Seaside Walton County 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   

He helped launch the now-legendary modern newspaper.

From http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/10876902.htm:
 
Retired USA Today Senior Editor Ron Franklin, who also worked at newspapers in Panama City and Pensacola, has died. He was 65.
The St. Marks native, who helped launch Virginia-based USA Today in 1982, died on Tuesday from a kidney ailment in his condominium [in Panama City Beach]. He was in charge of the newspaper's state section when he retired three years ago.

07:17 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.

07:27 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   

The Mobile Register features a great article comparing the two hurricanes Ivan and Frederic and the damage they caused.

From http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/in...27669524260.xml:
 
When it comes to gauging hurricanes, Frederic will remain the benchmark for Mobile County, but for Baldwin County and the western Florida Panhandle counties of Escambia and Santa Rosa, Ivan will be the worst storm in memory, according to local weather officials.
"Just a matter of a few degrees' shift made a big, big difference," Gary Beeler of the National Weather Service in Mobile said of Hurricane Ivan's effects on Mobile County. "Frederic is still king in Mobile."
For Baldwin, it's different. "There's no comparison for Baldwin County -- Ivan was worse," he said. "Ivan was worse than (Hurricane) Opal.
Frederic struck late on the night of Sept. 12, 1979, making landfall on Dauphin Island with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph. Wind equipment on the Dauphin Island Bridge recorded a gust near 145 mph before it stopped working.

When will the next big one hit? Hopefully, we'll get a year or two of quiet. But, don't count on it...
 
One thing's for sure: come next hurricane, more people will be boarding up, prepare for power outages, and buy emergency supplies. That's a good thing.

09:03 AM   

This should bring back a lot of memories for many of us. I love small, personal newspaper articles like that. (Found in the News-Sun.)

From http://www.newssun.com/4DACTION/BUILDDETAIL/5982:
 
One summer, I got to help him build a boat. (...) Our fishing foray usually began in the early afternoon. We walked the few miles to the creek through woods and pastures. On the way, we stopped at a small stream to seine minnows and little sunfish for bait. We also searched for hellgrammites under the rocks in the riffles of the stream.
When we had what bait we needed, we trekked on through the woods to the creek. Getting there sometime between 5 and 6 oÕclock, we would rest a while and then get the boat loaded.
Uncle Clyde had a few different ways of setting lines for catfish. Some lines contained several hooks. He called these trot lines, and they were tied from one bank of the creek to the opposite bank (...)

Read it and enjoy. It's one of the many things that make Florida so special.

06:32 AM   

FloridaToday.com features an interesting article about recent developments that threaten 50,000 acres within th Ocala, Osceola and Apalachicola national forests.

From http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/op...511WFORESTS.htm:
 
Environmental groups are rightly aghast at the prospect, but those who would try to paint this as a "tree-hugger" issue couldn't be more wrong.
For example, 460 guns groups under the umbrella of the Northern Sportsmen Network -- including 19 gun groups from Florida -- have written to the U.S. Forest Service, urging the roadless rule to remain intact to preserve world-class hunting and fishing grounds.

A lot is at stake. Old-grown forests are some of America's most beautiful natural treasures. It's easy to cut them down but once they're gone, they're gone.

07:41 AM   

Good news almost all across the board.

From http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/mo...428CONSUMER.htm:
 
Home building is on the rise. So are home resales. The unemployment picture looks brighter. And the economy seems to be percolating. All four factors seem to have helped consumers feel better about the economy in April, according to two studies released Tuesday. They indicate that, despite rising gasoline prices and the continuing unrest in Iraq, consumer sentiment about current economic conditions generally was favorable this month.
The New York-based Conference Board, a private research firm, said its index of consumer confidence jumped to 92.9 in April from a revised 88.5 in March. (...)
"The economy, at least locally, is in a phenomenal state," Barin said. "I haven't see it this way for the 19 years I've been in the home-building business." (...) Lynn Franco, director of research at Conference Board's Research Center, said falling unemployment played a key role in boosting consumer confidence numbers in April.

The article also points out an amazing statistic: In Brevard county, March home sales shot up 26 percent over the year, while the median sale prices - the point at which half the homes sell for more, half for less - jumped 23 percent.

07:28 AM   

A cooking pot filled with 90 grand? Now this would be a nice mother's day present!

From http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJo...TAT03042704.htm:
 
A real estate broker whose husband was acquitted of bribing Escambia County commissioners is being tried this week on related charges.
G. Elliott, 52, is charged with structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements, money laundering and being a principal to bribery.
The trial was moved from Pensacola to Crestview, in Okaloosa County, because of extensive news coverage in Escambia.
A Crestview jury last year convicted suspended Escambia County Commissioner W.D. Childers, also a former Florida Senate president, on bribery charges. He was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in state prison but is free on bond pending appeal.
Childers was convicted of bribing another suspended commissioner, Willie Junior, with a cooking pot filled with about $90,000 in cash to vote for purchasing a former soccer complex from Elliott and her husband, J. Elliott, for $3.9 million in 2001.(...)
Junior has pleaded no contest to bribery, extortion, grand theft and other charges in deal with prosecutors who have promised a prison term of no more than 18 months. Junior also agreed to testify against other defendants.
Gov. Jeb Bush suspended Childers, Junior and two other Escambia commissioners in 2002 after they were indicted on corruption charges.(...)
Smith also was convicted of sunshine violations but avoided jail.

What in the world are sunshine violations?!

07:15 AM   

A great project to cut down on traffic, and to make for a more pleasant commute. With today's gas prices, it's worth looking into for anyone driving between Tallahassee and Panama City.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/8469648.htm:
 
The service, known as the C-Tran Express Transit Service, is the idea of owner John Crooms, a retired New York City bus driver from Apalachicola
(...) The company, which has a taxi and limousine service, works with various real-estate agents conducting tours. Last year, for a few months, Crooms offered service from Apalachicola to Tallahassee.
This year, Crooms decided to expand the service by adding Panama City to the schedule.
"There are people here who have to go back and forth," said Crooms, who added that cab rides often are expensive. His business, he said, will target people who work in the Tallahassee and Panama City areas.

Read about cost, etc. in the article. Reservations are preferred, but people can get picked up on the way by waiting at the bus stops. C-Tran also offers a package delivery service.

09:05 AM   

No injuries, fortunately. Interesting: The comment made by a quail hunter, who witnessed the fire spreading.

From http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8461990.htm:
 
The fires in Bay and Calhoun counties near Panama City started around near a swamp around noon Saturday, and led to the evacuation of at least one family.
Fire agencies built fire lanes around the most susceptible areas over the weekend, and protected the homes threatened by smoke and flames. Helicopters filled 500-gallon buckets in nearby ponds, and swept through the gray smoke.
(...) Tony Bullock, 35, said he spotted flickering flames midday Saturday while quail hunting, and watched as they quickly spread, despite a dispatcher's reassurance that it was a controlled burn.

Maybe not so controlled after all.

08:07 AM   

Tell me it ain't true!!

From http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8429480.htm:
 
The Miracle Strip Amusement Park, a fixture for 41 years in this Florida Panhandle resort city, will close on Labor Day to make way for new development.
Owner Billy Lark has sold the park and surrounding land to developers, general manager Buddy Wilkes said.
"It's a sad day," Wilkes said Tuesday, standing beneath dark clouds and shuddering in unseasonably cold weather. "It's kind of appropriate that it's so gloomy."
(...) Wilkes said a shopping center and condominiums are among the possibilities.
(...) "There are eight married couples here who met at the park," Wilkes said. "I'll bet there are lots who had their first date here, too."
Plans also could include a silent auction or sale of memorabilia. Several companies have expressed interest in buying rides and other equipment, Wilkes said. The park could be rebuilt on another site in Panama City Beach, but not under Lark family ownership, Wilkes said.

I have a lot of fond memories of the park, especially the "Abominable Snowman" ride and the Broadway-type shows on stage, which were much better than most people gave them credit for. I will try to visit the park at least twice before it closes.

09:25 AM   

From http://www.palmbeachpost.com/travel/cont...5ab10c0003.html:
 
(...) Western Lake, which rambles from the piney woods to the Grayton shore, is by far the largest (150 acres) and most utilized of the 17 coastal dune lakes in Walton County.
(...) A dozen smaller lakes also are accessible along County Road 30A, the 19-mile scenic route that loops south of U.S. 98 between Destin and Panama City. Besides being ideal for fishing, canoeing and some extremely casual swimming, the rare system of coastal dune lakes is esteemed in geological circles, particularly for the lakes' intermittent outfall.
(...) WaterColor, a 4-year-old Arvida Resorts community that extends from gulf front into the woods behind Seaside and Seagrove, provides canoes, kayaks and sailboats to guests and property owners; similar light boats are rented at Grayton Beach State Park and by local outfitters who will deliver and pick up your craft.

Check out the article. It's great to have so many water sports activities available close to home, in the ocean or in and around the lake system.

06:17 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   

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   

An interesting article on the conflict between North Florida Episcopalians and the national Episcopal church, on the issue of appointing a gay priest:

From http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/new...ews/7828499.htm:
 
(...) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida Episcopalians, many of whom are opposed to the naming of a gay bishop, will consider a resolution this week on whether the diocese should join a new nationwide organization that plans to fight the Episcopal Church over the issue.
(...) The Network vows to fight Episcopal Church actions it says "departed from the historic faith and order and have brought immense harm" with the ordination of openly gay bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
(...) Another resolution, opposed by the bishop, calls for changing the articles of re-incorporation so that Diocese of Florida is not affiliated with the national body of the church.
Jim Hampton, a lay person with the Church of the Holy Spirit in Tallahassee, introduced the resolution and sees it as a way to show those upset with the ordination of Robinson that the church is taking action. It would take votes in two conventions to implement it.
"A tremendous amount of people have left the church and more will leave if this resolution is not passed," he said.
"Either follow God or follow the world," Hampton said.
Church officials, however, said it would upset the hierarchy of the church structure.

These are interesting issues to think about. The current movement is seen critically by many people - especially the issue of gay marriage, which means redefining an age-old institution - however, an interesting side effect is that it forces people to think - "How do I feel about gays?" Personally I think it's very much worth it to explore this point further for oneself, beyond the statement - "it's against the bible."

07:19 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   

Overdue

From http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/sout...tml?jst=b_ln_hl:
 
Florida would be the first state in the country to enact a law requiring hospitals to offer a discount program for uninsured patients who seek treatment in emergency rooms under a proposal unveiled Wednesday by the Florida Hospital Association (FHA).
(...) Backers of the proposal said it is designed to help combat rapidly rising health insurance premiums, which they blame for increasing the numbers of uninsured people in Florida who seek treatment in hospital emergency rooms.

It seems to be a no-brainer. Hospitals shouldn't be allowed to seek maximum profits out of those that can't pay much.

06:04 AM