Latest news with #FloridaPanhandle
Associated Press
16-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
DeSantis appoints Senate ally Ingoglia as Florida CFO
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has chosen a conservative legislative ally as Florida chief financial officer, a statewide elected position vacated when Jimmy Patronis ran successfully for Congress in a special election this year. The new CFO is state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a 54-year-old homebuilder and occasional professional poker player from the Tampa Bay area. Ingoglia will serve the remainder of Patronis' term and could run for reelection in 2026, where he would likely face GOP state Sen. Joe Gruters, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday that Ingoglia has been a stalwart supporter of the GOP agenda in the state Senate and would focus as CFO on issues such as property tax relief, insurance affordability and audits of local governments to uncover wasteful spending. 'I am going to be a proactive fiscal watchdog for Florida,' Ingoglia said. 'I've had a history of calling out wasteful spending, whether it's Democrats or Republicans.' Ingoglia is originally from the New York City borough of Queens and moved to Florida in 1996, according to his biography. He previously served in the state House and is a former chair of the state Republican Party. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2022. Patronis now represents a congressional district in the Florida Panhandle that was vacated by Matt Gaetz before his ill-fated attempt to become Trump's attorney general.
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Forbes
Tiger Sharks Are Now Converging En Masse On The Florida Panhandle
Alex Fogg, Shane Reynolds and Kinga Philipps document a tiger shark beneath Island Pier between Fort Walton Beach and Destin, Florida. Shane Reynolds The Island Pier juts 1,262 feet out from the sugary, white sands of Florida's Okaloosa Island, between Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Since the early 1970s, this pier and its predecessors been etched in sunset photos of the Gulf Coast, casting silhouettes on sunburned vacationers spanning generations of American travelers. For decades, this pier and other familiar panhandle sites like the Pensacola Beach water tower, Big Kahuna's waterpark and the ever-present rumble of fighter jets up and down the coast, the pier on Okaloosa Island have changed little as the communities of this coast have grown from fishing villages into condominium-lined cathedrals of salt and sun. Today, more than 5.3 million beachgoers travel to this stretch of the Florida panhandle each year. Most migrate annually from homes within driving distance from the seashore. In the suburbs of cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, Houston, Nashville, New Orleans and Memphis, 'Salt Life' stickers and circular '30A' icons cling to the windows of SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans. Each denote that the owner is a member of a kind of deep fried vacation club whose members journey to this accessible slice of paradise located within driving distance of the comforts of home. In the past four years, those vacationers have been joined by a new kind of visitor that has been migrating en masse to Okaloosa Island — tiger sharks. Since 2021, schools of tiger sharks have been mysteriously converging on the Island Pier. What seemingly began as a aggregation of around ten sharks has now grown to a cumulative population that could exceed 100 different individuals throughout the summer. Researchers now believe the event may now represent one of the largest gatherings of tiger sharks in the world. A tiger shark swims alongside Island Pier on Okaloosa Island, Florida. Shane Reynolds Destin-Fort Walton Beach and a group of research partners have been using an acoustic tag monitoring station at The Island pier to document the movement of other fish species since 2021. Prior to that time, most of the data recorded was produced by roaming sportfish like tarpon or redfish as well as sea turtles and other shark species. Recent summers; however, have started to change that picture. 'We've tagged almost 40 tiger sharks in total' says Destin-Fort Walton Beach Natural Resources Chief Alex Fogg. 'Based on tag data, it seems like there are a lot of animals that we have not tagged that are coming in and out of the system. We could have two or three times the number of sharks in the area than we have tagged.' A marine biologist by trade, Fogg keeps one foot in the biology door and a thumb on the pulse of tourism in Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Fogg and the Destin Fort-Walton Beach Natural Resources team are working with Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University and the U.S. Geological Survey to learn more about where the sharks are coming from, and why they've decided to linger around this specific pier. The sharks appear to be drawn in by a naturally-occurring death of thousands of Clupedia forage fish around the pier. Researchers theorize that the tiny bait fish are schooling in such numbers that they deplete the available oxygen in the water around them, created a school-induced hypoxia that causes a mass die off. Fogg says tiger sharks, a notoriously lazy predator, usually arrive a day later to clean up the mess. So far, acoustic and satellite tag data has shown sharks migrating to the Island Pier aggregation from as far away as the Florida Keys and western areas in the Gulf of Mexico. However, research teams believe the sharks may be arriving at the pier from as far away as the East Coast and the Caribbean. Island Pier also offers a relatively protected area for the apex predators to dine. Shark fishing is banned on the pier, and while anglers can catch and harvest tiger sharks in federal waters, Florida state waters create a nine-mile, no-take protection area for the animals. Anglers cast lines for sport fish from Island Pier while more than a dozen tiger sharks swim below. Shark fishing is banned on the pier. Shane Reynolds An Unprecedented Opportunity for Ecotourism Among tiger sharks, Island Pier appears to be unique. Though similar fishing piers are located in nearby Pensacola, Navarre Beach and Panama City, tiger sharks are not appearing in the same numbers there. The behavior pattern may be reliable enough to create a boon for ecotourism in the region. On June 30, Fogg's team installed an underwater camera beneath the Island Pier providing a streaming that will go live later this summer. Right now, the tiger shark aggregation is still largely flying under the ecotourism radar. However, a clue to its future impact could lie on another American coastline 2,300 miles away in California. Each year, an estimated 80,000 travelers venture to California's Pismo Beach to see a congregation of tens of thousands of iridescent, orange Monarch butterflies lingering in a diminutive Eucalyptus grove. There, the monarchs contribute to an estimated $158 million economic impact in San Luis Obispo County. Island Pier is uniquely positioned to benefit from a similar ecotourism draw. If the pattern holds, travelers could soon be marking their calendars for the tiger shark aggregation on Okaloosa Island. 'I don't think you will find this anywhere else in the world,' says Shane Reynolds, a Destin-based cinematographer who volunteers with Fogg's Natural Resources crew to gather data from submerged monitoring stations near Island Pier. 'Normally, if you are going to see a tiger shark aggregation, you need a passport and a boat. You need a dive certification. Here, you just need two dollars to walk out onto the pier and you can watch them without even getting wet.' Destin Fort-Walton Beach Natural Resources team members document sharks beneath the water and check subsurface acoustic tag monitoring stations below Island Pier. Shane Reybolds Until now, casual visitors to the Florida Panhandle have never had an opportunity to see apex marine life like tiger sharks this easily. In fact, leading tiger shark experts say the gathering that has continued to grow on Okaloosa Island is unlike any other event in the world. 'You really have an incredible opportunity to watch this co-habitation of apex predators and people that has been happening for four years now,' says shark conservationist and Discovery Shark Week host Kinga Philipps. Philipps is one of the world's most visible advocates for tiger sharks, having filmed extensively in the water with them on scientific expeditions around the globe. 'To see them in numbers, you'd normally have to go to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas or Tiger Zoo in the Maldives. You may have to go to French Polynesia. Up until now, tiger sharks have not been super accessible. They have an exotic appeal to people because they aren't normally seen by beachgoers. To have the ability to stand on a pier and literally count sharks from above is insane.' Tiger sharks are scene from a helicopter above Island Pier on Ocaloosa Island, Florida. Shane Reynolds Co-Existing With Travelers Researchers believe there is space for both human and non-human travelers to share Island Pier in the summer. In 2024, there were 47 confirmed unprovoked cases of shark attacks on humans. Only two of those attacks (one in Hawaii and one in Australia) were attributed to tiger sharks. In both cases, humans were inadvertently infringing on the shark's space. At Island Pier, Swimming and diving activities are restricted year round. Diving is not allowed without a permit. Swimming is not allowed within 150 feet of the pier. Researchers believe the sharks already have room and space to feed. Fogg, Reynolds and Philipps are all quick to note that in the four years this shark aggregation has been observed, no swimmers have been harmed by the animals, either. At Island Pier, tiger sharks are showing little interest in beachgoers away from the pier. Food sources they might normally prey on—like passing sea turtles and tarpon—appear to be disregarded in favor of an easy mouthful of bait fish. 'These tiger sharks spend all day circling the bait fish and eating the dead ones off of the bottom,' explains Reynolds. 'It's a simple life for them, and it's pretty fruitful. They are all pretty fat and happy.' There is hope that by drawing attention to the aggregation, visitors will be more mindful of research efforts taking place during peak visitation months and be more curious about the world of tiger sharks. 'So far, we are all good around the pier,' adds Philipps. 'But there does need to be an awareness and a consciousness of their presence. People need to know that these sharks are not messing with people, but they do exist at Okaloosa Island in numbers.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everyone needs a champion like my whiskey neat-loving Granchar
Michael Caven is a practicing psychotherapist in Da Nang, Vietnam. He co-founded Out on Main, the nation's first LGBTQ themed restaurant in Columbus. My beloved Granchar was my very own Auntie Mame. We had our secrets because she understood me. 'We were all born bored, Mike-o,' she'd tell me. 'We need some excitement! Keep things interesting.' Granchar knew I was different. In secret, we'd apply clear nail polish to my dainty little fingers because I liked how it all made me feel—putting on nail polish and Granchar's Shalimar perfume were our delicious little secrets. But soon enough, my grandfather would realize what we were up to. Opinion: Dublin classmate's message wrecked me. We learned from same cruel teacher. 'He'll grow up to be a fruit!' he would bellow. But Granchar and I didn't care. Still, I liked the femininity of these games. 'Such a pretty girl,' she'd say. 'And I smell so pretty, too!' I exclaimed. Granchar was short for Grandma Charlotte Moore (I stuttered as a kid, so we settled on a shortened version). My grandfather, James Moore, was a judge in Marianna, their small town in the Florida Panhandle. The French Quarter in New Orleans and all the strange and weird happenings were catnip for my grandparents in the 1950s. They had a regular drag haunt, and on every visit, the flamboyant emcee planted a huge, wet, and drowning-in-red lipstick kiss smack on Grandpomp's lips, to his absolute delight. During my summer respites in Marianna from Long Island—my hometown— Granchar would take me to Tallahassee to see the latest John Waters film. More: What you need to know about Jon Waters Her best friend Eloise was the mother of drag icon Divine's longtime make-up artist Van Smith. 'I love my specials,'Granchar would say, curating pink flamingos on her front lawn on Green Street in Marianna as a sign to local folk who don't fit in that they are welcome to share their stories with her. She'd listen intently with a cigarette in one hand and a whiskey neat in the other. 'Hey Trans.' I shuddered when the neighborhood bully back on Long Island called me that name. My parents were doing the best they could to bulldoze the "homo" out of me, despite my frequent adolescent fantasies about Bruce Jenner. My deep fear that classmates would hear that name and taunt me came true, and I was devastated. I tried to kill myself with mom's tranquilizers and pain pills, but only got sick. My stepfather took me to the garage and had me punch the punching bag over and over with instructions that the next day I'd sucker punch the bully on the school bus. I did, and we pummeled each other all the way to school. I never heard the name "Trans" again. I'm not condoning physical violence. Still, I found the physical altercation terrifying and strangely empowering. Years later, I'd co-found Out on Main, the nation's first LGBTQ themed restaurant, in Columbus. And of course Granchar loved sitting at our bar, cigarette and whiskey in hand, and hold court surrounded by a dozen admirers. 'You have the coolest grandmother ever,' one of her fans told me. 'I know,' I replied. 'I am so lucky.' And I no longer shudder when I hear the word trans. I wish everyone had a Granchar to champion them. If you are questioning your gender, identity, or sexual orientation, there are supportive organizations in central Ohio like Stonewall Columbus, Kaleidoscope Youth Center and Equality Ohio,to name a few. And if you look hard enough, you'll find your very own Granchar. My Granchar rests in peace in St. Luke's Episcopal Church cemetery, off Lafayette Street in Marianna, alongside my grandfather. Nearby is Gov. John Milton, a villain of the Civil War. I prefer to think that Granchar is spilling the tea at the Out on Main in the sky with her special angels. Happy Pride, everyone. Michael Caven is a practicing psychotherapist in Da Nang, Vietnam, and co-founder of Out on Main, the nation's first LGBTQ themed restaurant in Columbus. His memoir-in-development, "Spilling the Tea," chronicles his adventures at Out on Main and a Texas gay bar empire. His website is This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: There's a champion like my Granchar for Columbus LGBTQ people | Opinion
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
My Favorite Grape Soda Comes From a 109-Year-Old Brand You've Probably Never Heard Of
The South has the best soda brands. And I don't mean Coke or Pepsi, though both are Southern-born and bred. I'm talking about regional brands that haven't gotten too big for their britches. There's Cheerwine in North Carolina or Kentucky's Ale-8-One. And while Dr Pepper reigns supreme, I'm fond of the Texas underdog Big Red soda. But there's another bespoke bottling company in the South that will always have my heart because it makes the absolute best grape soda. And it's been doing just that for nearly 110 years. If you think you don't like grape soda, it's because you haven't had fizz like this. Grape soda is cool again. Major brands are creating new grape flavors and offering low-sugar options, but the Buffalo Rock bottling company in Birmingham, Alabama, isn't shaking up the soda scene. They're sticking to a perfected classic: Grapico. Ever heard of it? If you live in Alabama, Georgia, or the Florida Panhandle, this grape soda is everywhere. While other Southerners put peanuts in Coke, folks around these parts enjoy a PB&J-inspired snack pairing. And if you've got a 2-liter bottle of Grapico, you're just two cans of sweetened condensed milk away from making Grapico ice cream. Yes, really. As the label says, it's "a Southern thing." According to Buffalo Rock, Grapico has been around since 1916, though technically it was dreamed up by the Louisiana company J. Grossman's Sons in 1914, and then sold to Buffalo Rock shortly after. And while the name would suggest otherwise, it's pronounced "GRAY-pea-co." You can find Grapico soda in 12-ounce cans and 12-packs as well as glass 12-ounce bottles and 4-packs. You'll also find Grapico 20-ounce plastic bottles in most Alabama gas stations and vending machines. Diet Grapico is also available in select sizes, and that version was introduced in 2005. This deep purple soda is unlike other grape sodas because it doesn't taste like a spoonful of Karo syrup. Or worse: cough syrup. The sweet Concord grape is there, but there's a signature zing—maybe a subtle spice?—like Dr Pepper or Cheerwine. I love Grapico above all because it has, according to Buffalo Rock, an "unmistakable fizz." It's bubble town and that's how I like it. Flat soda is like drip coffee: Weak. So many fruit sodas—especially orange soda—just end up tasting like half-carbonated, sad juice. Not Grapico. It's perfectly crisp from a can or a bottle. Even better: It's caffeine-free, which is why I'm so nostalgic about Grapico. It tastes like being a kid in the '90s. On the rare occasion I was allowed to have soda growing up, Grapico, like Sprite, was deemed safe by any adults present. (Because if you're a millennial, you know the absolute terror that Big Caffeine had on our parents.) Now, full disclosure: These babies, like so many other sodas, are loaded with Red 40 and Blue 1, so I'm not sipping on a Grapico every day. It's a Southern treat, like Moon Pies or Blue Bell Ice Cream. I'd say it's a Southern rite of passage. Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
World Oceans Day emphasizes protecting our blue planet's health
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Sunday, June 8, is World Oceans Day. It represents a global call to protect and preserve our blue planet. While the Florida panhandle sits along the Gulf, the mission to protect our waters is just as important. Public invited to collect shells from Mexico Beach renourishment project From pollution and over-fishing to climate change, the issues facing our oceans impact the Gulf too. This year's theme, 'Awaken new depths,' encourages communities to find innovative ways to defend marine life and promote cleaner, healthier coastlines. Something as simple as a beach cleanup or reducing plastic use can make a difference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
