Florida is paradise for water sports, with more than 1,000 miles of beaches and more than 8,400 miles of shoreline. Before you venture out into “Water Sport-land”, there are a few points to ponder: know your limitations and swim near a lifeguard stand; you can swim in 6 feet of water just as well as 25 feet of water, so don’t go too far out. Learn the “Sting Ray Shuffle”.

This is not really a dance, although it might look like one from the distance. It is a way to hopefully avoid being stung by a stingray. When stingrays are spotted, make sure you shuffle your feet when you wade into the water. The shuffling motion will scare them hopefully away. You can get stung when the fish whips its barbed tail around to protect itself. The released toxin can be extremely painful. Don’t try that out.  How do you know if stingrays are around?

An easy way is to pay attention to the beach flags flown at the lifeguard stands on county beaches. Green always means that conditions are OK. A yellow flag flies when caution is urged. A red flag flying means no swimming allowed, with dangerous conditions such as lightning making it prudent to stay out of the water. A blue flag means dangerous marine life, such as stingrays, sharks or jellyfish. 

It's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in South Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, 'Is the coming winter going to be cold ?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared. A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'

'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'it's going to be a very cold winter.' The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find. Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'

 
'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.' 'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

Oh My! Hurricanes, Red Tide and Sharks!

Let’s take the mystique out of living and vacationing in Florida. There is no doubt about it that from time to time a natural phenomenon will take place in Florida and it will become a top media event. Especially when there is not too much going on someplace else in the world this event will be the top theme on TV 24/7. “Hurricane” is the trigger word.

Hurricanes belong to Florida as much as sunshine, Flipper and Mickey Mouse; they are just a part of life in the subtropics. The official Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to November 30. Generally our area is most active late August through October. And not every year will have an active season;  2004/2005 were very active years, 2008 was extremely calm.

What Is A Hurricane?

 
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone, which generally forms in the tropics and is accompanied by thunderstorms and a counterclockwise circulation of winds. They can start as a thunderstorm over Africa and while travelling along the Equator develop into a hurricane. But they can form right in front of our door steps, in the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean, as well. Tropical cyclones are classified as follows:

TROPICAL DEPRESSION

A tropical depression is an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 38 mph or less. This is actually how it all begins, but fortunately not all of them will make it. If the surrounding area is not favorable for development, a tropical depression will dump some rain and die.

TROPICAL STORM

A tropical storm is an organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 39-73 mph. When tropical storms are closer to the upper end (70 mph wind and more) they can cause some damage in older homes, modular homes and trailer parks. Also the amount of rain can cause a severe headache in low lying areas. 

HURRICANE

Hurricane is the name for an intense tropical weather system of strong thunderstorms with a well-defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher. According to their wind speed hurricanes are categorized:  Cat 1 (74-95 mph), Cat 2 (96-110 mph), Cat 3 (111-130 mph), Cat 4 (131-155 mph) and Cat 5 (155+ mph).

In this age of technology it is rare a storm comes in unannounced. Hurricanes are found and tracked from their infancy so an abundance of timely information and warnings are available. The weathermen are doing a great job in predicting the exact path and timeline of those storms. However, and they do admit it, they are still having a hard time predicting the intensity of the storms. The difference between a Cat 4 and Cat 5 is not only a few more miles of wind; it can be the difference between disaster or catastrophe.

Therefore it is not brave if you want to stay in the home while a Cat 5 is narrowing in, it’s only plain stupid. When a hurricane is expected to develop somewhere close one only needs to check the television, radio or internet once a day to stay informed. If you do find yourself in the area when warnings are issued be sure to obey evacuation orders immediately for the safety of you and your family. Contact Emergency Management for additional information if you or your family members have special needs.  

A HURRICANE WATCH issued for your part of the coast indicates the possibility that you could experience hurricane conditions within 36 hours, meaning that there is only a chance of getting hit by a storm.

A HURRICANE WARNING issued for your part of the coast indicates that sustained** winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 24 hours. Now it is time to keep the TV on and check frequently back. The local authorities might issue partial or complete evacuation. If it is not that bad it is time to start with necessary preparations. Keep in mind that you might loose power for hours or days.

STORM SURGE - is water that is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around the storm. This advancing surge combines with the normal tides to create the hurricane storm tide, which can increase the mean water level up to 20 feet and more.

INLAND FLOODING - In the last 30 years, inland flooding has been responsible for more than half the deaths associated with tropical cyclones in the United States. In flood zones and areas close to rivers this is the real concern.

HIGH WINDS - Hurricane-force winds can destroy poorly constructed buildings and mobile homes. Debris such as signs, roofing material, and small items left outside become flying missiles in hurricanes. Only hurricane shutters can prevent major damages. Don’t go outside, those missiles can kill!

TORNADOES- Hurricanes can produce tornadoes that add to the storm's destructive power. Tornadoes are most likely to occur in the right-front quadrant of the hurricane, and that is the section of the storm where rain and wind is already the heaviest.

** Sustained winds are defined as a 1-minute average wind measured at about 33 ft (10 meters) above the surface.

Red Tide

Most of the time Red Tide is way off the cost but if it reaches the shoreline it will affect you. This phenomenon is an algae bloom found in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately there is no way to accurately predict when it appears. In some years it can be a plague, in other years there is not even a hint of it. Usually only those residing by the shore are effected, causing an irritation in the throat and nose, and coughing. Dead fish floating in the water and fish rotting on the beach is an unmistakable sign for red tide, besides the ugly smell.

What is exactly causing it? Nobody knows for sure but fertilizer run offs from the mainland are definitely contributing to the algae bloom. Since 2008 the local government put a law in place forbidding the use of fertilizer during the rainy season. Does it help? It seems so, last year there was no red tide at all. You will not hear about Red Tide in the media unless hundreds of tourists are drifting belly up next to the dead fish. Because this is not very likely to happen, Red Tide news is considered boring. Red Tide information: Mote Marine Laboratory (941) 388-4441 or www.mote.org.

Africa has lions, India has tigers and Florida has sharks. In the Gulf of Mexico lives a variety of sharks, the size differs from small to impressive. Fortunately most of the sharks are friendly neighbors here in paradise; however, some of them can indeed not be trusted. But let us straighten this out: sharks have been around for millions of years and they are an important link of the food chain. They are important to the ecological balance of our oceans because they basically keep our oceans clean.

While sharks are present all the time, they are usually found in deep waters and around inlets. In the summer time they come closer to shore because the shallow water is a breeding ground for fish.  Humans are not on the shark’s menu at all, however, it happens from time to time that sharks mistakenly take a bite. Sharks have a very poor vision, they attack moving targets or interesting looking ones. When your watch or necless is reflecting the sunlight a shark might find it "interesting". However, it is extremely unlikely for a person to be bitten or attacked by a shark in Florida waters, and attacks are rarely life threatening. If you are thinking of going swimming on an ocean beach, and if you are concerned about sharks, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce your chances of being bitten to almost zero. 

Florida, located in the very SE corner of the United States,  is a long, low laying peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico,  bordered by Georgia and Alabama. 

Tourism plays a primary role in the state's economy; in 1996 visitors to Florida spent over $48 billion. Walt Disney World, a massive cluster of theme parks near Orlando that is one of the world's leading tourist attractions; Universal Studios, a combination theme park and film and television production facility, also near Orlando; and other attractions draw millions yearly.

Famed beaches, such as those at Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, attract hordes of vacationers.

With more than 4,000 sq mi (10,360 sq km) of inland water and with the sea readily accessible from almost anywhere in the state, Florida is a fishing paradise. Other attractions include Everglades National Park, with its unusual plant and animal life; Palm Beach , with its palatial estates; and Sanibel Island's picturesque resorts.

Famous for its citrus fruits, Florida leads the nation in the production of oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and market-ready corn and tomatoes. Other important crops include sugarcane and many varieties of winter vegetables. Cattle and dairy products are important, as is commercial fishing, with the catch including crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. 

Area: 58,560 sq mi (151,670 sq km).

Population: (2000) 15,982,378, a 23.5% increase since the 1990 census.

Capital,Tallahassee.

Largest city,Jacksonville.