HobeSound

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Volume 3 Issue 3 • July 2013

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3 dolphinstudies yieldsurprises... pg 3

6 bunniesneed names... pg 5

One Palm Cityfamily enjoys an'Extraordinary

Experience'... pg 12

Palm City ChamberPrez speaks out... pg 15

pg 10

Commission grabbing power above all else Pg 6

Martin County CurrentsJuly 20132

Taxes are heading up. The“average” Martin Countyresident with a homesteadexemption can expecta three and a half percent increase in prop-erty taxes as part of the tentative 2014budget, according to County Administra-tor Taryn Kryzda.

“The Board has done everything tohold down expenditures for the past fewyears, but residents have expressed theirconcerns with the conditions of our roads,”Kryzda said in a county news release, “andwithout a larger increase in the tax base, aslight tax increase will be necessary.”

Budget workshops began June 22,videotaped by Martin County Television,MCTV, and are online. An electronic copyof the 2014 Tentative Budget of $361 mil-lion also is available on the county’s web-site www.martin.fl.us. �

The next meeting of theRivers Coalition will bean evening meeting onThursday, July 25, at 6 p.m.in the council chambers of Stuart CityHall. It is open to the public. Leon Abood,chairman, said he will invite the ArmyCorps of Engineers to provide an updateto the public.

The last appearance of the Army Corpsat a Rivers Coalition meeting in March re-vealed that the much-touted Plan 6 tomove water south out of Lake Okeechobeehad been nixed by their engineers severalyears ago.

The engineers had determined that thewater would dissipate, thus not accom-plishing the objective of creating a south-ern flow from the lake into the Everglades.

That southern flow of water, scientistshave determined, is the only remedy to

stop the polluted, freshwater releases fromLake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River,which environmentalists blame for seri-ously damaging the St. Lucie and IndianRiver Lagoon estuaries. �

Golf legend Gary Player,who lives on Jupiter Island,will pose nude for theupcoming ESPN The Magazine’s “BodyIssue,” due out mid-July. The 77-year-oldHall of Famer will become the oldest ath-lete to bare all in the annual spread.

Other athletes appearing in the July 12issue include fellow golfer Carly Booth,NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, NBAplayer John Wall, baseball player Gian-carlo Stanton and Olympic volleyballplayer Kerri Walsh Jennings, according toan ESPN news release.

Player, who endures 1,000 sit-ups and1,000 push-ups daily, said that he hopesthe “exposure” will inspire others to takebetter care of their bodies as they age. �

Key elements of theproposed changes tothe Martin CountyComprehensive Growth ManagementPlan that conflict with state law and also

could threaten revitalization of MartinCounty's historic waterfront communitieswere footnotes to the approval by theTreasure Coast Regional Planning Councilvote May 17.

In his report to members, Executive Di-rector Peter Merritt said that the apparent11 conflicts with state law, which werebrought to the Martin County Commis-sion's attention by attorney Kenneth G.Oertel, as well as Martin County residentLee Weberman's objections to the restric-tiveness of requiring a super-majorityvote, are “important concerns” regardingthe proposed changes.

“The Florida Department of EconomicOpportunity should address these issues inthe state review,” he said in his report.“However, regarding regional issues, noadverse effects on significant regional re-sources and facilities have been identified.”

Merritt recommended, however, thatthe county should consider simplifyingthe plan to make it easier to understand byeliminating duplicate language and bytransferring some of the details to the landdevelopment regulations.

He addressed the proposed setbacksfrom the water for already hardenedshorelines in both his written report and inhis oral comments to members, saying theproposed change would be an “....impedi-ment to the redevelopment of waterfrontareas...”, adding that the county may want

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 News Stream 3

continued on page 5

Dolphin dorsal fins are like fingerprints; no two are exactly alike thus are used fordolphin identification.

Tequesta Village Mayor Abby Brennan and members of the Tequesta police and fire squadsdedicate a wreath at Village Hall to the 19 Arizona firefighters who lost their life in a June wildfire.

Indian River Lagoon dolphins never ven-ture into the Atlantic Ocean; dolphins ap-parently name and call each other byunique whistle sounds; and the leadingcause of death of lagoon dolphins is as-phyxiation.

Scientists from Mote Marine Lab nearSarasota reported that dolphins communi-cate to one another using distinctive whis-tles, which are not random noises.

“These whistles actually turned out tobe names,” said Dr. Randall Wells, lead re-searcher. “They’re abstract names which isunheard of in the animal kingdom beyondpeople.” They call to each other by name.

Their research also showed that dol-phins don’t swim in the wild with theirown families, but make long-term relation-ships with dolphins from other families,using their distinctive whistles to “stay intouch” and to maintain group cohesion.

At the Harbor Branch OceanographicInstitute, dolphin researcher Marilyn Maz-zoil reported that Indian River Lagoondolphins stay in the lagoon without everventuring out to sea, and Atlantic Oceandolphins do not come into the lagoon.More research is needed to reveal whythat is.

Using the marks on the dorsal fins of1,000 lagoon dolphins over the past 15years, Mazzoil was able to identify at leastthree separate dolphin communities, each

of which stays within about a 30-mile ra-dius of each other, she said. The males ofthe group tend to venture farther, how-ever, and not with their families, leavingmothers and aunts to raise the young.

Mazzoil spearheaded the movement tocreate Florida’s “Protect Wild Dolphins”specialty license plates to fund dolphin re-search. It’s still available for sale to Floridaresidents, and its funds ensure continuingdolphin studies, said Mazzoil.

Another study released earlier thisyear from the Hubbs-SeaWorld ResearchInstitute found that lagoon dolphins havehad a four percent death rate (14 of 350deaths) over the past 15 years due to as-phyxiation, an unusual cause of death fordolphins, according to a SeaWorld release.

The oceanside dolphins had no cases ofsimilar asphyxiation either from line orspiney-fish ingestion, but in more thanone-third of the cases identified, re-searchers found that lagoon dolphins hadchoked on fish ensnared with hooks thatembedded in the esophagus or withmonofilament line that became entangledin the mammals’ larynx.

More than 400 lagoon dolphins havedied since 2002, and many of the deathshave been from unknown causes, al-though scientists suspect water pollutionand the loss of sea grass also as significantcontributing factors. �

The results of three significant studies ofdolphins reveal some surprising facts aboutthese treasured marine mammals:

remembrance of the 19 firefighters whoperished in an Arizona wildfire in lateJune. Awreath was laid by Tequesta policeofficers and firefighters at Tequesta’s 9/11Memorial in front of the Village Hall dur-ing the evening shift change.

“As the residents in surroundingtowns were fleeing the raging wildfires,”said Tequesta Mayor Abby Brennan,

“these brave men were advancing directlyinto them.”

The Village of Tequesta also sent an offi-cial request to the President of the UnitedStates theAmerican Flag be lowered to halfmast on federal buildings in remembranceof the firefighters, the largest number ofemergency personnel to be killed in the U.S.at one time since the 9/11 terrorist attack.�

Under a light rain July 3 that seemed fittinglylike tears from heaven, Tequesta Villageofficials and rescue personnel held a somber

Martin County CurrentsJuly 20134

to consider additional exceptions to theshoreline protection zone within the Com-munity Redevelopment Areas.

Martin County Growth ManagementDirector Nikki van Vonno recommendedto the commission that they postpone thefinal vote until August 13, so that countystaff could address the state's concerns,however, they may have adopted thechanges without additional delay. (Cur-rents goes to press prior to the July 9 com-mission meeting.)

If the final vote is delayed until Au-gust, public comment, via email or USmail, should be addressed to Nikki vanVonno, Growth Management DepartmentDirector at nikkiv@martin.fl.us., or toGrowth Management Dept,., County Ad-ministrative Center, 2401 S.E. MontereyRd. Stuart, FL 34996. �

The members of the HobeSound Bible Church whotraveled to Oklahomato assist in the tornado relief effort re-turned home recently with amazing sto-ries of grace and the overwhelming task ofclean-up that remains to be done.

“If you can imagine this,” one churchmember told a gathering of Hobe SoundToastmasters recently, “if this two-storychurch building was completely de-

stroyed and lay in a pile of rubble, but allyou and 20 other volunteers were able toremove after two weeks of hard work,every day, all day, was only the size of apencil, then you'd see how much workstill needs to be done.”

Each summer, the church sponsorsshort-term mission trips to several coun-tries, including Costa Rica, Haiti,Guatemala, Colombia, Russia, and Ireland.In addition to Oklahoma, groups alsowent to Alaska and New Mexico.

For the countries overseas, a week oftraining is held at a boot camp in centralFlorida, and assignments to the various lo-cations for the 80 people participating in-clude disaster relief, medical assistance,building and maintenance projects, andassisting other missionaries serving in thevarious countries.

Participants raise their own funds tocover their transportation to and fromtheir location, as well as their expenseswhile there.

This annual summer adventure iscalled Touching Lives for Christ (TLC) andthis year they celebrated their 25th an-niversary. During those 25 years, morethan 1,000 people of all ages have traveledto countries around the world assistingwhere needed, according to a church pressrelease. Some have returned later to thecountry they visited to work as full-timemissionaries.

And when they return to HobeSound, you can bet they have rivetingstories to tell. �

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 News Stream 5

continued from PAGE 3

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Amost unusual dilemma at the Hu-mane Society of the Treasure Coastin Palm City has arisen. Seven baby

bunnies were born while at the animalshelter, but they need to be named prior togoing onto the Humane Society’s onlineadoption site.

“We just never have had this happenbefore,” says Tracie Harris, a volunteer rab-bit foster momwho cares for many bunniesprior to adoption. She served as midwifewhen these bunnies were born June 1, andshe still cares for them at her home.

“We don’t get baby bunnies,” she adds.“They always get dropped off to us whenthey’re older, particularly after Easter;that’s when we get overrun with bunnies,and they already have their names.”

Rabbits are similar to cats in thatthey’ll often recognize their own name,however, often choosing when or if theywill respond. They also can be easily litter-trained.

Highly social animals, rabbits from theHumane Society can be adopted as indoorpets only. Most get along with and evenwill bond with a family’s other pets, includ-ing cats, dogs, and even the family hamster.

The mother’s name is Mango, and also

may be adopted. The babies, who appearto be of mixed breeds, will probably besmall when fully grown, but not minia-ture. They are too young as yet to knowdefinitely whether or not they are male orfemale, but it seems thus far that the malesare brown and the females white.

“We will definitely know their sex bythe time they are old enough to adopt,”Harris says, “and they all will be neuteredor spayed prior to adoption, which is partof the $30 adoption fee.”

The baby bunnies should be ready forhomes by the first week of August, shesays, but get those names sent to the Hu-mane Society so their pictures can go on-line. Put “bunny names” in the subject lineof your emails to tracieharris@comcast.net.

If you cannot wait, then Harris says thatthe Humane Society has lots of options.

“We do have some wonderful rabbitsat the shelter now,” she says, “includingtwo Rex, a fuzzy lop-eared rabbit, aNetherland dwarf, two Dutch, and a Lion-head.” Their photos are on the website at:www.hstc1.org.

They also have guinea pigs, 10-12 ham-sters and mice, and, of course, a few catsand dogs. All waiting for you. �

Name that baby bunny!

Bunny #1, an all-brown bunny, very adventurous.

Bunny #2, a very shy brown bunny with tiny,white front toes.

Bunny #3, a brown bunny with white feet, whois loving.

Bunny #4, this Rex mix bunny is a bit of atrouble maker, because it's so curious.

Bunny #5, a snow white bunny that's friendlyand outgoing.

Bunny #6, another white Rex-mix bunny whosecuriosity is entertaining.

Bunny #7, Momma bunny is Mango, who hasbeen a good mother, but is ready for retirement.

Voices6

Editorial: Commission grabbing power above all else

Publisher and Editor Barbara Clowdus

Website Design Sonic Fish Studios

Printer Southeast Offset Inc Hobe Sound Currents is published monthly by World Print Link, 8965 SE Bridge Road, Suite, 206, Hobe Sound, FL 33455. The entire contents are Copyright 2010 by World Print Link, and no portion may be reproduced in part or in whole by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed are those only of the writer. Letters to the editor are encour-aged, as differing opinions strengthen our democracy, but they may be edited for length and/or clarity. Register at www.hobesoundcurrents.com and post on-line or send via snail or emal. Phone: 772.245.6564hobesoundcurrents.comeditor@hscurrents.comadvertising@hscurrents.com

Attorney Ginny Sherlock, who has a habit of demanding in her emails what our county commissioners are to do or

not to do, appears to be the puppet meister behind an outrageous grab for power.

She slickly arranged a private session with the commission to plead her case not to pay the sanctions and attorney fees ordered by a judge for an appeal she filed on behalf of the Conservation Alliance and 1000 Friends of Florida against Martin County, many members of which are Jupiter Island residents.

Puzzle pieces are beginning to come together, and the picture is an ugly one.

Apparently, Sherlock’s pulling the strings for someone else, probably a group of someones, which appear to be those who want to protect their privi-leged lives, their private, quiet sanc-tuary above all else—certainly above what’s good for the ordinary, hard-working citizen who is raising a family and commuting to work out of the county because opportunities here are limited. They aren’t able to keep abreast of the county commission.

They’re simply too busy making a living.We were warned two years ago by

a Bridge Road property owner in Hobe Sound who laughed at the plans being developed to revitalize the dilapidated downtown. He told county Community Development staff then it would never happen.

“Jupiter Island won’t let it happen,” he said. “They want nothing to change.”

Just two months ago, another Jupiter Island resident, Commissioner Anne Scott, said nearly the identical thing: “I like Hobe Sound just the way it is. I don’t want it to change.”

Yes, the county turned a corner

with the rewrite of the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan. We know that residents absolutely do not want to look like Broward or Palm Beach counties, but the Comp Plan had successfully thwarted the Harmony and Hobe Grove developments and others.

The prohibition for buildings over four stories was in place already. All wetlands in the county were protected, delineated or not. So what has been accomplished with this new “strength-ened” Comp Plan?

We now have a new definition of a wetland, which residents may encounter when they want to fill that low spot in the back of their property, or put up a fence, or even a shed.

We now have a 75’ shoreline protec-tion zone not only for natural shore-lines, but for hardened ones, as well, which residents may encounter when they want to repair a storm-damaged seawall or rebuild a driveway or replace an old swimming pool deck, even with pervious pavers.

And we know the expanded setback will stop cold the revitalization of Rio’s waterfront, and perhaps Jensen’s as well, which would have boosted the county’s economic health without imperiling the lagoon’s health.

Most people have no clue what’s coming.

Most worrisome is the broad brush used to qualify any project for the super-majority vote. Just about anything that happens in this county will now need a four-to-one vote to be approved.

Most residents expected that power to be applied only when super develop-ments—the DRIs like Harmony’s 4,000 homes—were being considered. Now, any development project of any size and scope will be strangled.

first county commission meeting after the election that every meeting was launched with criticism of the seasoned, talented County Administrator Taryn Kryzda by a chorus of the same people singing the same song obviously written by one author—that we now know was Ms. Sherlock—until Kryzda had rewritten her contract in January to make preservation of the environment her top priority above even sound fiscal management.

Then just last month, the chorused call for her dismissal came again during the public hearing on the mooring field, because county staff had “not followed instructions” by commissioners to bring them alternatives to the mooring field, echoing one of those Sherlock orders emailed to commissioners.

The Jensen Beach mooring field would have brought people here. The Rio revitalization project would have brought people here. A retrofitted Bridge Road and revitalized downtown Hobe Sound would bring people here.

We know now, the customs facility won’t happen, and there’s little hope for Pitchford’s Landing, or even the travel center on Kanner Highway.

If the 2013 commission power grab succeeds, it will be long remembered. Maybe we just found out how unlucky a number 13 really is.

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013

Instead of just admitting they want zero growth, they wave the flag of envi-ronmental protection in front of every action they take.

We learned two years ago watching Commissioners Ed Fielding and Sarah Heard—when they extolled the virtues of septic tanks at the headwaters of the Loxahatchee River in their fight to keep an urban boundary from being touched—that their motives are polit-ical, not environmental.

Had the environment truly been their priority when considering the Jensen Beach mooring field, it would have been approved.

Our national ocean scientists advocate the use of mooring balls to protect endangered reefs—as is done in the Florida keys. Scores of state and national parks use them to protect their seabeds, as do a host of countries around the world.

It’s embarrassing to think that our good citizens would fight to have boats drag the bottom of the Indian River Lagoon with their anchors, to maintain boat owners’ rights to squat in our waters, literally as well as figuratively, ensuring that the pollution and damage will continue indefinitely.

The commission also has erased all reference to the Business Development Board in the Comp Plan.

Do residents believe that jobs are essential to their quality of life? Of course they do. Now the commission seems to be poising itself to eradicate the board completely, along with the convention and tourist bureaus, just as they eradicated the Community Redevelopment Agency and squashed the Neighborhood Advisory Committees.

We also don’t like that with the

We are the same newspaper we were as Hobe Sound Currents. We still are an independent voice, not controlled by any group or special interests.

We believe that different opin-ions bring healthy discourse to all issues and are the cornerstone of democracy.

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7Voices

My love affair with France

Turning a truck stop into a travel center

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013

Barbara Clowdus

Unfiltered

Gordon Barlow

Outside, Looking In

Gordon Barlow, an independent political commentator and writer, was born and educated in Australia. He currently lives and writes in the Cayman Islands.

My life experiences tend to be more humble than those of others, I’ve discovered, and

that’s okay. Maybe that’s why I really don’t mind having traces of garden soil under my fingernails or sand between my toes from postponing manicures, but those experiences also seem to provide me a different perspective when it comes to real-life issues like the proposed truck stop on Kanner Highway.

The very first newspaper articles described a proposed interstate travel center as potentially “a noisy, traffic-congesting, smelly truck stop.” For most of three decades as I struggled to ensure that my six children maintained family ties cross country, were enrolled in colleges regardless of how far flung, or graduated from the same, required travel for thousands of miles on interstate highways. Truck stops became beacons to me not only for gas, but for food, rest, and help if I needed it.

No, we didn’t travel in an RV, as many, many families do these days, and neither did I drive a tractor-trailer, but never was I snubbed for parking a station wagon in a truck’s space whenever I simply could not stay awake to drive. Many times, we slept right where we parked.

Almost always, we also could find real food, regardless of the hour, and friendly directions to the nearest mechanic, if

need be. The washrooms were more spacious and always cleaner than a gas station’s, and never did I feel threatened as I walked through a well-lit truck stop parking lot alone or with my children at night. Some motels offered much less.

Part of the reason I felt safe, I’m sure, was because of the respect always extended to me, both on the road as a driver, as well as off the road, by the truck drivers themselves. Seldom was I ever bullied on the highway or cut off in traffic by an 18-wheeler. Instead, I was often given the right-of-way when it was not mine, signaled it was safe to pass him or her when I could not see, and when my car broke down, truck drivers most often pulled off the road to help.

Especially dear to me is a truck driver whose name or face I’ll never know. He may have saved my daughter from grave harm on one of her 10-hour, middle-of-the-night interstate dashes home from college. She had pulled onto the highway’s berm when she realized she could not make it to a rest room in time, returning to her car from behind some roadside bushes to discover she’d locked the keys inside, the car engine still running.

She attempted to flag down a motorist without luck. Panic-stricken, she climbed onto her car roof, jumped up and down, waving her arms until a tractor-trailer

pulled off the road. Not until that moment did she realize the potential danger she faced.

The driver, however, was kind. He listened to her dilemma, then used a screwdriver to pry open her car’s moon-roof, unintentionally shattering it, but enabling him to reach the door lock. He brushed the bulk of the shattered glass off the driver’s side seat, then covered the rest with a blanket from his truck. Before she drove away, he gently admon-ished her about pulling off the highway, giving her directions to a phone booth so she could call home. Yes, that was some time ago.

No, not all truck drivers are saints, but the majority are solid citizens, and a growing number are women. A business that caters to them, supports their vital contributions to our country’s way of life, and to our economy should be lauded, not vilified. The proposed travel center location would be nearly perfectly situated on property isolated

from housing developments between the Turnpike and Interstate 95—rather wide boundaries, those are.

Today’s fuel-efficient trucks require that diesel-only stations morph into diesel/gas stations suitable for all road travelers. More likely the majority of spaces at Kanner Highway will be filled with motor coaches and large recre-ational vehicles than big rigs, and inside will be not only candy bars, oil and anti-freeze for truckers, but trinkets, T-shirts and caps for tourists...and brochures lauding local attractions.

The potential for adding fuel tax and sales tax revenues to our strained county coffers will be weighed against neighbors’ complaints, being fueled by a local artist whose one-woman campaign includes photos of a some garbage bags dropped by a litterbug on a side street behind the business, not the owner’s responsibility, but a misrepresentation that damages her own credibility.

How about some active listening on both sides? How about some creativity that might lead us to an artists colony at a travel center? Okay, that’s unlikely, but it does seem fitting for the Martin County I know to be able to offer a safe harbor for the distant traveler, not just tractor-trailer rigs, but to families traveling in RVs—or even stuffed in station wagons.

International Driving Permits are valid for twelve months, and I must have bought mine just before leaving

Australia in 1963. When it expired, I was in the middle of France with Chris and Annike. Chris was South African – one of the fellows I shared a flat with in London – and Annika was his Dutch girlfriend.

We had been down to Andorra and Spain for a couple of weeks, and would be back in London in a few days – if the gendarmes didn’t catch me driving without a valid licence. Also, our wallets were all but empty, so we couldn’t even pay a fine. We had to go without break-fast to afford a new Permit. (Annike had lost her purse two days into the trip, and we scraped by without its contents; it had been a frugal vacation since then.)

As it transpired, the cost of the Permit wasn’t the problem. As a polite-but-cold bureaucrat in Grenoble explained, it was the issuance of a Permit that was the problem. Permits could only be obtained in one’s country of residence. One cannot issue one in France to someone who doesn’t live in France. “But madame! I am not in my country of residence. I am here!” [Basic schoolboy French, you understand. “Je suis ici!”] Shrug. “Then you must go back to your country of residence”, she

said. “How will I get there?” “Drive.” “But it would not be legal for me to drive in France without a Permit.” It was like that Harry Belafonte song, “There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza...”

She shrugged again. I tried another angle. “Could I perhaps obtain a French domestic licence?” A snort, this time. Out of the question. Ah well, what can you do? I would have to drive back to London illegally, and take my chances with the gendarmes. Sadly, I made a careful note of her name and title. If the Police stopped me and demanded a current Permit, I would ask them to phone her and she could explain the situation to them – n’est-ce pas?

Of course it’s hard to generalise about a nation of fifty million; but by and large the French are a practical people. Principles, laws, rules, regula-tions – none of them are set in stone. Every once in a while they can be set aside in the interests of peace, goodwill, and sometimes even personal conve-nience. My middle-aged antagonist glared at me for 15 seconds, shook her head in disgust, sat down and typed the Permit. I kissed her hand passionately, made it plain that if she and I had been alone in the office her marriage vows might have been in danger, and got

out just before she smiled. I’ve loved France ever since, and everything about it – except perhaps its rulers’ predilec-tion to torture its colonial subjects; its rulers tend to be nasty people. And, to be truthful, I don’t love Marseilles, either. Nobody loves Marseilles.

Almost 30 years later, another example of the same practicality – this time in Martinique, a French Overseas Department in the Caribbean, where I was due to represent the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce at some EU-Caribbean conference or other. It was a bit of a shock to be refused entry because I didn’t have a visa in my Australian passport.

On earlier visits to France (Martinique is part of metropolitan France, constitutionally), no visa had been required. Unbeknownst to me, the rules had changed since then. Australia had for some reason (the Rainbow

Warrior affair, perhaps?) begun requiring visas from French visitors, and France had retaliated.

Under the new rules, I had to be put back on the plane that brought me. But, well, this was an international conference at which France’s prestige would be on the line; and I assuredly would have been granted a visa if I had applied; and the plane wasn’t departing until the next morning; and... The young gendarme shrugged and gave me a rueful smile as he stamped me in and wished me a pleasant stay.

Nobody’s perfect, of course. French people can be very rude, especially to foreigners who don’t speak French well enough. I’ve been the victim of that. The best way of countering the rudeness is to insist on speaking French to the rude one – very badly, loudly, and at length. Keep at it until he or she runs away sobbing in despair. Then turn to whoever is still around and ask gently (in French) if they speak English.

You’ll be surprised how many are willing to try.

Martin County CurrentsJuly 20138

YourBusinessMakesMartinCounty!We are the Business Development Board of Martin County! As the official economic developmentorganization forMartin County, the BDBMC is charged with the responsibility of supportingexisting companies in their expansion and growth needs and attracting new companies tothe community. We are dedicated to creating successful Martin County businesses.

We can assist any Martin County business, large or small, established or prospective. Just call!

Our Team Is Here to Help You:� Tap into resourrces that provide employee job training.� Expand your work force.� Locate and secure appropriate facilities for expansion.

� Small Business Resource Guide.� Navigate county and state regulations.� Take advantage of tax incentives.� Overcome hurdles to growth.� Find and expand new markets.� Export assistance.

Don't delay. CALL TODAY!772.221.1380 • www.YesMartinFL.com1002 SE Monterey Commons Blvd, Suite 203, Stuart

Martin County CurrentsJuly 20138

YourBusinessMakesMartinCounty!We are the Business Development Board of Martin County! As the official economic developmentorganization forMartin County, the BDBMC is charged with the responsibility of supportingexisting companies in their expansion and growth needs and attracting new companies tothe community. We are dedicated to creating successful Martin County businesses.

We can assist any Martin County business, large or small, established or prospective. Just call!

Our Team Is Here to Help You:� Tap into resourrces that provide employee job training.� Expand your work force.� Locate and secure appropriate facilities for expansion.

� Small Business Resource Guide.� Navigate county and state regulations.� Take advantage of tax incentives.� Overcome hurdles to growth.� Find and expand new markets.� Export assistance.

Don't delay. CALL TODAY!772.221.1380 • www.YesMartinFL.com1002 SE Monterey Commons Blvd, Suite 203, Stuart

Hairstylist ShannonWildermuth of Hobe Sound,mother of two children,

became a li-censed hair styl-ist four yearsago, and movedto Hobe Soundtwo years ago.She recently re-located to a dif-ferent hair salon,Hair Designs, onA1A south ofBridge Road,

and she’s worried that her old cus-tomers will not find her.

“It’s beautiful here,” she said, refer-ring to the new building surrounded bya shaded, brick-paved lot and new land-scaping. “I’m really happy here, but ifpeople don’t know where this is, theymight have a hard time finding me.”

The new salon is approximately twomiles south of Bridge, past JenkinsLandscaping, on the west side of DixieHighway.

Her specialty is coloring and high-lights. Her customers’ gray roots maysoon be showing, so let them knowwhere Shannon is working now. �

Juno Shoe Girl was the firstbusiness to move into thevacant St. Onge building

on A1A in Hobe Sound last year, its al-ways festive displays brightening thehistoric downtown district.

Next came Tony Grimaldi LandscapeArchitecture, whose owner, TonyGrimaldi, met the Strategic Realty leas-ing agent, Jac Crawford, at a HobeSound Chamber of Commerce event.Grimaldi moved his business twomonths ago into the large corner officethat formerly housed the Indo-Chic Im-ports boutique.

Now the word is out that the vacantoffice adjacent to Juno Shoe Girl in thesame building will soon begin fillingwith antiques. We can hardly wait forofficial word.

At the end of the street, a law firmpurportedly is moving into the now-empty Cottage Caché building. That’sall well and good, but when will HobeSound get a cupcake and coffee shop? �

Rev. Rodney Loper, seniorpastor of Hobe SoundBible Church, was recently

awarded a master’s degree in pastoralministries from Trinity Theological Sem-inary. Rev. Loper came to Hobe Soundas an associate pastor in July, 2007, be-coming senior pastor in January 2010.Rev. Loper and his wife, Melissa, havefour children, Scott, Brianna, Brooklynand Colton. Hobe Sound Bible Church isan interdenominational communitychurch on Gomez Avenue. �

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 Business Buzz 9

Gene Martello, owner of the new WorkingCow ice cream parlor, Ice Cream & More,on U.S. 1 at the entrance to Hobe Heights,found out how difficult it is to attract at-tention to a new business in MartinCounty.

“You can’t put out any signs in thiscounty,” he says, “and I’m not talkingabout junky signs. I’m talking aboutprofessionally made, good-looking signsto let people know where you are.”

County code enforcement officers re-quired that Martello remove all the signsthat he’d put in the right-of-way or evenon his property with his parlor’s namelast week, including a large banner andthe tall feather flags so popular and soeffective at attracting attention.

“I just don’t get it,” he adds. “Thecounty wants us to stay in business,right?, so we can provide revenue to thecounty, but then they don’t want to doanything to help us attract customers. Itmakes no sense. I can’t even put bal-loons in the parking lot.”

It’s the same complaint other busi-nesses have made over the past severalmonths, particularly in Port Salerno,where Basin Seafood on Salerno Roadresorted to putting up several Americanflags across the top of its building to at-tract attention.

When Martello discovered that there

is no ban on American flags, he adoptedthe same strategy, lining the shop’sparking lot with large American flags,timed well due to the July 4th holiday.

“But we also started stocking a new,all-American ice cream flavor,”Martello says, with a grin. “It’s applepie ala mode...can’t get more Americanthan that.” �

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Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Hobe Sound Chamber10

Celebrating America’s independ-ence became even more poignantin southern Martin County as

family, friends and strangers gatheredto honor the life and service of a fallensoldier.

Staff Sgt. Justin R. Johnson, 25, of theBanner Lake community came homefromAfghanistan on July 3, and after awake at the Peaceful Valley ChristianMethodist Episcopal Church in BannerLake on July 5 and service at the HobeSound Methodist Church the followingday was laid to rest at the South FloridaNational Cemetery near Lake Worthwith full military honors.

Fellow Staff Sgt. William Foster, whohad accompanied Sgt. Johnson’s bodyback to the U.S. from the Bagram mili-tary base where he had been killed dur-ing a June mortar attack, described Sgt.Johnson as “always upbeat...alwayssmiling.” He made a promise “to alwaysbe there” for the family, especially Ser-geant Johnson’s young son, Justin Jr.

“Won’t nobody replace your father,”Foster said to the four-year-old knownaffectionately as June Bug. “Nobody. Butwhat I can tell you, is that I will be therefor you also.”

Sonia Randolph addressed the gather-ing during the wake about her only child.

“I want to thank the Lord for givingme 25 wonderful years,” she said.

“...Pray with me and for me, so that Ican release my baby to rest.”

During the funeral service the fol-lowing day, military officials presentedSgt. Johnson’s family with the BronzeStar medal and the Purple Heart.

The Hobe Sound Chamber of Com-merce reached out to all of MartinCounty chambers to join the BannerLake community in southern MartinCounty to honor Sgt. Johnson.

“This was a tragedy close to home,”said Dan Hulen, president of the HobeSound Chamber. “It just seems appro-priate that we reach out to help lift up

the family and to show our respect.”Chamber members, friends, and Ban-

ner Lake neighbors wore blue andwaved U.S. flags in front of theMethodist Church on Saturday. Pocketsof families also could be seen along U.S.1 in Hobe Sound and along Bridge Roadwho had stopped to pay their respects.A dozen veterans groups, including mo-torcycle clubs, took part, providing amotorcycle escort from Hobe Sound tothe Lake Worth cemetery. Police officersand firefighters from throughout thecounty also paid their respects, escortingthe family and erecting an Americanflag in an archway over Bridge Road.

“You know, I really didn’t want toget out of bed so early this morning,”said Jan Otten, membership director ofthe Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce,as she stood in front of the MethodistChurch. “But then I thought, Justin gavehis life for us. I can get out of bed.”

A college fund for Justin’s son and ascholarship in Justin’s name for highschool students are being created now,and a tree will be dedicated to Justin’smemory in Banner Lake Park in mid-

August. The tree was donated byBecker Tree Farm and Aaron’s Towinghas donated the plaque.

Donations towards buying a memo-rial bench to install next to the tree arebeing accepted now by Lisa Dames ofBanner Lake, who is coordinating theseactivities with Sgt. Johnson’s family. Formore information, contact the Chamberoffice at 772-546-4724, or HYPERLINK“mailto:info@hobesound.org”info@hobesound.org. �

—Barbara Clowdus

A community pays its last respects

Hobe Sound Chamber President Dan Hulenwith three of his daughters await the arrival ofthe Sgt. Justin Johnson family for funeralservices at the Hobe Sound Methodist Churchon Saturday, July 6.

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HOBE SOUND CHAMBER’S NEWEST MEMBERS

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Events are open to the public.Call for reservations: 772.546.4724.

Monthly Chamber BreakfastThursday, July 11, 8-9:15amHobe Sound Bible College/AcademySchmul Center,11295 SE Gomez Avenue,Hobe SoundSponsored by Dennis Root ofDennis Root and Associates andTactical Advantage SolutionsGuest Speaker: Susan deCuba,new CEO of Treasure Coast HospiceCost: $10 Members/$15 Non-Members

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Fun Tours Travel Inc.Put The FUN back in Travel!

The family of Sgt. Justin Johnson, including hismother, Sonia Randolph, and his four-year-oldson Justin Jr., arrive at the church to celebrateJustin's life.

Jan Otten, of the Hobe Sound Chamber of Com-merce, spent Saturday morning alongside otherHobe Sound residents along U.S. 1, showingtheir respect for Sgt. Justin Johnson's sacrifice.

A dozen motorcycle clubs, many of themcomprising veterans, took part in escortingthe Johnson and Randolph familes.

An “eye-openingexperience” waswhat many Hobe

Sound Chamber mem-bers and guests calledthe Indiantown Cham-ber’s After-Hours Socialin June.

They spent time to-gether in a joint event toexplore J&R Outfittersand take an Old FloridaWildlife Tour hosted byowner Joey O’Bannon, alicensed professionalhunter, on a covered,custom-built swampbuggy (even handicapaccessible). The gathering divided into groups of 25 forthe hour-long tours.

“This is what Florida looked like 100 years ago,”O’Bannon told his guests, as they gazed at wetlands,pine scrub, cypress stands and grass plains that are theresult of more than 30 years’ work to remove exoticsand fill agricultural drainage canals.

The 4,000-acre game preserve eight miles west ofIndiantown has been restored to an all-natural, Floridahabitat. Not one Brazilian pepper or melaleuca any-where in sight, which elicited abundant words of ap-preciation from guests.

In spite of the natural beauty of the landscape, how-ever, the animals caught even more of the spectators’ at-tention. Great herds of deer, antelope, and water buffaloseemed endless; the swamp buggy getting remarkablyclose before alarming the animals enough to move. Adozen cameras on board snapped photos.

The animals have no fear of the swamp buggy,”O’Bannon explained. When hunters come to the pre-serve with hopes of bagging a water buffalo, deer, orother wild game, they are on foot. Only those armedwith cameras approach the animals in a swampbuggy, he said.

The huge herds include species that are extinct ornearly extinct in the wild, including the Barasingha,also called a swamp deer, extinct in Pakistan andnearly extinct in India; Père David’s deer, a large deerwith backwards pointing antlers, extinct in China; andthe Blackbuck antelope with tail, wavy antlers, consid-ered threatened in India.

The axis deer, the most common deer species inIndian forests, seemed to have the largest herds atJ&R, but so many large herds moved across the land,

it was difficult for guests to determine the one withthe largest number. In all, the lands hold six speciesof exotic deer and four species of antelope, as well aswhite-tailed deer common to North America.

Dwarfing all the deer herds, however, were theherds of water buffalo, some of which stood theirground as the group rolled past. “That is the most dan-gerous animal out here,” O’Bannon said, and no onewould argue that.

The grounds also are home to alligator, snipe, quail,turkey, wild hogs, and dove, as well to a bevy oftrained hunting dogs, and a working cattle ranch, all ofwhich is open to the public.

For more information or for a tour, contact J&R Out-fitters at 772.597.4757, or go to ww.jroutfitters.com. �

—Barbara Clowdus

J&R Outfitters host two chambers at iTown

Joey O'Bannon, OwnerJ&R Outfitters

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 iTown Chamber 11

Chamber members gather on the long front porch of J&ROutfitters west of Indiantown.

Touring the 4,000-acre site of J&R Outfitters was easy to doriding inside a custom-built swamp buggy.

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Indiantown

Others say it’s simply that hun-dreds of eyes of the unseenswamp creatures who live there

follow the movements of any intruder.Either way, it does not matter. The

feeling may come to you simply becauseyou are in a natural world that seems re-mote, yet lies only minutes away fromurban life. Instead of the swoosh of traf-fic and blare of sirens, you hear the os-prey cry, cicadas hum, and frogscroak...or is that an alligator?

The atmosphere changes, yoursenses are keen to it, and you know youare experiencing something extraordi-nary. That’s the feeling Patrick Hayes,former Martin County commissioner,seeks for his guests who hold the win-ning bid for an “Extraordinary Experi-ence” that Hayes donates to nonprofitorganizations seeking auction items fortheir fund-raising events.

John and Renay Rouse of Palm Citywere recent winners of an ExtraordinaryExperience, and Hayes gave them the

choice of kayaking the Loxahatchee,snorkeling in the turquoise high-tidewaters of Jupiter Sound, taking an elec-tric-boat tour of the Indian River La-goon, or riding bicycles in off-road trailsin Jonathan Dickinson State Park, River-bend Park, or along the river at Halpa-tiokee Park near Stuart.

They, along with their two daugh-ters, Jacqueline, 11, and Caroline, 9,chose kayaking the Loxahatchee, al-though Caroline at first expressed somereservations because of the alligatorsthat live in the river.

“At first, she just did not want to dothat,” said her father, “but given sometime to think about, she decided thatshe’d try it. She wanted to do it.”

As it turned out, heavy rains that fellthe week prior to their adventureswelled the river, making it deep andswift. “It really no longer was an op-tion,” Hayes said, “not for inexperiencedkayakers, especially kids, so we stayedin the park and kayaked a river trail. The

water was high in spots, but not fast.”The weather was perfect: warm and

sunny under some clouds, with a coolbreeze that tempered the heat. The fam-ily gathered at the entrance to River-bend State Park on Indiantown Road inJupiter Farms, where they would pickup kayaks, paddles and life jackets fromRiver Outfitters, a commercial enter-prise, but first, Hayes gave them a les-son in the Loxahatchee’s travails overthe past century, pulling out laminatedmaps, diagrams and photos that he car-ries everywhere with him in the back ofhis SUV.

So significant have been the changesto the watershed that it’s not easy toknow where to start, so Hayes beginswith photos taken of himself sitting onone of two Loxahatchee River damsabout an hour’s paddle from the parkinglot where the group stands. The photoshows no water cascading over thewooden-log structure, with weeds grow-ing through cracks between the logs.

“When I saw this, I thought to my-self, ‘If this how they treat the only Wildand Scenic River in the state...it was thefirst and, at the time, the only federallydesignated Wild and Scenic River...howdo they treat the rest of their rivers?’”

Hayes turns over the laminated sheetof photos, and on the other side, thesame place in the river has water sodeep the dam disappears. Anotherphoto shows that kayaks can belaunched directly from the roof of Trap-per John’s historic boat house that’s 10feet above the riverbank, and a favoriteplace for tour guides to take visitors.

Hayes shakes his head as he studieshis own pictures. “It’s just unbelievablewhat was happening...it’s that suddenjerk between two extremes that kills theriver,” he said, “and seeing this, that’swhen I got active in water issues.”

DITCHING AND DRAININGJust like the St. Lucie, the Kissimmee,the Caloosahatchee, and the Halifaxrivers, the watershed of the Loxahatcheehad been ditched and drained to turnswamps into citrus groves, sugar canefields, cattle and pasture lands, andurban developments, shrinking them,strangling their flow of water on somedays, flooding them on other days, untiltheir existence and the existence of allthe creatures dependent on them isthreatened.

12 Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Feature

The Loxahatchee Rivergives Palm City family an

‘Extraordinary Experience’When you paddle the Loxahatchee River, you enter a world heavy withthe sense of being watched. Some say the ghosts of Seminoles andsoldiers who died in the Second Seminole War of 1838 still inhabit thehammocks and wetlands of Riverbend State Park in Palm BeachCounty through which the Loxahatchee flows.

Personal tour guide Patrick Hayes, far right, told them to get upsome speed before shooting through the culvert.

The Loxahatchee River kayak/canoe trail inside Riverbend StatePark is well marked.

Renay and John Rouse kayak the Loxahatchee River for thefirst time.

THE ROUSE FAMILY OF PALM CITY BEGINS ITS LOXAHATCHEE RIVER ADVENTURE.

Others say it’s simply that hun-dreds of eyes of the unseenswamp creatures who live there

follow the movements of any intruder.Either way, it does not matter. The

feeling may come to you simply becauseyou are in a natural world that seems re-mote, yet lies only minutes away fromurban life. Instead of the swoosh of traf-fic and blare of sirens, you hear the os-prey cry, cicadas hum, and frogscroak...or is that an alligator?

The atmosphere changes, yoursenses are keen to it, and you know youare experiencing something extraordi-nary. That’s the feeling Patrick Hayes,former Martin County commissioner,seeks for his guests who hold the win-ning bid for an “Extraordinary Experi-ence” that Hayes donates to nonprofitorganizations seeking auction items fortheir fund-raising events.

John and Renay Rouse of Palm Citywere recent winners of an ExtraordinaryExperience, and Hayes gave them the

choice of kayaking the Loxahatchee,snorkeling in the turquoise high-tidewaters of Jupiter Sound, taking an elec-tric-boat tour of the Indian River La-goon, or riding bicycles in off-road trailsin Jonathan Dickinson State Park, River-bend Park, or along the river at Halpa-tiokee Park near Stuart.

They, along with their two daugh-ters, Jacqueline, 11, and Caroline, 9,chose kayaking the Loxahatchee, al-though Caroline at first expressed somereservations because of the alligatorsthat live in the river.

“At first, she just did not want to dothat,” said her father, “but given sometime to think about, she decided thatshe’d try it. She wanted to do it.”

As it turned out, heavy rains that fellthe week prior to their adventureswelled the river, making it deep andswift. “It really no longer was an op-tion,” Hayes said, “not for inexperiencedkayakers, especially kids, so we stayedin the park and kayaked a river trail. The

water was high in spots, but not fast.”The weather was perfect: warm and

sunny under some clouds, with a coolbreeze that tempered the heat. The fam-ily gathered at the entrance to River-bend State Park on Indiantown Road inJupiter Farms, where they would pickup kayaks, paddles and life jackets fromRiver Outfitters, a commercial enter-prise, but first, Hayes gave them a les-son in the Loxahatchee’s travails overthe past century, pulling out laminatedmaps, diagrams and photos that he car-ries everywhere with him in the back ofhis SUV.

So significant have been the changesto the watershed that it’s not easy toknow where to start, so Hayes beginswith photos taken of himself sitting onone of two Loxahatchee River damsabout an hour’s paddle from the parkinglot where the group stands. The photoshows no water cascading over thewooden-log structure, with weeds grow-ing through cracks between the logs.

“When I saw this, I thought to my-self, ‘If this how they treat the only Wildand Scenic River in the state...it was thefirst and, at the time, the only federallydesignated Wild and Scenic River...howdo they treat the rest of their rivers?’”

Hayes turns over the laminated sheetof photos, and on the other side, thesame place in the river has water sodeep the dam disappears. Anotherphoto shows that kayaks can belaunched directly from the roof of Trap-per John’s historic boat house that’s 10feet above the riverbank, and a favoriteplace for tour guides to take visitors.

Hayes shakes his head as he studieshis own pictures. “It’s just unbelievablewhat was happening...it’s that suddenjerk between two extremes that kills theriver,” he said, “and seeing this, that’swhen I got active in water issues.”

DITCHING AND DRAININGJust like the St. Lucie, the Kissimmee,the Caloosahatchee, and the Halifaxrivers, the watershed of the Loxahatcheehad been ditched and drained to turnswamps into citrus groves, sugar canefields, cattle and pasture lands, andurban developments, shrinking them,strangling their flow of water on somedays, flooding them on other days, untiltheir existence and the existence of allthe creatures dependent on them isthreatened.

12 Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Feature

The Loxahatchee Rivergives Palm City family an

‘Extraordinary Experience’When you paddle the Loxahatchee River, you enter a world heavy withthe sense of being watched. Some say the ghosts of Seminoles andsoldiers who died in the Second Seminole War of 1838 still inhabit thehammocks and wetlands of Riverbend State Park in Palm BeachCounty through which the Loxahatchee flows.

Personal tour guide Patrick Hayes, far right, told them to get upsome speed before shooting through the culvert.

The Loxahatchee River kayak/canoe trail inside Riverbend StatePark is well marked.

Renay and John Rouse kayak the Loxahatchee River for thefirst time.

THE ROUSE FAMILY OF PALM CITY BEGINS ITS LOXAHATCHEE RIVER ADVENTURE.

“The Loxahatchee River has lost atleast six miles of riverbeds, and its wa-tershed now is considered to be only250 square miles,” Hayes told the fam-ily, “instead of the 650 square miles itused to be.”

He slips out a map of Florida, onethat he has shown often to visitors to hisformer Martin County Commission of-fice, to joint meetings of the MartinCounty and Jupiter Island commissions,to friends and family, and now to his Ex-traordinary Experience guests.

The brightly colored map shows thehistoric water flows throughout Floridaof 100 years ago, before canals were dugconnecting the St. Lucie and Caloosa-hatchee rivers to Lake Okeechobee, be-fore the Kissimmee River was dredgedand straightened, before any ditchesdrained the Loxahatchee and a sheet ofwater naturally flowed south from LakeOkeechobee to feed the River of Grass,the Florida Everglades, filtering thewater before it entered Florida Bay.

“It’s amazing to think how muchwe’ve destroyed in really so little time,”he added, “and how much it’s going tocost to put back just a fraction of whatwas here in the first place.”

He pulls out an aerial photograph ofa 17-acre stormwater treatment area inTropical Farms near the C-44 Canal tofilter 468 acres of water runoff at a costof $3.8 million, without the cost of pur-chasing land. “It works, but that’s onlyone,” he adds. “Many others have beenbuilt as part of the Everglades restora-tion plan, and many more are planned,

but right now, we don’t have the fundsto build them.”

Some of the drainage ditches havebeen filled to help restore the Loxa-hatchee; others remain.

PHOTOS ILLUSTRATE THE PASTIn considering the age of his audience,Hayes talks fast, moving from topic totopic quickly, shuffling his laminatedsheets like a deck of giant cards to findjust the right one. His intent only is totouch on the topic of river restoration,because the task looms large. He knowsthe best way to ensure stewardship ofthe rivers, however, is not to lecturethem about it, but to get them outsideand on the water.

So the group heads to the River Out-fitters building as the first step in gettingon the water.

Renay Rouse, who has neverkayaked previously, insists she wants toshare a kayak with her husband. Bothher daughters get fitted with life vestsand climb onto their open kayaks, andoff they go through the park, at first fol-

lowing Hayes, who’s paddled the trailoften, to ensure no one gets lost.

“The trail within the park is prettywell marked,” Hayes told them, “but it’seasy to get a little lost the first timeyou’re inside. If you’re on the river itself,however, that’s a different story. You godownriver, usually to the dam. It’s im-possible to get lost; then you turn aroundand come back, which takes a couple ofhours. If you want to go to Trapper Nel-son’s, you better plan on spending fouror five hours on the river.”

If you want a full-day excursion, youcan start at Riverbend in Jupiter andpaddle to Jonathan Dickinson State Parkin Hobe Sound, a challenge made some-what easier because the river flowsnorth., he said. If arrangements aremade in advance, River Outfitters willgo to Hobe Sound and cart you andtheir kayak or canoe back to Riverbend.

THE RIVER EXPERIENCESoon the girls start pulling ahead, de-lighted in the freedom and growingmore confident over time. Every turn in

the river reveals a different ecologicalwonder: lily pads growing so thick theyappear impenetrable; cypress knees pro-truding around another bend giving theillusion that a sleeping giant lies below;turtles stacked like stones on a log.

Suddenly Caroline gives a squeal.“An alligator, I see an alligator,” shesays, pointing to where a young gatorhad slipped off the muddy bank, disap-pearing under the tannin-brown water.

“That’s unusual,” Hayes says. “Youdon’t usually see alligators inside thepark...now in the river itself, yes, you’regoing to see lots of them, and they’re big.”

The formerly reluctant Caroline spot-ted two young alligators by the end ofthe family’s adventure. While scoopingwater into her kayak to cool her legs,she also made a friend with a minnow,whom she named George, before she re-leased him into his natural habitat.

The family collected the empty shellsof a large invasive species of snails thatnow inhabit the riverine system, theirshells floating among the sawgrass afterthey die. They spotted osprey andhawks overhead. The brilliant red of acardinal flashed from the opposite bank.

As the family finished their odysseythrough the park, they all expressedappreciation to Hayes for their “Extra-ordinary Experience,” made all themore interesting because they had apersonal guide.

“I’ve been to a lot of truly interestingplaces,” said John, who produces out-door programs for public television, “andI’ve spent a lot of time kayaking rivers,but today was truly special. This experi-ence far exceeded my expectations.” Theentire family, including the girls, want tokayak the Loxahatchee again.

Hayes grinned.Later he reflected on the day: “I give

away Extraordinary Experiences becauseit kind of forces me to get back out thereon the water,” he said. “It’s too easy toget too busy, and neglect doing thethings we should be doing for ourselves.The most memorable experience of mylife was the first time I paddled the Loxa-hatchee, but every time, even now, it isan extraordinary experience.” �

—Barbara Clowdus

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 Feature 13

Snail eggs on which the endangered bird ofprey, the snail kite, feeds. "These eggs are al-ways laid above the water line," said PatrickHayes, guiding the tour, "but how do they knowhow high the water will go?"

The perfume of swamp lilies is subtly sweet.

Canoe Outfitters assist families with getting on their life vests and getting their kayaks successfullyonto the river.

Guide Patrick Hayes uses laminated charts, maps and photos to tell the story of the LoxahatcheeRiver. "The best thing that ever happened to the Loxahatchee was being designated Wild andScenic," he says, "which brought federal dollars to restoration...that, and not getting thedischarges from Lake Okeechobee like the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers do."

14 Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Marketplace

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772.708.6335

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 Palm City Chamber 15

Editor’s Note—The Martin County Com-mission will meet in an executive sessionJuly 9 (closed to the public) after Currentsgoes to press, so the question as to whetheror not the Commission will waive court-or-dered sanctions and attorneys fees to be paidby the Martin County Conservation Al-liance and 1000 Friends of Florida in a suitagainst Martin County will have alreadybeen decided. The Palm City Chamber ofCommerce took a public stand against waiv-ing those fees in a letter to CommissionChair Sarah Heard, which follows:

On May 24, 2013, Ms. VirginiaSherlock sent a letter to you re-questing that the Board of

County Commissioners “waive anyclaim for attorneys fees or other sanc-tions from the Martin County Conserva-tion Alliance and 1000 Friends of Floridaor their counsel in connection with thechallenge to the Valliere Amendment.”The Palm City Chamber of Commerce isadamantly opposed to your waivingsuch fees and sanctions on behalf of thecitizens of Martin County.

The First District Court of Appeal de-clared the claim by the Conservation Al-liance and 1000 Friends of Florida“failed to assert or establish materialfacts and controlling law’ demonstratingthey had standing under the law. 1 TheCourt stated that the Appellees, includ-

ing Martin County, were“wrongfully required to de-fend an appeal that shouldnever have been filed” 2 be-cause the Conservation Al-liance and 1000 Friends ofFlorida could not substantiatetheir claim.

The court explicitly notesMartin County ConservationAlliance’s track record in pre-vious lawsuits, stating thatAppellants knew or shouldhave known from their expe-rience with previous casesthat no material facts justified their ap-peal.The Court firmly stated that the ap-peal was completely meritless and thatsanctions were fully justified underFlorida statutes.

The Martin County Conservation Al-liance and other similar groups havesued the citizens of Martin County ninetimes over the last nine years. MartinCounty prevailed in every one of theselawsuits, but had to spend approxi-mately $1,000,000 of the taxpayers’money to defend itself. It is our positionthat there is absolutely no justificationfor the taxpayers of Martin County tocontinue to support the frivolous, liti-gious behavior of the Conservation Al-liance, 1000 Friends of Florida, andother similar groups.

It is time to stop the frivolouslawsuits, collect the justified re-wards of prevailing in a frivo-lous lawsuit, and not waive anyof the fees, costs or sanctionsthat have been awarded by theCourt. To do otherwise creates aprecedent for futurelawsuits topresent similar requests. Withthe award of fees, costs, andsanctions in the legal challengeto the Valliere Amendment, youhave an opportunity to recovera fraction of what MartinCounty taxpayers have spent

over the last nine years for legal fees andcosts incurred in defending lawsuitswithout merit.

Ms. Sherlock compares this request tothat of waiving fees from code enforce-ment violations. She states that this isoften the case when the violator showedno bad faith or malicious intent. This isnot a fair comparison. The MartinCounty Conservation Alliance and 1000Friends of Florida did not inadvertentlyor unknowingly violate county or citycode. They filed the lawsuit intentionallyand knew and took the risk of incurringthe “dire consequences of extractingcostly sanctions.” It is time to pay thepiper and stop subjecting the citizens ofMartin County to frivolous lawsuits.

In considering the waiver for the

Conservation Alliance and 1000 Friendsof Florida, the Board of County Com-missioners should consider how thisaction compares to the recent demandby the Board of County Commissionersthat the Business Development Boardpay Ms. Sherlock $50,699 in legal feesfor a lawsuit that was settled out ofcourt. If Ms. Sherlock can collect herfees from Martin County, shouldn’tMartin County be able to collect itscosts from the Conservation Alliance,1000 Friends of Florida and their asso-ciated counsels?

It is our belief that a vote to waivethe claim against the Martin CountyConservation Alliance and 1000 Friendsof Florida in connection with the lawsuitconcerning the Valliere Amendment isan abdication of your responsibility asrepresentatives of the taxpayers andborders on malfeasance.We believe thatyou have an obligation to collect whatMartin County is due on behalf of thecitizens of Martin County.

We respectfully request that you voteno to waiving Martin County’s claim asrequested by Virginia Sherlock. �

—Michael DiTerlizzi, PresidentPalm City Chamber of Commerce

1,2 Martin County Conservation Allianceand 1000 Friends of Florida, Inc., 73 So.3d 856, 858-59 (1d Dist. Ct. App. 2011).

Palm City Chamber takes stand on ‘frivolous’ lawsuits

PALM CITY CHAMBER’S NEWEST MEMBERS

Peter Wernick

PETER’S PAINT CENTER1105 SWMartin Downs Blvd

Palm City772-600-5088

www.petershardware.com

John Gonzalez

SAILFISH REALTY OF FLORIDA101 East Ocean Blvd

Stuart772-494-6999

www.sailfishrealty.com

Dennis Root

TACTICAL ADVANTAGESOLUTIONS, LLC

1111 SE Federal Highway,Suite 118Stuart

772-324-8147www.tacticalLEO.com

Jennifer Atkisson-Lovett

RE/MAX OF STUART3341 SWMartin Downs Blvd.

Palm City772-220-1116

www.remax-stuart-fl.com

Theresa BanksLIGHT OF THE

WORLD CHARITIES

1508 SWMapp Rd, Palm City772-223-9781

www.lightoftheworldcharities.com

Vic Miskanic

VIC’S REAL ESTATE PICKS819 South Federal Hwy,

Suite 300Stuart

561-352-1150www.vicsrealestatepicks.com

Christine Terezakis

DREAMDAYWEDDINGS & EVENTS901 SWMartin Downs Blvd,

Suite 308Palm City772-426-9954

www.DreamdayWeddingsandEvents.com

Roy Eastman

POWER PRODUCTIONMANAGEMENT, INC.408 W University Ave,

Suite 600BGainesville(772)634-5510

www.sunppm.com

Michael DiTerlizzi,PresidentPalm City Chamberof Commerce

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Jensen Beach Chamber16

Mooring field: Rose gives in, but doesn’t give upMost of all, frustration showed

through Jensen Beach Cham-ber Executive Director Ron

Rose’s voice as he addressed the MartinCounty Commission in June at the pub-lic hearing to determine the fate of theJensen Beach mooring field.

“I don’t knowwhat to say,” as Rose,standing at the lectern, waded the paperin his hand bearing his prepared remarks.

Not often does Rose not know whatto say, and indeed he had investedmuch time in attending meetings andaddressing Jensen Beach Chambermembers to elicit support—ticking off alist of benefits each time—for whatseemed a positive project not only forthe downtown business community, butfor residents, visitors and for protectingthe environment; however, a long line ofspeakers preceding Rose at the hearinghad asked commissioners to stop theproject, primarily because it would belocated in a manatee protection zoneand a portion of the area had sea grassgrowing, although less than one percentof one quadrant.

“I agree with Commissioner (John)Haddox,” Rose said, who had alongonly with Commissioner Doug Smith,agreed that a carefully planned mooringfacility was a good project for that loca-tion, particularly if reduced in size to ex-clude any possible sea grass impact.

“There needs to be a solution outthere. It’s a mess,” Rose continued. “Youall know it’s a mess.”

The “mess,” which has plaguedJensen Beach residents for more than adecade includes derelict and “ugly”boats anchored off Jensen Beach Cause-way in the Indian River Lagoon, whose

live-aboard occupants frequently pan-handle on the beach and dump theirwaste into the water.

Even though their anchors drag bot-tom and many are polluting the water-

way, state law protects their right to an-chor in any navigable waterway. Onlyabandoned “derelict” boats can be re-moved by the county; the rest are pro-tected by law.

The 34-acre mooring facility wouldhave eliminated those issues by also em-ploying a full-time dockmaster, andwould also have permitted legally polic-ing the waterway in and around themooring field to prohibit any anchoringof boats except those moored to a sub-merged ball.

The construction of the facilitywould have been paid for with grantsalready received by the county, whichhad spent more than $400,000 in permit-ting and design costs, contracting withenvironmental engineers, Coastal Sys-tems International, Inc., to conduct anenvironmental survey, to meet with,compile and process permits with theFlorida Department of EnvironmentalProtection and the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers, prepare a Mooring FieldManagement Plan, all of which hadbeen completed and approved.

With the commission vote came therealization that any mooring projectwould need to start from scratch, whichwould include finding a new locationand applying for new grants. The previ-ous grants are non-transferable to otherlocations, according to county CoastalEngineer Kathy Fitzpatrick.

Rose announced at a Jensen Beachgathering that he intended to continuepursuing a solution. He has sought apartnership in doing so with two of themost vocal opponents to the mooringfield, Indian Riverkeeper Marty Baumand Jensen Beach activist Jackie Tran-scynger, whom Rose said had agreed toassist his efforts.

In the meantime, not much changecan be seen along the Jensen BeachCauseway. �

Rep. Harrell cheers effortsof Chamber members

Only one question came from theaudience for Florida Represen-tative Gayle Harrell, of District

81 that includes Jensen Beach, when sheaddressed the Jensen Beach Chamber’sluncheon meeting in June at the RedLobster restaurant on Federal Highway.

Dick Hall, of Out2News, asked howshe felt about the “Common Core ” edu-cation standards that have been adoptedrecently by many states, and formerlydenounced by many groups, includingthe Martin County Republican Execu-tive Committee.

“As a former teacher, I absolutely be-lieve in standards,” she responded. “Un-fortunately, there’s muchmisinformation going around creating alot of contention about these standards,and I wish people would understandthat Common Core came from a consor-

tium of 45 state governors. This is not afederal program.”

Forty-five states, the District of Co-lumbia and four U.S. Territories haveadopted the standards, which are in-tended to provide an understanding ofwhat students are expected to learn inmath and English to be successful in ei-ther college or after high school. The cur-riculum and teaching methods are left tothe state and county school boards.

Adoption was pushed in severalstates, however, in order to qualify forfederal Race to the Top education grantsthat require states to set education stan-dards that meet broad requirements.

“This does not mean that we’re notgoing to be teaching social studies andliterature,” she said. “We will never givethat up.”

Harrell also gave members a glowing

report of the results of the last legislativesession, including that legislators wereable to put aside $2.5 billion of thisyear’s state budget for reserves, a dra-matic change from the previous sixyears where $7 billion had to be cut dueto the decline in tax revenues.

“Without the dollars you generate,”Harrell told the gathering of businesspeople, “we, the Legislature, wouldhave no budget. Everything you dokeeps the economy rolling.” �

JENSEN BEACHCHAMBER CALENDAR

Luncheon MeetingThursday, July 18 (11:45am–1pm)$20Chillin’ The Most Restaurant & Bar4304 NE Ocean Blvd.Hutchinson IslandSponsored by Martin VolunteersSpeaker: Jason McNamara,Workforce and Veterans, andBarbara Essenwine, Adopt-A-Class.

Morning Mix & MingleThursday, July 25 (7:45am) $5Rooster’s Daytime Café891 NE Jensen Beach Blvd.Jensen Beach

A drawing of the now-defeated Jensen Beach mooring facility in relation to an old sea grassbeds survey. An updated proposal by county staff was to reduce the size of the mooring field tocompletely eliminate any possibility of interfering with sea grass, but still the plan was rejectedby commissioners, 3-2.

State Rep. Gayle Harrell takes a moment for aphoto op with a Jensen Beach Chamber member.

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Jensen Beach Chamber16

Mooring field: Rose gives in, but doesn’t give upMost of all, frustration showed

through Jensen Beach Cham-ber Executive Director Ron

Rose’s voice as he addressed the MartinCounty Commission in June at the pub-lic hearing to determine the fate of theJensen Beach mooring field.

“I don’t knowwhat to say,” as Rose,standing at the lectern, waded the paperin his hand bearing his prepared remarks.

Not often does Rose not know whatto say, and indeed he had investedmuch time in attending meetings andaddressing Jensen Beach Chambermembers to elicit support—ticking off alist of benefits each time—for whatseemed a positive project not only forthe downtown business community, butfor residents, visitors and for protectingthe environment; however, a long line ofspeakers preceding Rose at the hearinghad asked commissioners to stop theproject, primarily because it would belocated in a manatee protection zoneand a portion of the area had sea grassgrowing, although less than one percentof one quadrant.

“I agree with Commissioner (John)Haddox,” Rose said, who had alongonly with Commissioner Doug Smith,agreed that a carefully planned mooringfacility was a good project for that loca-tion, particularly if reduced in size to ex-clude any possible sea grass impact.

“There needs to be a solution outthere. It’s a mess,” Rose continued. “Youall know it’s a mess.”

The “mess,” which has plaguedJensen Beach residents for more than adecade includes derelict and “ugly”boats anchored off Jensen Beach Cause-way in the Indian River Lagoon, whose

live-aboard occupants frequently pan-handle on the beach and dump theirwaste into the water.

Even though their anchors drag bot-tom and many are polluting the water-

way, state law protects their right to an-chor in any navigable waterway. Onlyabandoned “derelict” boats can be re-moved by the county; the rest are pro-tected by law.

The 34-acre mooring facility wouldhave eliminated those issues by also em-ploying a full-time dockmaster, andwould also have permitted legally polic-ing the waterway in and around themooring field to prohibit any anchoringof boats except those moored to a sub-merged ball.

The construction of the facilitywould have been paid for with grantsalready received by the county, whichhad spent more than $400,000 in permit-ting and design costs, contracting withenvironmental engineers, Coastal Sys-tems International, Inc., to conduct anenvironmental survey, to meet with,compile and process permits with theFlorida Department of EnvironmentalProtection and the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers, prepare a Mooring FieldManagement Plan, all of which hadbeen completed and approved.

With the commission vote came therealization that any mooring projectwould need to start from scratch, whichwould include finding a new locationand applying for new grants. The previ-ous grants are non-transferable to otherlocations, according to county CoastalEngineer Kathy Fitzpatrick.

Rose announced at a Jensen Beachgathering that he intended to continuepursuing a solution. He has sought apartnership in doing so with two of themost vocal opponents to the mooringfield, Indian Riverkeeper Marty Baumand Jensen Beach activist Jackie Tran-scynger, whom Rose said had agreed toassist his efforts.

In the meantime, not much changecan be seen along the Jensen BeachCauseway. �

Rep. Harrell cheers effortsof Chamber members

Only one question came from theaudience for Florida Represen-tative Gayle Harrell, of District

81 that includes Jensen Beach, when sheaddressed the Jensen Beach Chamber’sluncheon meeting in June at the RedLobster restaurant on Federal Highway.

Dick Hall, of Out2News, asked howshe felt about the “Common Core ” edu-cation standards that have been adoptedrecently by many states, and formerlydenounced by many groups, includingthe Martin County Republican Execu-tive Committee.

“As a former teacher, I absolutely be-lieve in standards,” she responded. “Un-fortunately, there’s muchmisinformation going around creating alot of contention about these standards,and I wish people would understandthat Common Core came from a consor-

tium of 45 state governors. This is not afederal program.”

Forty-five states, the District of Co-lumbia and four U.S. Territories haveadopted the standards, which are in-tended to provide an understanding ofwhat students are expected to learn inmath and English to be successful in ei-ther college or after high school. The cur-riculum and teaching methods are left tothe state and county school boards.

Adoption was pushed in severalstates, however, in order to qualify forfederal Race to the Top education grantsthat require states to set education stan-dards that meet broad requirements.

“This does not mean that we’re notgoing to be teaching social studies andliterature,” she said. “We will never givethat up.”

Harrell also gave members a glowing

report of the results of the last legislativesession, including that legislators wereable to put aside $2.5 billion of thisyear’s state budget for reserves, a dra-matic change from the previous sixyears where $7 billion had to be cut dueto the decline in tax revenues.

“Without the dollars you generate,”Harrell told the gathering of businesspeople, “we, the Legislature, wouldhave no budget. Everything you dokeeps the economy rolling.” �

JENSEN BEACHCHAMBER CALENDAR

Luncheon MeetingThursday, July 18 (11:45am–1pm)$20Chillin’ The Most Restaurant & Bar4304 NE Ocean Blvd.Hutchinson IslandSponsored by Martin VolunteersSpeaker: Jason McNamara,Workforce and Veterans, andBarbara Essenwine, Adopt-A-Class.

Morning Mix & MingleThursday, July 25 (7:45am) $5Rooster’s Daytime Café891 NE Jensen Beach Blvd.Jensen Beach

A drawing of the now-defeated Jensen Beach mooring facility in relation to an old sea grassbeds survey. An updated proposal by county staff was to reduce the size of the mooring field tocompletely eliminate any possibility of interfering with sea grass, but still the plan was rejectedby commissioners, 3-2.

State Rep. Gayle Harrell takes a moment for aphoto op with a Jensen Beach Chamber member.

Thursday, July 18Italian Bingo Night at St. Luke’sFor an Italian dinner plus a bingo card for $10, go to St. Luke’s EpiscopalChurch at 5150 SE Railway Avenue in Port Salerno at 5 p.m. on Thurs-day, July 18. Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m., followed by bingo at 6:30 p.m.For info, call 772-286-5455.

Saturday, July 19Kids Fishing Clinic

The River Center has partneredwith Fishing Headquarters ofJupiter for a kids fishing clinic,ages 5-15, on Saturday, July 19,at Carlin Park in Jupiter from9am to noon. Cost is only $10,and fishing equipment is pro-vided. The event begins with aninteractive lesson under thelarge picnic pavilion, wherekids will be taught fishing fun-damentals such as knots, luresand baits; fish identificationand regulations; casting; fishingsafety; an overview of different

fishing equipment; and more. Then they get to fish! Parents may attend,but need a license to fish. The Fishing Clinic will be led by River Centereducator Nicole Sciandra, an expert in fishing Florida waters. To register,call the River Center at 561-743-7123.

Tuesday, July 23Love is ListeningThe Council on Aging of Martin County will host nationally renowneddementia educator Michael Verde on Tuesday, July 23, at 1 p.m. at theKane Center for a free presentation, “Love is Listening.” The discussionwill center on using empathetic communication to connect individualswith Alzheimer’s is free and open to the public. RSVPs are requested bycalling 772-223-7800. Free respite care is available.

Saturday, July 27Taste of the TropicsA family-friendly, free educational event to showcase the variety of fruit-bearing plants that grow in Martin County’s subtropical climate will beSaturday, July 27, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Blake Library on Mon-terey Road in Stuart. Taste of the Tropics will offer a wide variety of trop-ical fruits and vegetables to taste, as well as providing methods andrecipes for preparing them. The festivities also will include a steel drumband, lemonade, and face painting for children in the library courtyard;vendors offering tropical fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, jewelry, garden

treasures, earth-friendly mulch,locally prepared foods with atropical flair, garden manurefrom 4-H youth, books, andmore. Master Gardener volun-teers will be available to answergardening questions. The eventis organized by the Universityof Florida Institute of Food andAgricultural Sciences(UF/IFAS) Martin County Ex-tension Master Gardeners. Formore information, visithttp://martin.ifas.ufl.edu orcall the UF/IFAS MartinCounty Cooperative ExtensionOffice in Stuart at 772-288-5654.

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 What ’n Where 17

Saturday, July 13Reef BuildersTournament &Lionfish Round-Up

How fortuitous thatan invasive specieswinds up beingsuch good eating!The Martin CountyArtificial Reef FundCommittee will

host the 7th Annual Reef BuildersTournament along with the 3rd AnnualLionfish Round-Up on Saturday, July13. (Captains/divers briefing will beFriday, July 12, at the Reef waterfrontrestaurant in Port Salerno. The tourna-ment helps fund the artificial reef pro-gram in Martin County. For more info,call Betty at 772-223-1685 or email:info@mcacreefs.org.

Sunday, July 14Pet Festival& Dog WashYou can get your dog bathed and helpthe Humane Society of the TreasureCoast’s shelter animals at the sametime at the Stuart Green Market’s PetFestival & Dog Wash on Sunday, July14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 121 SWFlagler Ave., next to City Hall. Admis-sion is free and the suggested dogwash donation is $10. All proceeds ben-efit the Humane Society of the TreasureCoast. Special music, specialty pet ven-dors, a Green Market basket raffle andHSTC dogs for adoption on-site from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. For more informationabout the Pet Festival & Dog Wash, callNatalie Parkell at 772-233-0297 oremail stuartgreenmarket@yahoo.com.

Tuesday, July 16Sunset Paddle& Naturalist TourA spectacular sunset kayak paddletour of the Wild & Scenic portion ofthe Loxahatchee River led by RiverCenter naturalists will embark fromJonathan Dickinson State Park at 6p.m. on Tuesday, July 16. The cost is$10, in addition to regular park admis-sion fees. The park is at 16450 U.S. 1,just south of Bridge Road in HobeSound. The naturalists will point outthe various and unique habitats,wildlife, aquatic animals and vegeta-tion that are located throughout thejourney. The River Center will providekayaks, paddles and life jackets to reg-istrants, but participants need to bringwater. The group will launch from theboat ramps at Jonathon DickinsonState Park. The paddle is beginnerlevel and suitable for children accom-panied by a parent or guardian. Partici-pation is limited, and participantsmust register in advance by calling theRiver Center at 561-743-7123.

Saturday, July 27Treasure CoastWaterway CleanupThe Marine Industries Association of the Treas-ure Coast with the support of the Florida InlandNavigation District will hold the 6th AnnualTreasure Coast Waterway Cleanup on Saturday,July 27. To register, go to www.TCWaterway-Cleanup.com and click “Online Registration,”scroll down and complete the form (or down-load the pdf version and mail it in). When par-ticipants arrive to the site of their choice on thecleanup day, they will receive their cleanup sup-plies, T-shirt and instructions. For more infor-mation, contact April Price, 772.285.1646, orfollow on Facebook.

Sunday, August 4Kids Triathlon atSailfish Splash

A triathlon for kidsages 5-12 to com-pete in swimming,running and bikingwill be Sunday, Au-gust 4, at the Sail-fish SplashWaterpark on Sun-day, August 4, be-ginning at 7 a.m.Organized by theMartin CountyParks & Recreation

Department, the event requires preregistrationbefore August 2. There is no registration onrace day. Participants also must have SATriathlon membership or purchase a one-daymembership on race day for $10, in addition tothe triathlon entry fee of $35, which includeswaterpark admission. Triathlon families receivea 30% discount on waterpark admission. Agedivisions are 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12. Therewill be awards for first, second and third ineach age group as well as finishers medals(medals for ages five and six only) and T-shirtsfor all participants. For more info, call 772-221-1419. Sailfish Splash Waterpark is at 931 S.E.Ruhnke St., Stuart.

Ending August 31PB&J Drive forHouse of HopeBe sure to help Alyssa,12, and Anthony, 14,Golino, two highly mo-tivated Martin Countyyoungsters,reach theirgoal of col-lecting one tonof peanut butterand jelly forHouse of Hope byAugust 31. This isthe third year they’veembarked on the project to help stock HOHfood pantries. They collected 1,000 pounds lastsummer. For a list of collection points, contacttheir mom, Gina Golino, at 772-221-1660 orgina@fwd-electric-air.com.

The flyer for the Hobe Sound Fourthof July Parade around Zeus Parksaid it was being organized by “No

one in particular,” but those who partici-pate each year know that the Fucigna fam-ily plays the biggest role as organizers andcheerleaders. This year was no different.

Two things changed, however, for the

13th annual celebration: The Hobe SoundCommunity Center was no longer the cen-ter of activity (too costly) and Hobe Soundresident Pauline MacArthur, 98, did notfeel up to singing the National Anthem(she’s earned a break).

As participants gathered in the socialhall of the Hobe Sound Community Pres-

byterian Church, which stepped up to theplate offering a site, guests were greetedby Tom and Cindy Fucigna and theirdaughters, Elora and Isabella.

“When I asked Pauline what her secretwas for singing the National Anthem,”Tom told the crowd at the beginning of ashort, patriotic program, “she said, ‘It’s

easy to sing theNational An-them. Just singit loud.’”

Thus, Tom,his wife, Cindy,and the young-sters in thegroup not-so-loudly led thesinging beforeVFWmembers,a bagpiper, fire-

fighters, and residents walking, jogging, rid-ing bikes or golf carts, pulling wagons orpushing carriages—many of which weredecorated in red, white and blue, and just asmanywere not—began their quick trekaround the Zeus Park Circle.

After 20 minutes in the bright sunshine,participants returned to a air-conditionedsocial hall to indulge in some cookies, cup-cakes, muffins and fresh veggies, as theirchildren played games and had their fin-gernails turned into patriotic symbols.

The event, as American as all the back-yard barbecues that followed, was dedi-cated to the memory of Hobe Soundsoldier Sgt. Justin Johnson, who sacrificedhis life in Afghanistan, in part ensuringthat friends, neighbors and even strangersmay march around a park on any daythey choose.

—Barbara Clowdus

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Hobe Sound Neighbors18

Two of the most recent graduates ofthe Martin County Citizen FireAcademy, Hap and Barbara Har-

rington of the Ridgeway community inHobe Sound, are effusive in their praise ofthe program.

“Everyone in Martin County should at-tend this program,” Hap says. “It is fabu-lous. I was expecting it to be good, but iteven exceeded my expectations.”

Recognizing that the public seldomsees firefighters in action, the MartinCounty Fire Rescue Department createdthe seven-week program in order to givean up-close and interactive look at localFire Rescue Departments. The Harring-tons, along with about a dozen other par-ticipants, spent time with the fire chief,firefighters, paramedics, lifeguards andemergency dispatchers to learn what’s re-quired for emergency medical services,fire suppression, 911-dispatch, budgeting,training, as well as aero-medical and spe-cial operations during two-hour sessionsfrom 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

The next series will begin in Stuart onSept. 11.

One name was drawn for the privilegeof riding in a fire-rescue truck, in this caseBarbara Harrington, but midway throughthe ride, the crew needed to respond to aserious accident on I-95.

“The firefighter looked at me,” she re-

counted, “and he said, ‘Oh well, looks likeyou’re just going to have to ride alongwith us,’ which was all right with me.”

But instead of heading toward the In-terstate, the truck returned to the TropicalFarms firehouse, where firefighters hadstaged a mock accident to demonstratetheir live-saving skills. “I’ll never forgetthat day,” Barbara says with a grin, afterwatching the crash “victim” being res-cued, stabilized and air-lifted from thescene by a helicopter.

To register for the next class, call 772-288-5710, or to learn more about the pro-gram, visit www.martin.fl.us, click on“departments,” “fire rescue,” and “citizenfire academy.” �

Hobe Sound neighbors and friends filled the social hall of theHobe Sound Community Presbyterian Church for the annualHobe Sound Fourth of July Parade. Photo: Elora Fucigna

Grads give thumbs upfor Citizen Fire Academy

Martin County Fire Chief Joe Ferrara, left, withnew Citizen Fire Academy graduates, Hap andBarbara Harrington of Ridgeway.

South Fork HighSchool graduateAthena Carson, of

Hobe Sound, learned ofher life’s biggest challengeat the dinner table in Janu-ary of 2012. Her mom hadbreast cancer.

The ensuing doublemastectomy, attendantcomplications and difficulttreatments required re-silience and strength of hermom, which inspired herdaughter.

“I feel as if this bumpin the road opened myeyes to a future career,” Athena says. “Atseventeen years old, I did not quite knowwhat I wanted to study, until now.” Shedecided to pursue a career as a RegisteredNurse.

The Visiting Nurse Association ofFlorida, recognizing Athena’s dedicationto school and family, awarded her a $1,000scholarship to attend the University ofCentral Florida after graduating lastmonth in the top 10% of her class at SouthFork and duel-enrolling at Indian RiverState College.

She also participated in the Academyof Health Science and Medicine and vol-unteered for Advocates for the Rights ofthe Challenged (ARC).

The Visiting Nurse Association of

Florida, a home health carenonprofit serving morethan 15 counties, has pro-vided $50,000 in scholar-ships over the past severalyears.

“This year, the VNA ofFlorida is proud to award$5,000 to six students inMartin and Okeechobeecounties,” said JenniferCrow, communications di-rector. “We couldn’t behappier with the caliber ofstudents who will benefitfrom this financial aid.”

Other VNA scholarshiprecipients include: Amanda Lowe, ClarkAdvanced Learning Center; Emily Mur-row and Estrella Hernandez, OkeechobeeHigh School; Jessica Brooke Morris, Mar-tin County High School; and DustinBoudreau, Jensen Beach High School.

Her mom’s illness put a financial strainon the Carson family, which has threeteenagers at home. Athena’s concern forhow she will pay for school has beenabated partly by this scholarship.

“It’s going to help pay for my apart-ment, books or classes,” said the youngstudent. “I’m really grateful for that.”

But the achievement Athena speaks ofmost often is not her own. She’s happy toreport her mom is now cancer free. �

—Rikki Klaus

A family’s detour leadsto student’s career path

Scholarship winner AthenaCarson, right, with her mom,Toni, a breast cancer survivor.

Hobe Sound celebrates Independence Day

Pastor Chip Falcone and his wife, Aimee, hadto jog to keep up with their son, Nathaniel,who took off like a racer.

Suellen Millroy comforts hergranddaughter, Lorelei,who’s not happy followingthe gun salute outside.

Murphy Brown, “the sweet-est dog in town,” took ashort rest before hopping aride on a golf cart.

The 13th annual Hobe Sound 4th of July Paradehad few spectators—nearly all were marchers.

The Reyneri family, new residents living on MercuryStreet, took part in their first Hobe SoundIndependence Day celebration.

Bicyclists and baby carriages took overthe street.

For the past seven years, the PortSalerno Seafood Festival hosted bythe Port Salerno Commercial Fishing

Dock Authority, brings thousands of fami-lies to the historic fishing village on theTreasure Coast to sample fresh-caught fishprepared a dozen different ways, drinksome tall glasses of beer, and breath deepthe sea air.

The day starts early and ends late withdancing and great music under the starsswelling attendance as its reputationgrows for great arts and crafts, too, as wellas giving visitors a close-up look at one ofFlorida’s few remaining working fisher-man’s waterfront communities.

What gets less attention, though noless important, are the donations made tolocal charities and organizations that makea positive difference in the lives of thosewho live in the Port Salerno area. Follow-ing its tradition of hosting a great party,the Fishing Dock Authority hosted a partyin late June at Pirate’s Cove Resort to dis-pense this year’s festival proceeds, whichthus far have exceeded $12,000, accordingto April Price, of April Price Associates,who coordinated the event.

“Some of the proceeds also will go tothe Port Salerno Christmas tree-lighting,”Price said, “and to meet other requeststhat come in,” including giving away 50 to80 bikes each December to Port Salernochildren.

Recipients of the donations includedthe Martin County Boys & Girls Club,Keep Martin Beautiful’s Coastal Cleanup,Marine Industries Association of the Treas-ure Coast for its Treasure Coast Waterway

Cleanup, Port Salerno Elementary School,the Road to Victory Museum and the Stu-art-Sunrise Rotary Club, all of whom hadrepresentatives at the party.

Donations were also given to the Mar-tin County Life Savers Group, the PortSalerno Little League, the Port SalernoPine Rest Cemetery, and the Port SalernoUnited Methodist Church.

“We had a great time (at the party),”said Morgan Kopani, outcomes directorfor the Boys & Girls Clubs of MartinCounty, “and what a check!”

To stay abreast of the Port SalernoSeafood Festival and its schedule, go towww.facebook.com/PortSalernoSeafood-Festival. �

One of the most popular and highlytouted Community Redevelop-ment Agency’s revitalization proj-

ects, the Manatee Pocket Gateway andwaterfront pedestrian plaza in PortSalerno, was officially dedicated June 13.

Completion of the 1,580-square-footwaterfront pedestrian plaza that incorpo-rates stingray-shaped shade umbrellas,benches, lighthouse-shaped lights, andart-embellished pedestals and pavers hap-pened a few months previously, but theboardwalk connecting the gateway to therest of the pocketwalk was completed onlyweeks ago.

The signature piece of the project, asculptured wall depicting swimming man-atees and native fish, was created by localartist Sue Lampert, of IronShore Studio,through a grant from the county’s Art inPublic Places program, coordinated byLinda Fasano. The project was led byCommunity Development Director KevFreeman, who attended the dedication,along with Fasano and Lampert.

“This project was perfect for meldingthe Art in Public Places program with acommunity redevelopment project,” Free-man said, “because opening up the water-front to public access has also increasedpublic access to art, and it will—actually, itis already if you look at the number of

people movingthrough here now—provide a broad au-dience to increaseawareness and ap-preciation of localartwork.”

Also on hand forthe official dedicationwas community ac-tivist and business-man John Hennesseeof Port Salerno, whoserved on the Port

Salerno Neighborhood Advisory Commit-tee for more than a decade, then was ap-pointed to serve on the now-disbandedCommunity Redevelopment Agency, dur-ing which time the pocketwalk and thepedestrian plaza was planned and con-struction launched.

“There’s immense satisfaction in seeingsuch a beautiful project finished,” Hen-nessee said, “and I hope progress (on theproject) continues.”

When Hennessee first moved to PortSalerno, the waterfront view was blockedby a three-foot tall concrete barrier, whichalso blocked access to the Manatee IslandRestaurant and Bar that voluntarily paidfor part of the construction of the pocket-walk. The restaurant also volunteered to

maintain the pedestrian plaza at its own ex-pense in a new public-private partnership.

The Board of County Commissionershosted the event, which was attended bycommissioners Doug Smith, Anne Scottand Chair Sarah Heard, who addressedthe crowd of county officials, local citizensand business owners.

“Not only has this project improvedaesthetics and views, but it’s also im-proved pedestrian access to the water-front,” Heard said, according to a countynews release. “This completion of thisproject is already positively impactinglocal businesses.”

The Manatee Pocket Gateway is on theeast side of SE Dixie Highway (A1A), justsouth of Salerno Road, and provides pub-lic access to a large segment of the Mana-tee Pocketwalk. �

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 Port Salerno Neighbors 19

Kev FreemanDirector of the Com-munity DevelopmentDepartment

Port Salerno Pocketwalk gateway dedicated

Bruce Stiller, far left, and Butch Olsen, Jr.,of the Port Salerno Commercial Fishing DockAuthority, present a “check” for $2,000 toMorgan Kopani and Renee Booth, representingthe Boys & Girls Club of Martin County.Photo: April Price

Fishermen dispense Seafood Festfunds to local organizations

Metalwork artist Sue Lampert, right, enjoys theview of Manatee Pocket along with some PortSalerno neighbors. Part of her gateway artworkis on the far right.

The Port Salerno pedestrian patio at the gate-way to the Manatee Pocketwalk is dotted withmetalwork sculptures by artist Sue Lampert.Photos: Barbara Clowdus

Linda Fasano, coordinator of the Art in PublicPlaces program, with community activist andformer CRA chair, John Hennessee.

Flying high in the summer

It’s “high summer” in Hobe Soundand vacation time again! Many of usare flying elsewhere and enjoying

ourselves in various places. I have justreturned from my 63rd flight across theAtlantic. That’s not bad for a personwho is terrified of flying and has a backproblem. (That is, a “yellow streak” run-ning down it!)

I have experienced an engine fire onmy first flight, mechanical failures, anengine failure on take-off, and a land-ing in the wrong airport. It is all part ofthe great adventures that I would havemissed had I stayed on the ground.Not to mention the wonderful world Ihave seen!

I have made the best of my fears overthe years and recall some amusing sto-ries and incidents that I remember andsome stories told to me by others. A fewof them have made flying memorable!Here is a favorite:

A flight attendant recently told me ofa happening on a trip to the west coast.A RAT got itself into a seat in first class(most likely entering in through a bever-age container box) and finding its wayunder a seat. After finishing off a meal ofcrumbs, it chewed its way through theleather cushion and appeared through ahole in the top, head poking out.

Luckily, there were few passengerson the flight, and the terrified and sur-prised crew confronted the rodent withdetermined force, while trying to stopthe passengers from confrontation withMickey Mouse. The innocent passengerscarried on, enjoying the flight, withoutever knowing that a chase was on andthe rapid rodent was captured by a jubi-lant crew while flying through the cabin.

A new “stewardess” remembers anold woman sitting next to a window andcontinually ringing her bell for assis-tance complaining that the tire on theplane was flat. Over and over she con-tinued to whine until finally the stew-ardess looked out the window todiscover that she was right. “Stop theplane...the tire IS flat!”

This tale reminds me of how muchfun we had in the “old days” when fly-ing was fun! There was no security, afriend or family member could boardthe plane with you and sit next to youuntil departure. I treasure a photo of myyoung daughter sitting inside a jet en-

gine, legs dangling, on the Zurich air-port runway. A steward placed her therefor amusement.

I often flew with my sister (an Amer-ican Airlines stewardess) as a passenger.More than once the engines were run-ning as we arrived and the plane waswaiting to depart. Passengers and crewwaited patiently as my sister ran up therunway to the flight deck and to her jobas a stewardess.

She made a “Trainee” sign for me towear, so I worked in the cabin servinglots of extra drinks and let a dog out ofits cage to run the aisle. The two of ussang a duet, and I performed my knifeswallowing act to a cheering audience.

On an overbooked flight a passengerstood in the aft section and during take-off sat in the lavatory on the toilet seat.(Door shut.) He did the same upon land-ing. He was just happy he got on board.

A religious pilot once handed outbooklets to each passenger upon board-ing. Later, in a scary storm, he an-nounced on the PA system, “Folks. Ihave done all I can, and now the rest isUP TO THE LORD.”

During the days of streaking (whereone would strip off their clothes any-where and anytime and run nakedthrough the crowd) a free-spirited,young male passenger on a flight toNew York shed his clothes in the lava-tory in the aft section. He then ran forthe front lavatory where he had stasheda second set of clothes to wear....only tofind the lavatory occupied. He returnedto the rear among cheering fans.

My friend, president of KLM, toldme of a plane going down in the Ama-zon river. It was in 1949 and times weretough for any airlines; frugality was im-portant. After the passengers safelyreached shore and spent the night in ashelter, they returned the next day toclaim their belongings.

The clothes and items had been driedin the sun and laid out along the riverbank to be collected by their owners. Itall went well and there were no com-plaints. These days are different, butthere is still some creativity to be found.

I read that some flight passengersused duct tape to subdue a fellow trav-eler who had become unruly.Not a bad idea?

Heathrow (London) has installed pi-anos for people to play in the airport. Ihad a great time playing “boogie” in thedepartures lounge last week when Icame through! So far, no complaints! �

Suzanne Briley, who lives in HobeSound, is an artist, author, entrepreneur, en-vironmentalist and world traveler. She maybe contacted at hopscotch@hscurrents.com.

SuzanneBriley

Hopscotch

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Lifestyle20

Hobe Sound Library is keeping itspledge to feature local artists – aproject initiated in the spring by

the Martin County Library System. A re-cently launched show offers two typesof visual arts: abstract paintings andglass fusion fantasies, done by a marriedcouple, Jen Dacota and Barry Blecher.The exhibit is open through July 15.

The diverse nature of the show is re-ally outstanding. At the opening, Barryimpressed the audience with hisalchemy of fusion that results in a stun-ning novelty of expression in art glass.

Jen Dacota, whose work has beenchosen for various juried art shows na-tionwide, exhibited paintings full ofdeep lyricism, innovative technique inemploying tar, and a vibrancy of colors.

The artists’ journey projected on thewall in meaningful slides kept the audi-ence mesmerized.

As we learned, Jen Blecher adopted ascreen name, Dacota, for one particularreason: “It sounds so much moremelodic,” she said, prompting a proudsmile from Barry.

Jen has painted on a variety of avail-able surfaces: walls, ceilings, jeans, vari-ous fabrics. Although she received herB.A. in Art Education in New York, for amother raising three daughters, paintingremained a hobby.

Things changed dramatically afterBarry had a stroke, and soon after Jenexperienced a brain hemorrhage herself.That’s when the art converted into achannel of what Carl Jung called “indi-viduation,” or as Jen said, “When onedoor closes, another one opens.’’

From that point, Jen’s creative self-re-alization process spiraled up and becameher full-time vehicle for healing and self-expression. Aesthetically akin to the ab-

stract expressionists of theSan Francisco Renaissanceof the ‘60s, she turned toan abstract style to convey freely her tal-ent and inner craving for totality.

Her paintingMetamorphosis depicts a10-rayed flower that carries a beautifulimprint of wholeness. Its circular shapeis reminiscent of a mandala, which in In-dian philosophy is used as a symbol ofboth the Self and the entire Cosmos.

Looking at images of Barry’s MRI,she got a deep insight into the humanbrain that inspired her absorbing “BrainSeries.” Brain as microcosm becameJen’s sacred metaphor for an unlimitedsource of creativity.

“I really began to paint as a personal

challenge to myself,” she said, after herstroke had resulted in both visual andconcentration deficits. “No longerbeing able to read very much, or drive,I thought painting might stimulateother areas of my brain to compensateof my losses.”

Her medical condition also affectedher vision, which eventually opened herfingers to a mystical sensation of color.At one point, painting by fingers pre-vailed over using brushes.

Jen adopted tar as her painterlymedium for creating depth and texture.By using mixed media, the artist empha-

sizes the inner meaning of hermulti-layered pictorial mes-sage. InMorning Barn, tar isthickly applied in the fore-ground, and that creates dra-matic vibration of colors andincites us to enter nature’s mys-terious winter spectacle.

Jen’s art is born out of in-ward visions rather than exter-nal impressions – the mode thatevokes reflection of Max Ernst:“The painter should close hiseyes in order to see the imagewith his spiritual vision.”

Meanwhile, the exquisitegeometry of Barry’s glass fu-

sion reveals the same craving for whole-ness as the paintings of Jen.

“Glass fusion has allowed me to ex-pand my creativity in ways I neverdreamed of,” Barry said. “By using glassI design brilliant, vivid patterns frommy imagination.”

However, it takes much patience andprecision to come up with an ideal form,the artist explained.

Some of his glass designs remind oneof yantras – eastern meditation geomet-ric figures that symbolize the union ofthe personal and temporal with thetimeless and collective. That’s why hisglass patterns appeal to so many. InBarry’s world, it’s almost no images ofthe sensuous world, and yet we recog-nize them all.

The main leitmotif of his art is infinity.“Time is no time factor. There is no

beginning and there is no end,” he com-mented on his piece called Infinity. His

recently soldMoonbeam piece shifts ourfocus from personal to universal, re-minding us that art is the only unfailingmedium for embracing life with its eter-nal interplay of opposite elements.

German philosopher Martin Hei-degger wrote that “pain gives of itshealing power where we least expectit.” For Jen and Barry this very power isfound in art. �

Russian-American Maya Ellenson, whoholds M.A. and PhD degrees in Russianlanguage and literature from Moscow StateUniversity, has lived in Martin County foreight years. A free-lance writer, she has aparticular interest in world culture and art.

Art as a medium of wholenessMaya

Ellenson

ArtKaleidoscope

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 Lifestyle 21

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Glass fusion artistBarry Blecher.

Artist Jen Dacota with some of her featured works on display at the Hobe Sound Public Libraryuntil July 16. Photos: Maya Ellenson.

Metamorphosis by Jen Dacota.

Infinity and Moonbeam are glass fusion worksby Barry Blecher.

While the rest of usswelter in thesummer heat in

south Florida, 12-year-oldLacie Greenwald and herdad, Dr. Brett Greenwald ofHobe Sound, are skiing ona Canadian glacier. The tripis part of Lacie’s continuingtraining.

Already recognized asthe best racer in her cate-gory in the country bysome of the top ski coachesin the United States andCanada, the skiing duo willspend two weeks at the Whistler Black-comb Ski Resort in Whistler, British Co-lumbia, Canada, where the Olympicand Paralympic Alpine Skiing eventstook place in 2010 and where Lacie hastrained previously.

This is the second year she has par-ticipated in the Michel Pratte Ski Camp,offering summer glacier skiing exerciseson its toughest race course, using in-tense ski performance training in prepa-ration for the Eastern Championships inOkemo, Vermont, in February 2014 andthe National Championship in Aspen,Colorado, in March.

Lacie will spend five hours each day

training in the adult divi-sion, according to profes-sional skier and coachMichel Pratte, former racerin the European Cup andWorld Cup and coach of theCanadian National AlpineWomen’s Team. Pratte runsPratteSki International,which hosts ski camps.

“Whistler offers everyservice to ensure the bestsummer ski camp venue inthe world,” says Pratte.“Lacie will train on Black-comb’s most popular gla-

cier under superb weather conditionsand majestic views.”

Lacie must travel for 45 minutes toascend the glacier in a chair lift. Thenshe’ll board a bus that will take her tothe top of the race course, where shewill begin her training in Giant Slalomand Slalom courses. Return trips to thetop will require a T-bar that will pullLacie back to the top in five minutes tostart the exercise all over again.

Pratte will have a video crew presentto film her skiing so that the coach canprovide individual feedback, and so herparents will have a memento of thesummer.

“After two weeks of extreme trainingon the terrain at Whistler,” says Lacie’smother, Jeneane Wakula, “Lacie will beable to ski any type of environment.”

She began competing in 2010 at age8, and after winning progressively moredifficult races each year, her goal now iseventually to compete as part of the U.S.

Ski Team in the Olympics.In a few days, Lacie will be back

home again in Hobe Sound, where lifewill return to “normal,” and her father, achiropractor and owner of TreasureCoast Health and Wellness, will returnto his practice, at least until Lacie needsto get ready for the next race. �

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013Sports22

Hobe Sound skier Lacie Greenwald back in Canada

Lacie Greenwald, 12, working hard but having fun, too, while training at camp on a Canadian glacier.

Lacie Greenwald

June extended the pompano sea-son, and May was the first solidSpring Run that Hobe Sound has

witnessed in years. Every anglercaught plenty of delectable pompano.

This year the beach eroded enoughto hold the Silvers longer than ex-pected. The sand fleas relocated off thesand bars and toured the beaches, giv-ing us miles of rods and a quantity offish to make our anglers happy. A latewinter and yet a splendid ending.Hobe Sound probably saw more com-mercial and recreational anglers fromthe Martin-St. Lucie region than ever,resulting in bitter fights for parkingand early-morning beach positioningthan in the past 10 years. I was proudto hear of the peaceful co-existencethat most of the anglers displayed.Catching and fishing were workingand the ocean worked its wonders.

The big, but not-so-big, surprisewas the negative spring run of Martinand St. Lucie county beaches. As wellplanned as is now the norm, thosebeaches were handsomely adornedwith new beach sand to combat ero-sion and I guess help the sea turtles.Two dredges pumped sand onto thesebeaches through miles of rusty pipesuntil the offshore survey pipes werelevel with nice sand.

Naturally the approximate 150 feetof extended beach at a varying heightof 4 to 5 feet accomplished what thecontractual agreements specified. Inthe meantime, a surf zone that usuallyexhibits the best spring run of most ofSouth Florida experienced “No Run.”

Thus the transfer of anglers toHobe Sound.

I felt the need to explore this event.The May tropical depression rapidlydepleted around 50 feet of the addedcoast line. The planned “turtlefriendly” beach slopes vanished andbore the escarpments (a neat word forsteep cliffs).

The new beach elevation was builtpretty close to the old sand duneberm. One could easily see the grayersand transition to the whiter bleached-out dune sand. From the cliff back tothe dune was level, sort of a plateau.During the commencement of theproject, we were nailing pomps read-ily until the soiled sand was activelyshot up on the Jensen Beaches. We ex-perienced some gentle northeastersthat readily ripped the sand dust par-ticles south, and the Stuart ocean be-came a turbid mess.

Water from the rain runoff and lockopenings went north as the southerlyMay winds started. Now the wretchedcombo of suspended re-do sand andmuddy fresh water inhabited theshoreline. Oh boy! End of story!

Fishing the dead sea for anythingalive became a challenge.

I can’t finish this piece withoutadding some of my thoughts. On June14, I visited the Stuart beaches andmade the following observations. Tobetter depict my script, I took somepictures. One good fishing buddywho lives on the beach took me on ahands-on tour.

I learned of the numerous turtlemisfires just shy of the escarpments. Isaw a few nest egg survey stakes ontop of the plateau about 10 feet fromthe edge of the cliff. The small swellswere actively de-plenishing thebeaches, and the shoreline break was afoul brown. The new sand had numer-ous black particles in it, perhaps driedbits of tar or oil-based material.

Six weeks since the fill was com-pleted and there were no sand fleasaround the wet tidal lines. Since 1996approximately 30 million dollars worthof labor and sand have been blownonto the Martin County beaches.

A local newspaper addressed howthe new plateau slopes could beevened out at precise parcels to betteraccommodate future turtle nesting.Quote: “We (the EAI) will gently kickand push sand from near the top ofthe cliff toward the ocean, attemptingto level it into a gradual slope. Shovelswon’t be used because they could in-advertently slice into a hidden nest.”

Also stated in the same columnwas the factoid that the sand that wasput on the beaches didn’t just disap-pear! Next, it said that some of thesand is just offshore and is alreadybeing pushed back onto the beach. Myexperience is that this re-do sand willcome back on southern swells, but it’sa fact that Northeasters move thelightest sand particles littorally alongthe shoreline with a very high percent-age of beach movement. Also the pastre-do projects have been found to ex-tend out to more than 20 meters ofwater depth.

Last but not least is the particle sizeof the composite sand that we areplacing on these beaches. Normalbeaches have a mix of heavier andlighter granules. Our beaches arebeing replenished with a combo of oldre-do sand and deeper digs throughlayers of “Lake O mud.” Nothing likea nice mix of turbidity and phosphatesto help destroy the natural fauna andflora that supply the nutrients tomaintain a coastal fishery.

Very last, the latest sand is at mini-mum half the size of a natural beachsand particle. Small wonder our migra-tories are swimming outside this zone,and we have become merely a “DriveThru” with an occasional water qualityday exhibiting a diminuitive bite.

I have more thoughts, but I need tospare myself of the anguish of tellingyou all about it. �

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013 Outdoors 23

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A beach escarpment makes life difficult. Photo: Rich Vidulich

Beach subjects on my fishy mind

Martin County CurrentsJuly 2013A Hobe Sound Moment24

MAKING FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIESElla Barker, 5...almost 6...of Hobe Sound is ready to take part in the annual Fourth of July Parade around Zeus Park in the heart of the Hobe Sound community.A participatory parade, most of the parade watchers became the parade units comprising residents who walked, rode, jogged and sang their way around theshort circle at the rear of the Hobe Sound Community Presbyterian Church.