Latest news with #StJohnsRiver
CBS News
15 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Florida father, son rescue family of 5 and their dog from sailboat fire
A family and their dog are safe thanks to the quick actions of a Jacksonville father and son who rescued them after their sailboat caught fire. On Sunday, Michael Shillingford and his 8-year-old son Vincent enjoyed a day on the water near Julington Creek and the St. John's River. He said they were about to leave when his son saw something in the air. "My son mentioned that there was a boat that was having a barbecue on the back," he said. Jacksonville father and son race to the rescue Little did he know, there was a fire on the boat with five people and their dog onboard. "As I looked, I didn't quite see a barbecue, what I saw seemed like engine smoke and then shortly afterwards we saw fire coming from the stern of their boat," Shillingford said. He and his son immediately rushed over to help. "I could see the family was huddled up on the bow of their boat," Shillingford said. As they got closer, Shillingford said he realized they had to keep their distance because the fire was spreading. "So I threw out a stern line and the family with their life vests were able to jump in the water and grab the line and allow me to pull them away from the boat," he said. Shillingford said every family member had a life jacket on and so did the dog. A short time later, he said St. John County first responders arrived and put out the fire while making sure the family was safe. "The real thanks that I have are to the family that was prepared and all the officials that were coming. You could hear the sirens, you could hear the helicopters, you knew that help was on the way," he said. No injuries were reported and Florida Fish and Wildlife is investigating the cause of the fire.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Could Texas flash floods happen on St. Johns River in Florida? What the experts say
After flash floods in Texas killed at least 119 people and left dozens unaccounted for when the Guadalupe River surged following torrential rain on Fourth of July, it's worth wondering if the same catastrophic flooding could occur along the St. Johns River in Florida. Here's a look at what happened in Texas and what factors, if any, might impact a similar scenario along the 310 miles of the St. Johns River in Florida. Texas Hill Country is no stranger to extreme flooding. The Guadalupe has flooded more than a dozen times since 1978, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but the Independence Day flood is among the worst in its history. Several factors came together at once — in one of the worst possible locations — to create the 'horrifying' scenario that dropped up to 16 inches of rainfall in the larger region over July 3-5, Alan Gerard, a recently retired storm specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told USA Today. Hill Country, the region in Central and South Central Texas, also is known as 'Flash Flood Alley,' for its propensity for fast and furious flooding when extreme rain falls. As bountiful moist air from the Gulf of America, renamed from the Gulf of Mexico, moves over the steep hills, it can dump heavy rains. The Balcones Escarpment, a geological feature which roughly parallels Interstate 35 in Texas, marks the edge of Flash Flood Alley, according to AccuWeather. The inactive fault zone formed a rise in the topography in the area, which enhances storm systems that pass over it, causing them to dump more rain there than they might elsewhere. The likelihood of flooding is exacerbated by the transition from elevated hill country to coastal plains, according to experts with the Lower Colorado River Authority. Additionally, the landscape is characterized by very thin soil that doesn't absorb much rain. Those factors combined with warm, moist air from the Gulf fuel storms, enabling them to dump lots of rain in a short amount of time on the dusty soil. Although Florida has no shortage of the moist tropical air that contributed to the rainfall that caused the catastrophic Texas floods, there's virtually no chance of flash floods along the St. Johns River, said Jessie Schaper, meteorologist and hydrology program manager at the National Weather Service in Melbourne. 'Absolutely not,' Schaper said of the potential likelihood of flash floods in Florida. 'We do not have the terrain here that they do in Texas Hill Country, so that type of thing we'd never see on the St. Johns,' she said. 'It is a very slow-moving river. It drains a large area, but it's essentially flat.' The St. Johns River has a very low elevation drop, less than 30 feet over its 310-mile length. That translates to an average drop of about 1-inch per mile, making it one of 'laziest" rivers in the world, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District. 'Think about water in a tray. That's really all that there is. It flows very slowly, and it takes a long time to drain the water out to the Atlantic. We don't see rainfall rushing down the side of a hill or mountain into the St. Johns River.' Another key difference between Texas and Florida is the soil, Schaper said. 'We could see a heavy rainfall event, but the topography of Florida is totally different than that area of Texas,' she said. 'We have very sandy soil and it absorbs water very quickly. Three inches of rain here looks very different than 3 inches out west, where there's really rocky soil.' At the same time, flooding has been a part of recent tropical storms and hurricanes from Ian and Nicole in 2022 to Milton this past fall, as anyone in Daytona Beach's historic Midtown neighborhood or along the St. Johns River near DeLand can attest. The highest historic crest of the St. Johns River near DeLand was 6.33 feet recorded on Oct. 11, 2022, during Tropical Storm Ian, according to the National Weather Service. Such inundations are different from the flash floods that ravaged Texas, Schaper said. 'We get concerned about it during hurricane season, of course, but it's not about a flash flood,' she said. 'It's more of a long-term flood that might last for weeks or months at a time, not so much the drastic rise of water that it was in Texas. 'During Milton we saw 15 inches of rain, and during Ian some locations had 20 inches,' she said, noting that those totals were in the range of the 16 inches that fell on the larger Texas Hill Country region over the holiday weekend. Although flash floods aren't a specific concern, Florida has become prone to hurricane-generated storm surges that have increasingly become dangerous flooding events with inundation. Whether from coastal storm surges or inland rising water, such events can pose just as much or more of a risk than hurricane winds. Reporter Dinah Pulver of USA Today contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Could Texas-style flash floods happen on Florida's St. Johns River?
E&E News
04-06-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Florida Legislature could claw back reservoir, wildlife corridor funds
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — State House and Senate budget negotiators agreed this week to revert $400 million in spending approved last year for a controversial Central Florida reservoir to appropriations for the coming year. The two sides also got closer on slashing funding from the 2023 state budget for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a priority of then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples). Details: Senate budget conferees agreed Tuesday to a House proposal to revert spending in this year's state budget for the Grove Land Reservoir southwest of Vero Beach to boost water flowing into the St. Johns River. Advertisement 'We had to make a whole bunch of movement as part of negotiations to make sure we are meeting our priorities however we can,' state Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government, told reporters Wednesday.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Over 25 local breweries and businesses will participate in St. Johns Riverkeeper campaign
St. Johns Riverkeeper (SJRK) celebrates the organization's 25th anniversary by announcing a two-month campaign, 25 Taps for the St. Johns. 'We launched 25 Taps in celebration of our anniversary, but this is also an initiative to highlight the numerous outstanding breweries that exist in the watershed of the St. Johns River and the importance of clean water,' says Dryden Mills, Community Engagement Specialist for St. Johns Riverkeeper. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'After all, you can't have good beer or a healthy river without clean water.' The campaign is a virtual passport challenge, with more than 25 local breweries and businesses participating. The challenge begins on Sunday, June 1, and people can now sign up for a free digital passport. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'We are excited to be a part of 25 Taps for the St. Johns, and to continue to support a local organization and river that we love through sharing what we love - great beer!' said Lindsay Hawkins, General Manager at Intuition Ale Works. 'We'll be hosting the celebration after the campaign on August 3 and can't wait to bring everyone together for a clean and healthy St. Johns River.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] At the end of the campaign, participants will be entered into a drawing, and the winner, who is picked will receive an eco-tour or fishing charter with their friends on St. Johns River. 'For 25 years, St. Johns RIVERKEEPER has served as a voice and advocate for our river and the communities that benefit from this important waterway. So many local businesses and breweries that love our river have supported us along the way. We can't wait to raise a glass together for the river, and cheers to 25 years!' said Jimmy Orth, executive director for SJRK. To join the challenge, click here. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beloved manatee dies after 54+ years due to watercraft collision
Paddy Doyle, a beloved manatee and long-term adoptee with the Save the Manatee Club, died from a collision with a watercraft near Jacksonville in April, according to officials. Paddy was one of the oldest documented manatees, having first been spotted at Blue Spring in 1971 before it became a protected sanctuary. Save the Manatee Club's Manatee Specialist, Wayne Hartley, remembers him as one of the first 18 manatees studied when genealogical research began there in 1980. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< He would visit Blue Spring every winter and summer months, and appeared in mating herds in Lake Monroe. 'Over the course of his lifetime, he dodged countless boats, adjusted to a changing environment as development in Florida expanded and experienced many changes to the environment of the St. Johns River that he was born into,' said STMC. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Over the years, additional protections to preserve manatees were implemented at Blue Spring and St. Johns River. 'Paddy Doyle is leaving behind a lasting legacy and will be sorely missed by so very many.' Below is a tribute video created by the Save The Manatee Club: [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
