Retreat Blog

We are getting pounded in the "OFF SEASON"

CRISIS

Work is moving along next door at the Inn on our East side.
Many seawall panels are in place and sand is being piled up over the seawall at White Cliffs east of the Inn which is next to The finished Seawall at Adagio.
So.... a long run of seawall to our east...

There is a whole lot of sand piled up on the beachs upstream from us .........

To our west: Draper Lake and Old Florida Beach which has not taken any measures on their beach that I can see...

Carry your flashlight when walking in the dark . These guys will bite you.
Also watch where your kids, grandkids, and pets are roaming.
A snake bite kit is a good thing to have in the home.

Tunguska

For the last two days while going out on my third floor walk out to watch the Sunset I have noticed that people are walking and standing on top of the high point of our preserve area by Draper Lake.

It seems our Dunes are "The Place" to watch the sun go down.

While walking east from the Hwy 83 beach access yesterday I noticed several children riding tubes, and rolling down the fake dunes covering the seawalls while the parents chatted away.

So... Real dunes are protected (at least in our minds and on the lawbooks of Florida),

And Fake dunes covering seawalls and tubes are not real dunes so they are not protected in the least....

And who will point out this difference to the Visitors ?

Go figure.....

The Seychelles' erosion problem seems well researched and the government's desire for technological innovation is laudable. The proposal to disseminate the results and success of this programme to other island nations is also commendable, as this problem is becoming a typical situation around the world. Unfortunately, the typical solution, dredging for beach nourishment, is not sustainable.

More and more coastal areas are trying to dredge themselves out of erosion. It is not working and cannot work. Two U.S. federal agencies, the Minerals Management Service (MMS), which is the agency charged with finding offshore sand for nourishment, and the U.S. Geological Survey, report that topological changes in the seabed slope resulting from offshore sand mining for beach nourishment cause more erosion onshore. The MMS further states that significant coastal impacts could be expected during storm events by increased wave energy striking the shore. The alternative, channel and harbour dredging for sediment, is also known to cause erosion down-current from these sites. In April-May, 2001, government officials on both the west and east coast of Florida have made the same ominous statement, 'We are out of sand'. Dredging is just not sustainable.

Full article (in French as well) at:Full article

your beach soon...
Scroll down and guess what condo project this is...

Northstar

OK, OK, OK, so the street lights in front of my driveway have worked flawlessly for nearly two years and suddenly there out. And there are only about 5 street lights left on in the Retreat. Well , Yes I did check the bulbs and so.......
Somebody is getting ready to shove some new lights up your.... or should I say down your throat...

It helps if things look sort of pitiful right before that money call Yall'

besides, the contractors are tired of knocking those old light posts down.
They want some brand new expensive lights to run into the mud.
we can even place bets on how long each pretty new light will survive...
That way we can have a chance to get some of our money back!


Hey guys, at least finish the job and cut off the last five lights....
there messing up that total Darkness at the edge of town feel....

66 Days until 2006 hurricane season

48 DEP Days until 2006 Hurricane season (they don't work weekends)

35 Days until the start of 2006 turtle season

25 Fish & Wildlife days until 2006 turtle season (They don't work weekends)

Scroll down to the charts AND CLICK on them for expanded detail.

Scale

$and Dollar$

Because...... We live on the edge ...
What happens when an irresistible force meets a movable object ?
Answer: The object gets moved.

The Hurricane will move the sand and possibly the tubes and even the buildings too.
Some storms are more irresistible than others....

I just came back from the second meeting at watercolor prior to a vote on putting sand down on the beach to create a slope from the existing dune to widen the base of the dune. No time left for dune fences or sea oats though.
Buying time by buying sand....

I think doing something is better than doing nothing.

It just goes against human nature to accept that theres nothing we can do.

Even if it's true.

This article has the side of BR you don't here about...

$$$Beaches$$$

Roger Pielke, Jr., is the director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

He says the new study(current issue of the journal Science), adds weight to findings of a link between warmer oceans and hurricane intensity.

He cautioned, however, that burning oil and coal to drive our cars and heat our homes—which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—is not to blame for an increase in the damage done by hurricanes.

"It's important to recognize that [storm] damage is going to increase going forward, no matter what happens to sea-surface temperatures or hurricanes, as more people move to vulnerable locations on the coastline," he said.

"If hurricanes do become more intense than they have in the past, then that would be an additional factor," he added.

Born On The Bayou

Lyrics by Creedence Clearwater Revival



Now, when I was just a little boy,
Standin' to my Daddy's knee,
My poppa said, "Son, don't let the man get you
Do what he done to me."
'Cause he'll get you,
'Cause he'll get you now, now.

And I can remember the fourth of July,
Runnin' through the backwood, bare.
And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin',
Chasin' down a hoodoo there.
Chasin' down a hoodoo there.

Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou

Wish I was back on the Bayou.
Rollin' with some Cajun Queen.
Wishin' I were a fast freight train,
Just a chooglin' on down to New Orleans.

Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou

I can remember the fourth of July,
Runnin' through the backwood bare.
And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin',
Chasin' down a hoodoo there.
Chasin' down a hoodoo there.

Born on the bayou
Born on the bayou
Born on the bayo

This passage from my neighbors email really bothers me :

"I paid the assessment on my interior lot but not on my beach front lot. I advised our lawyer and Charlene that I would pay on my beachfront lot if they would sign an agreement to return the money if they could not get a permit to protect my property. They refused to sign a agreement."

If the above does not bother you then you are: A. way too rich B. on drugs or C. both

US Northeast due for major hurricane: AccuWeather
Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:04 PM ET13


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 2006 hurricane season will be more active than normal and could bring a devastating storm to the U.S. Northeast, private forecaster AccuWeather said on Monday.

The outlook comes after the most costly hurricane season on record in 2005, with storms crippling New Orleans and other parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast and briefly knocking out a quarter of domestic fuel production.

"There are now indications that the Northeast will experience a hurricane larger and more powerful than anything that region has seen in a long time," said Ken Reeves, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com.

"The Northeast is staring down the barrel of a gun," said Joe Bastardi, AccuWeather.com's chief hurricane forecaster.

The current storm cycle and above-normal water temperatures in the Atlantic are reminiscent of the pattern that produced the 1938 hurricane that struck Providence, Rhode Island, killing 600 people, Bastardi said.

"The Northeast coast is long overdue for a powerful hurricane, and with the weather patterns and hydrology we're seeing in the oceans, the likelihood of a major hurricane making landfall in the Northeast is not a question of if but when," he said.

The Texas coast from Corpus Christi to the Louisiana border is also likely to be the target of higher than normal hurricane activity over the next 10 years, according to the forecast.

Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Mississippi coast last August with winds above 135 mph and a 30-foot-high storm surge, causing more than $60 billion in damage.

Katrina was followed by Hurricanes Rita in Texas and Wilma in Florida. Each wreaked more than $10 billion of insured losses, making 2005 the most expensive year for hurricanes ever.

Bastardi said this year's storm activity will be above normal, but could be less active than 2005.

72 Days until 2006 hurricane season

52 DEP Days until 2006 Hurricane season (they don't work weekends)

41 Days until the start of 2006 turtle season

29 Fish & Wildlife days until 2006 turtle season (They don't work weekends)

DUNE: a sandy hill or ridge formed by the wind.

REMEDIATION: the correction of something bad or defective.

Dune Renediation: To correct a bad or defective Dune ?

The board is meeting at 10:am on this one issue.

It's to bad there's no extended warranty plan available for dunes that become defective.

At least they will be able to afford premium blend coffee at their meeting with that 18% interest income they are charging us on those liens.

What's going on here ?


Super cyclone hits northeastern Australia.

These blokes are getting pounded by 180 MPH winds and widespread destruction.

Got ya! You thought I was referring to the board didn't you.

Actually, I was referring to This:

House plan would charge some homeowners more for insurance

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- March 17, 2006 -- House lawmakers followed their Senate colleagues Thursday in approving a plan to charge owners of vacation and second homes more for hurricane coverage from the state's insurer of last resort.

Someone is willing to buy a home in our great state and they have to pay more than the Florida resident who lives next door? Dumb. Very Dumb.



The House

Insurance Committee plan would also charge all Florida homeowners 3 percent more on their policies to help pay off the debts of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which is burdened with claims from two destructive hurricane seasons in a row.



The committee voted to charge second and vacation homeowners who are insured by Citizens up to twice as much as year-round Floridians will pay, said Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, the panel's chairman.



''As legislators our choice should be, in terms of priorities, to the residents who are permanently here,'' Ross said.



Under state law, Citizens can assess a surcharge on all Florida homeowners regardless of their insurance company to make up any of its deficits. The agency has already assessed $515 million in losses from 2004 hurricanes, and another $1.4 billion assessment is expected for last year's storm season.



''What we've got to accept is that consumers are going to have to pay higher rates for insurance,'' whether they're covered privately or by the state, Ross said.



The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee took similar action Wednesday by approving a proposal by its chair, Sen. Rudy Garcia, R-Hialeah, to slap a 25 percent surcharge on Citizens policies for second and vacation homes.

This is one Man's first hand experience and does raise issues worthy of consideration.


I have lived in Florida for 33 years and on 30A for 20. I have spent all but one storm here and have a clear understanding of the power of these storms. I spent Hurricanes Dennis and Ivan at Seaside at the Holl
building. Because the winds were minimal, I was able to see the power of the wind and water and the speed with which our recent beach erosion occurred first hand.

Approximately 35 feet of sand was "placed for protection" or scraped onto the existing cliffs after Ivan and other smaller storms. The scraping made the dunes look better and it made everyone feel more secure to shore up (pun intended) the dunes. People felt that new dune line would defend and protect us from the ravages of the sea. Sea oats were planted and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

At 9 a.m. on the day Dennis approached, I was watching perfect eight to 12 foot waves breaking out in the Gulf. The wind was out of the northeast and the tide was still low enough so the waves were coming up to the edge of the 35 feet of sand referenced above.

That morning, high tide hit around noon, which was also near the time the seas would be peaking. By 10:30 about three feet of that protective sand cliff was gone. All the beach walkovers, however, were still intact. The next 55 minutes forever changed my opinion about the protective measures of beach scraping.

By 11:05 a.m., 35 minutes later, all the sand -- all 32 feet of bulldozer placed sand -- was gone. All of it, gone, in 35 minutes. Twenty minutes later, all the walkovers were gone. The water then began pounding the natural, hard packed, scrub covered dune wall. It took about three hours to take 15 feet before the tide dropped. By 3:30, the water level had dropped and left thick blankets of foam on everything.

I saw that no amount of sand dumped on or scraped up to the cliffs will have any affect on protecting anything. It will just be another expensive effort to make everyone feel better for the time being. And scraping seems to be lowering the level of the beach; seems kind of counter intuitive doesn't it? Any amount of money building bulkheads or sea-walls will have the same effect. The only thing that could stop that power is a concrete wall from Panama City to Pensacola, and we all know that won't happen.

Last year I bought a house on Dog Island east of Apalachicola. While shopping, I saw three or four homes on pilings out in the Gulf and a few damaged ones hanging off the dunes (damage from Ivan). I considered buying two homes. One was on the Gulf and priced $450,000 but it needed some serious work. The other house was in perfect shape and priced $699,000. Both had about 20 feet of dune but would have to be moved back, an additional $60,000 investment. There were other houses out in the Gulf. One was suspended high above the water on pilings about 30 feet out onto the water with its wires and water pipes dangling down to the water.

About a week ago, I returned to Dog Island to check on my house. The homes that had been out in the gulf were gone. Not a trace. The fixer upper 20 feet behind the dune line I had considered buying was also gone. The other house I had considered had crumbled down the dune on to the beach with only the steps left. This same scenario was repeated all down the beach except for the homes that had been moved back. The house I bought sits on a 40 foot hill, 100 feet behind the dune line, but I am certain in 30 years
or so, my house will have to be moved back away from the water.

I also saw two homes that had been protected by a 125 foot bulkhead/seawall. The tattered and breached bulkhead was still out there poking out of the sand. All 20 or so feet of the sand that had been between the bulkhead and the houses had washed out the sides and through holes in the wall. One of the homes was left tilting off the dune and the other houses pilings were exposed. An open, full septic tank was lying on its side.

Beachfront homeowners are struggling with an emotional and financial tragedy. Commissioners and citizens are frantically searching for answers and fixes to this on going problem. Brown sand is causing a firestorm of controversy. Everyone wants our beautiful white beaches and dunes back. The plain truth is that we have to begin to accept our cliffs. The white sand always comes back covering the beach and vegetation grows on the cliffs. Go to any state park where no restoration has been done. It is still beautiful. different, but beautiful nonetheless.

Beachfront homeowners should seriously consider moving their homes back. I can't imagine any commission not relaxing front setback lines to allow this. Moving homes back it the most accepted practice on Dog Island. The cost might not be too different from building elaborately expensive bulkheads and dumping ton after ton of sand behind them. Moving their home is not practical for everyone but still a possible solution for many.

Nothing will stop this natural process of erosion except perhaps dredging sand onto the beaches as they did in Panama City. Dredging also has negative environmental factors and the sand color is a risk, but Panama City had little or no damage to homes with the exception of Pinnacle Port where no dredging was done. Dredging is expensive but effective if it is done every few years. The dune scraping may make the beaches look better but it is a waste of time and money as far as slowing any erosion goes.

This county and its citizens have to pull together and stop using golden water buckets and Evian water to put out a forest fire. Spending hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars on scraping sand that will
wash away in 30 minutes is a waste. Bulkheads and poorly designed beach walkovers just add to the debris.

Septic tanks have to be completely outlawed or moved to the front of the properties until sewer service is available everywhere. Little Redfish Lake just west of the breached Gulf Trace septic tanks still has a e-coli count several times normal levels. Both Inlet beach and Gulf trace beachfront homeowners should be
required to hook up to sewer when available.

The force of moving water is much stronger than most realize. It vaporized the dunes in minutes. I see a lot of panic and reactionary response but we have to agree on two things. We can't stop the water and the
dunes don't protect us from the water. The sooner we all realize that, the sooner we can all agree and get working on the very few solutions we have. And there really are only a few.

Dave Rauschkolb
Rosemary Beach,
865-1061

There are 2 construction liens currently on record against Hydraulitall.
This is the outfit that the Retreat Board wanted to put tubes on our beach.
One lien in Sunrise Beach, and one in Vizcaya. A Person named Echo Kennedy (an Agent for Nicolon, the maker of Geotubes out in California) has not received $37,495 for material furnished at Sunrise Beach or $80,220 for material furnished at Vizcaya. The liens were filed March 8, 2006.

It is pretty hard to get more materials from a company when you have outstanding monies owed to that company.

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.


May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.


Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.


May the saddest day of your future be no worse
Than the happiest day of your past.


May the roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.


May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.


May there be a generation of children
On the children of your children.


May you live to be a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent!


May the Lord keep you in His hand
And never close His fist too tight.


May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.


May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.


May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.


Walls for the wind,
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks beside the fire -
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire!


May God be with you and bless you,
May you see your children's children,
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.


May God grant you many years to live,
For sure He must be knowing
The earth has angels all too few
And heaven is overflowing.


May peace and plenty be the first
To lift the latch to your door,
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas.


May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Wear the green this Friday and may the Luck O' The Irish be with you this Hurricane Season .

The Police Chief (on the left) and the Mayor (little guy on the right) want to
remind you that this Friday is St. Patty's Day.

After tonights Walton County meeting on "take permits" we might want to refer to the emergency permit process for Seawalls and tubes as " The Northwest Florida Lawyers Assistence Act of 2006" due to the fact that the county attorney advised everyone at the meeting with a Seawall etc. to go out and hire an attorney tomorrow if they know whats good for them.

I looked at the 100 wealthiest zip codes in America to find Florida's wealthiest zip codes which are:

Not in Order of wealth.
Palm Beach 33480
Vero Beach 32963
Miami 33156
Jupiter 33477
Boca Raton 33432,33496
Naples 34102,34103,34108

Then I did a search of Realtor.com's data base for the number of homes and condos listed at over $5 Million and the highest priced property in each of the cities above.

Here are the results:

City: No. Homes/Condos listed / Highest Price listed

Palm Beach 109 $45.0 Million
Vero Beach 22 $14.9 Million
Naples 106 $19.9 Million
Miami 403 $14.9 Million
Boca Raton 74 $15.9 Million
Jupiter 16 $15.0 Million

VS.

Hwy. 30-A 13 $17.6 Million
Destin/Sandestin 12 $10.5 Million

So we have a little ways to go to catch South Florida....or do we ?

Because Florida's beaches sustain 90 percent of the nation's sea turtle nesting, it's imperative that the state have especially enlightened policies for beach management and coastal development. Instead, it has the most backward in the nation.

Audubon magazine article At:Audubon Magazine

By Gary Appelson


The Caribbean Conservation Corporation, through its Sea Turtle Survival League (STSL), has initiated a new campaign to address the threats to Florida's nesting sea turtles posed by coastal development, construction of sea walls, and endless beach nourishment projects that are degrading Florida's coastline.

Entire Article At:Report

Lyrics by Queen

Buddy you’re a boy make a big noise
Playin’ in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo’ face
You big disgrace
Kickin’ your can all over the place

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

Buddy you’re a young man hard man
Shoutin’ in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on yo’ face
You big disgrace
Wavin’ your banner all over the place

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

Buddy you’re an old man poor man
Pleadin’ with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day

You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Somebody better put you back in your place

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

It was mentioned more than once last night by St. Joe in answer to questions from the audience that " we will not try to collect any assessment monies until we have the Permit authority and the resources to move forward ".

It was also explained that Rosemary beach is putting sand on their beach.
Seaside is having a meeting within days to discuss putting sand on the beach.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, St. Joe explained that the owners vote first and then St. Joe votes the 23% of the votes that they control with the majority.

That is commendable.

Due to a very recent request to allow people who cannot be present at Tonights Town Hall Meeting at Watercolor to have their concerns heard, the folks at watercolor have already responded with 150 conference lines which will be available on a first come first serve basis.

This is Service no ifs, ands, or buts.

I will be attending one of two scheduled open "Town Hall" meetings this month at Watercolor this evening. These meetings are to inform and gather comments prior to a vote Next month on putting SAND on the beach at Watercolor.

I even received a written invitation days before the first meeting.

The fact that I am impressed by the completely normal behavior of a Homeowners Association tells me just how far off course this neighborhood has veered.

Source: www.surfrider.org

INITIATIVES
Florida Open Beach Act
Initiative: Beach Access
Description: The Florida Open Beaches Act would ensure that citizens are able to access Florida beaches, all of which are designated as public shore land under the Florida Constitution. A key feature of the act addresses the increasingly problematic issue of gaining perpendicular access as the coast becomes more further developed. Among U.S.'s three largest coastal states, only Florida does not have a comprehensive law to protect citizens' access to public beaches. We scored an important victory in early 2005 by securing a legislative sponsor for the act. We continue to gather public support for this act.
Contact Email: emazzarella@surfrider.org

Here is what Watercolor sent us to update their Dune Restoration effort.
Notice they have decided that they are trying to get some more sand on their beach and dunes before Turtle Season as this is the only thing they can do at this time.

Check the BOLD section . They ask for more money ONLY when they can actually do something. They will not try and collect the original PRO TEC TUBE special assessment UNTIL they have the proper permits and resources. They do not threaten their homeowners with Liens and High rates of interest , they do not place liens on owners property.
Sometimes the Big Company really does get it right.


Monday, March 6

Dear WaterColor Property Owners,

Last September we presented a dune restoration plan at the annual meeting that we felt offered a long-term solution to the beach erosion issue that we have battled with for the last two hurricane seasons. At that time we introduced the ProTecTube system, a system designed to withstand high storm related wave action and maintain the natural esthetic look and feel of the existing dunes. Subsequently, the Property Owners approved a special assessment for 2005 hurricane clean up, replacement of stairs to the beach and for installation of the ProTecTube system.

The St. Joe Company, in unison with the WaterColor Board of Directors, has not changed our support of this system. We still strongly believe that the ProTecTube offers great promise against the storms that may hit our area and yet, does not endanger the habitat of the beach and dune area that is vital to WaterColor.

In our efforts to move forward with this installation, we are required to obtain the proper permitting by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). St. Joe submitted the application for this permit in October of 2005. Despite our best efforts and after several meetings and discussions it is now clear that we will not receive the necessary agency approvals prior to the turtle season which begins May 1st. The FDEP has over 150 applications for beach protection in front of them and have moved very slowly in their reviews. They are being very deliberate in their considerations given the precedent implications associated with what they may approve for dune protection. Our development team continues to vigorously pursue this permitting process to ensure that the installation of this product will be completed as early as possible.

While there is no way to predict the impacts of the upcoming storm season on our dunes this summer, we believe doing nothing exposes us to the risk of more erosion of the dune system. The only alternative option we see possible that provides some sort of protection is to bring in more sand as an interim buffer until the ProTecTube system can be installed. The sand would be placed via a conveyor system over the dunes and would be shaped with construction equipment.

In order to complete this work we need to purchase and place the sand prior to the end of April. We did not feel it appropriate to divert the money from the approved ProTecTube assessment to pay for the interim sand buffer protection and believe the best approach is to seek a separate assessment to fund this solution for the 2006 hurricane season. In the event that some or all of the sand remains at the end of the hurricane season it may reduce the monies needed to install the ProTecTube system.

Therefore, we are asking that each of you join with us in approving an additional assessment to each owner of $1,064 to obtain and place sand against the dunes as a protective measure until the ProTecTube system can be installed in the fall after turtle season. This amount has been computed assuming that the company will contribute funds associated with the units it controls (representing 23% of the assessment amount). The board will not seek the collection for the original $2,484.61 assessment until all permits are received from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and United States Fish and Wildlife Service and resources have been reviewed.

Be assured that every effort has been expended to bring this project to completion and we will continue to work diligently to see this project through to the end. We have begun the permitting process with the agencies for the sand conveyor to ensure installation before May 1st. Therefore, it is imperative that this vote be completed and returned no later than April 7th, 2006.

If you have any questions or would like to obtain additional information please contact Jack Wolfe, President of the WaterColor Homeowner’s Association at jack.wolfe@joe.com, Sandy Matteson-Pierson, Regional Property Manager at sandy.matteson@joe.com or any of the other Board of Director members.

We are grateful for your support and promise to update you as we move forward on this endeavor. Thank you for your patience and for your willingness to work with us to protect our beaches and our community.

Sincerely,

WaterColor Board of Directors

Bob Bolen
John Carr
Jack Wolfe
Mary Rosenheim
Kent Findley

My wife was talking to a munitions engineer at St. Rita and asked him if the bombs we hear rather often in Santa Rosa Beach are connected with bombing practice at Eglin Air Force Base.

He said no, that those bombs from Eglin fall near Defuniak Springs.

The Loud sounds we hear over our way are from Air to Air Missile practice associated with Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City and are caused by Sonic Booms from the fighter jets.

Emerald waters herald the coming of the Sun King
Riding his flaming Chariot across the sky
A million diamonds shimmering across the waters surface
Draw us to the shores blanketed in soft white powder

If you live only today to see this splendor
Equal to a hundred lives of barren moments
Then you are the fortunate ones
Whether you be blessed or damned beyond the setting sun




The Eternal Moment Copyright 2006 © shawn O'neal All Rights Reserved.

If you want to see just how nice the Retreat Street Lamp posts looked before they were Knocked down by construction and before they were blasted by sun, wind, and Hurricanes,
Just head north from 30-A on County rd. 393 at Gulfplace up to Santa Rosa Ridge to the neighborhood called Summer Ridge(on the left and right as you turn left) off of 393 and you will see these brand new street lamps installed in their neighborhood.
I believe the company name on the lamps is Sperco.

They look GOOD.

By Mica Rosenberg - Reuters

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - This year's hurricane season could match the record breaking destruction caused by storms in 2005, the United Nations warned.

In 2005, an unprecedented 27 tropical storms, 15 of which became full-blown hurricanes, battered Central America and the U.S. Gulf coast, killing more than 3,000 people and causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

"We have reason to fear that 2006 could be as bad as 2005," Jan Egeland, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs who coordinates U.N. emergency relief, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Five Major Hurricanes Expected in 2006

December 19, 2005

Seventeen named storms could strike the Atlantic basin next year, with nine developing into hurricanes, if predictions by William Gray and Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University based in Ft. Collins come true. They forecast five major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

In their report, "Extended Range Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and U.S. Landfall Strike Probability for 2006," Gray and Klotzbach forecast an 81 percent probability of at least one major hurricane making landfall along the U.S. coastline, with a 64 percent probability that such a storm will hit the East Coast, including the Florida peninsula. There is a 47 percent probability that a major hurricane will hit the Gulf Coast, from the Florida Panhandle westward to Brownsville, Texas.

Still, the likelihood of hurricanes making landfall with the frequency of the past two years is "very low," according to the scientists. "It is rare to have two consecutive years with such a strong simultaneous combination of high amounts of major hurricane activity together with especially favorable steering flow currents. The historical records and the laws of statistics indicate that the probability of seeing another two consecutive hurricane seasons like 2004-2005 is very low," the report said.

The report, part of Colorado State University's Tropical Meteorology Project, cautions that there is "no physical basis" that links hurricane intensity or frequency to global mean surface temperature changes of less than 0.5 degrees centigrade.

The increase in Atlantic basin hurricanes across the past 11 years, the report indicated, is a result of an increased strength the past few decades in global oceanic circulation, driven by changes in salinity.

"Seasonal and monthly variations of sea surface temperature within individual storm basins show only very low correlations with monthly, seasonal and yearly variations of hurricane activity," Klotzbach and Gray noted. "Other factors such as tropospheric vertical wind shear, surface pressure, low level vorticity, mid-level moisture, etc. play more dominant roles in explaining hurricane variability than do surface temperatures."

For more information, visit http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts.

The 2006 forecast calls for:

* 17 named tropical storms; an average season has 9.6.
* 9 hurricanes compared to the average of 5.9.
* 5 major hurricanes with winds exceeding 110 mph; average is 2.3.

Though these statistical predictions cannot portend when any of the storms will form or where they will go, Klotzbach, Gray and colleagues calculate an 81 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will hit the U.S. coast in 2006.

How the 2006 forecast compares:

As we can see, the 2006 is forecast to be better than 2005 although much higher than average .



SOURCES: CSU, NOAA

Emails from St. Joe's Hillary Erdmann, the new Homeowner's
Communications Liaison, to a Homeowner request...

February 9
>Unfortunately, the permitting we needed through the state of Florida has
>not yet been approved. In order to allow the manufacturer to begin
>production and have it installed, we would need the permit by Friday
>this week at the latest. We met yesterday to try to place together an
>alternative plan for the summer of 2006. It does not appear that the
>county is in any position to start beach re-nourishment even within the
>next months. We are currently working to find an alternative solution
>to overcome the barriers that we have encountered. I will continue to
>keep you updated on the progress we are attempting to make but at this
>point we are in a period of waiting. Please let me know if you have any
>further question and I will do my best to answer.
>
>February 10
>I truly apologize if you have felt uninformed in any way. It was just
>this week that we had final word on if we would be able to implement the
>system by this summer. Our installation of the Pro-Tec-Tube system was
>based on the submittal we had made to the DEP and State of Florida.
>Permitting of this system is required prior to the installation. We
>have just been informed that the permit, although submitted in October,
>will not receive the approval needed to allow us to fabricate the custom
>made Pro-Tec-Tube and have it installed prior to the turtle season in
>May. We did not want to release this information until we were confirmed
>on that, so I apologize if it has seemed like you were in the waiting in
>any way. Our development team is now looking at alternatives for the
>2006 season that would give us some type of protection for any storms
>that may be part of the upcoming season.
>