Today's News

 About two weeks ago, with Father's Day just around the corner, I found myself on a plane traveling across country to pay tribute to a man I used to call father-in-law, but who always remained family.

Andy died in a motorcycle accident just a couple hours after my 10-year-old son, Taylor, thanked him by phone for the birthday present and photos he sent of himself on that very motorcycle. He was only 59, with so much life left to live.

With help from local fishermen, guides and clam farmers, a mass-cooperative effort among local, state and national agencies to more accurately predict storm surge off the coast of Levy County is nearly complete.

New storm tide markers based on accurate Mean Sea Level readings have been placed around Cedar Key and Yankeetown and will allow municipal emergency responders to work closely with the National Weather Service in Ruskin, Fla. - resulting in more accurate data to determine storm surge behavior.

Growing up near Long Island, New York in my teens much of my fishing was done on the many beaches brunting on the Atlantic Ocean. Most of our catch would be kingfish (southern whiting), weakfish (southern trout), striped bass and that nasty, ferocious bluefish. Intermixed were skates and my unforgettable sting ray. An occasional catch was the comical blowfish (southern puffer).

We've all become more aware of our critical responsibility to respect, maintain and conserve Florida's water resources.

At times when our rivers are flooding and water seems to be everywhere we don't want it, water conservation seems unnecessary.

But when we remember that no matter how much it rains only a portion of this water actually seeps back into North Florida's aquifers (which are where more than 90 percent of our drinking water comes from), we have to admit that it is important to conserve this vital resource.