyment, however, there's probably no better freshwater denizen than the different species of catfish that populate the rivers and lakes of North Florida. Channel catfish, white catfish and bullheads are plentiful, while an occasional blue cat and even flathead catfish also show up. All of them are fairly easy to catch.

If you want to do a little catfishing this summer, there are four North Florida waterways you should definitely check out. These are the Suwannee River; the Ochlockonee River and Lake Talquin; the Apalachicola River and Lake Seminole; and the Choctawhatchee River.

The article lists many tips and tricks, such as staying away from hydrilla, finding areas where the depth is 10 to 20 feet, finding the correct bait (shrimp, Asian clams, wigglers, red worms, live bream etc. depending on the situation and the target), and more.

09:44 AM   

A very interesting article, finding parallels between the Tampa Bay area and the Forgotten Coast.

From http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../405300404/1004:
 
The Apalachicola Bay area is relatively rural -- it is known as the Forgotten Coast -- is home to a multimillion-dollar seafood industry, which depends on the preservation of water quality in the bay and the maintenance of proper balance of salt and fresh water. (...) The politics are complex, involving not county commissioners, but governors of three states and a variety of competing economic and environmental interests.
The ecology is simple, however.
A significant decline in fresh water arriving in Apalachicola Bay means salt water from the Gulf of Mexico will advance farther upstream into the bay and river.
The influx of salt water brings predators such as whelks, crabs and oyster drills into the areas where the oyster bars are located, and they can decimate those oysters that survive the increase in salinity.
If the freshwater shortage in the bay inflow becomes chronic, a century-old industry could die and Apalachicola Bay would lose some of the biological diversity that makes it a special place.

09:17 AM   

The article doesn't answer the question - why?

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/...cal/8636284.htm:
 
The state has suspended a doctor's license after investigators linked the overdose deaths of at least six patients to drugs he had prescribed, including the much-abused painkiller OxyContin.
(...) A receptionist at the Magnolia Medical Clinic, where Merrill practiced in this Florida Panhandle town about 60 miles southeast of Tallahassee, said she did not know how to reach him. His home telephone is unlisted.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the overdose deaths of about 10 of Merrill's patients. FDLE agents say drugs he prescribed contributed to at least six of those deaths, according to the suspension order.
(...) Addicts have found they can get a heroin-like high by crushing the pills so they can be snorted or mixed with water and injected.

Earlier, another Florida physician had been convicted of manslaughter for prescribing OxyContin. Serious stuff.
 
I do believe, that patients share some of the blame, too. Often, they pressure doctors into prescribing more drugs than they need. Doctors should not let themselves get manipulated, but with many doctor-patient relationships being more like that of an old family friend, it might sometimes not be easy to put one's foot down and tell them to enter rehab for drug abuse.
 
Still, that's no excuse though.

08:49 AM   

Thank God for the recent rain. I can't believe that prescribed burns can get out of control so quickly, but then... they're playing with fire, aren't they?

From http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8218861.htm:
 
After a prescribed burn in the Osceola National Forest escaped and torched 34,200 acres of timber and swamp land, the U.S. Forest Service is temporarily suspending prescribed burns in Florida's three national forests.
(...) After a prescribed burn in the Osceola National Forest escaped and torched 34,200 acres of timber and swamp land, the U.S. Forest Service is temporarily suspending prescribed burns in Florida's three national forests.
(...) The temporary ban on prescribed burns in the Osceola National Forest, Apalachicola National Forest and Ocala National Forest was ordered by Marsha Kearney, forest supervisor
(...) The U.S. Forest Service also is temporarily reassigning one or more employees pending the outcome of a separate administrative investigation.

Prescribed fires are necessary for the health of the forests, so they're not going to go away. However, hopefully, they won't come too close (again), either.

09:52 AM   

Driving past the thick underbrushes next to the roads here in Florida, I often wonder how many bodies are hidden in there. Macabre but true. Sometimes I wonder how these bodies are being found at all.

From http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8151866.htm:
 
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8151866.htm
(...) http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8151866.htm
(...) State and local investigators have identified skeletal remains found in the Florida Panhandle last year as a 27-year-old woman with a criminal past, but her murder remains unsolved.
Leslie Ann Oswalt has two young children who she gave up for adoption long ago and had lost touch with her family in South Carolina. She was killed last summer and dumped in a wooded area in this coastal town, her body hidden by brush for at least three months before it was found in October.
(...) It is unclear whether Oswalt lived in Apalachicola, but sheriff's Lt. Ronnie Segree said she a some run-ins with the law here. Franklin County court records show she was arrested in 1999 on a misdemeanor charge of passing worthless checks.
State corrections records show she was sentenced to two years of community service for burglary and grand theft in 1996 in Marion County and absconded from a 10-year probationary sentence she received two years ago in Wakulla County for armed robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Some people don't get second chances. Sounds like a sad ending to a sad life. Hopefully, the murderer will be found, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem likely. A cold case?

09:37 AM   

Warn your kids that these people are out there.

From http://www.wtvynews4.com/home/headlines/641042.html:
 
A Dothan man is in jail in Northwest Florida, after being arrested in Panama City Beach for lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor.
(...) A Dothan man is in jail in Northwest Florida, after being arrested in Panama City Beach for lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor.
(...) He
(...) allegedly had two juvenile boys in his motel room on Front Beach Road.
Early Monday morning, one of the boys ran out of the room and told motel staff that Bujalski attempted to fondle him.
He was charged at the Panama City Beach Police Department and has been transported to the Corrections Corporation of America in Bay County.
Both boys were taken back home to their parents.

It takes more than mentioning it once, to keep kids from following strangers. Hey, my mother warned me multiple times of strangers, and I grew up as a smart straight-A kid, but as a teen, once I needed a ride home and got into a car with someone where it almost turned out bad. I was lucky, and it seems the boys in the incident above came out okay, but unfortunately, for many other kids, it doesn't turn out as well.

06:29 AM   

Poor freezing manatees...

From http://www.floridasportsman.com/floridas...an/casts/040116:
 
(...) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) officials will wait for the next cold snap for another shot at the annual statewide aerial manatee count. The Department of Homeland Security's late-December terrorism alert forced the cancellation of flights over state power plants, where the animals gather during cold weather.
(...) "Roughly half the animals we count are around power plants," said Henry Cabbage, spokesman for the FWC. The plants' warmwater discharges attract the animals during the winter months, concentrating them for easy counting.

Poor creatures. Getting torn up by boat propellers, and celebrating Christmas huddled around a cozy... power plant?!

08:12 AM   

Who would've thunk...

From http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../401310458/1036:
 
(...) David Struhs, Florida's top environmental regulator, is going to International Paper Co. to become vice president for environmental affairs.
(...) That's the same David Struhs who helped International Paper get into partnership with the Escambia County Utilities Commission so the company could benefit from a $56 million government loan to help clean the water International Paper was dumping into Eleven Mile Creek, which flows into Perdido Bay in the Florida Panhandle.
(...) Struhs had plenty of detractors in the environmental community. A large group of them called for his resignation last year, saying he was too friendly to the interests he regulated.
(...) For critics who believe that the administration's regulators are too cozy with the industries they regulate, Struhs' exit through the paper industry's revolving door does nothing to dispel that belief.
One of those people is Jackie Lane, who lives on Perdido Bay and joined the challenge against International Paper. "People have to realize the industry and the regulators are very close," Lane said. "It's not surprising that Mr. Struhs is going to work for them. He's their biggest fan."

Someone is getting good money to regulate an industry - and shortly after, joins them? Does that smell fishy... or like a paper mill?

09:30 AM   

Here's the scary part... this could've been YOUR investment banker!

From http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/new...ews/7808532.htm:
 
KEY WEST - A disoriented man with slurred speech called Key West police to his seaside hotel early Monday to report that his high quality Bahamian marijuana had been stolen.
Jim Devlin, 33, an investment banker from East Meadow, New York, told police that his ''weed'' was missing from his bedside drawer at the Hilton Resort & Marina, adding that his girlfriend's $1,800 watch and a $50 bill were gone too.
(...) The investigating officer said Devlin reeked of alcohol, and was asked to sit down because he was swaying badly and speaking incoherently. A report was filed for the missing watch.
''I only want to report the watch, not the money or the weed, because I don't want to tell you how much weed there was,'' Devlin told police.

06:15 AM   

We've got bears?!

From http://gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...L/40115007/1007:
 
(...) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials announced Wednesday they will not place the Florida black bear on the national threatened species list, reaffirming a 1998 decision that was challenged by numerous wildlife conservation organizations.
(...) The bears live in the Apalachicola National Forest, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Osceola National Forest and the Ocala National Forest. They also live in the Big Cypress National Reserve.
(...) A subspecies of the American black bear, the Florida black bear is generally found in forested areas and eats mostly plants, acorns and berries. Macdonald said a federal threatened species designation could have helped stop the development of its habitat.
The habitat of the Florida black bear continues to shrink, Macdonald said.

Another proof of our rich Florida wildlife. It's worth preserving!

06:16 AM   

From http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/wptv/article/0...2561675,00.html:
 
Freezing temperatures were reported in much of north Florida and Panhandle Thursday morning, but were expected to moderate until the weekend.
Lows included 23 in Crestview, 24 in Tallahassee, 25 in Marianna, 26 in Jacksonville and 31 in Gainesville.

Once I get my time machine, during summer, I'll travel back to winter each Sunday afternoon. (And during winter, I'll travel back into summer every now and then to hang out in my hammock.)

07:16 AM