JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Scan below &/or click * here *:
Look for an “astronomical smiley face” early Friday (April 24). Best viewing will be between about 5:30 & 6:30am with the crescent moon on the horizon & Venus on the top & Saturn on the bottom (triple conjunction) making a sideways smiley face. But realize the formation will low on the horizon for a short time before sunrise & - again - it’s not a “straight up” smiley face but rather on its side. The image below is courtesy NASA:
I spent Mon. & Tue. (April 21-22) “on assignment” & on the road on the west coast of Florida. You will see the stories about hurricane recovery from Cedar Key to Tampa Bay as we approach the start of the 2025 hurricane season. Cedar Key was hit hardest by hurricane Helene creating the highest storm surge in at least 80 years for the small fishing village. Adding insult to injury was a serious fire that heavily damaged building along the ocean front in Cedar Key about one week before Helene’s arrival. Cedar Key is a town that’s full of resilience & committed to recovering. The population is less than 1,000 people & heavily relies on tourists & the fishing industry. Rebuilding is underway & the city is imploring tourists to return.
It’s worth noting that Cedar Key has about a 3% chance annually of a hurricane’s eye coming within 50 miles - the same odds as Jacksonville. But just since Aug., 2023, Cedar Key & the Big Bend of Florida has been hit 3 times - Idalia, Debby & Helene.
The Cedar Key Beach Front Motel was being rebuilt after Idalia only to suffer additional severe damage from Helene:
High water marks at at the delicious “Steamers”:
The next stop was Treasure Island west of downtown Tampa Bay. This narrow island was raked by Helene & one of the highest storm surges in more than 30 years for the local area. A couple of weeks later hurricane Milton dumped heavy rain & brought strong winds. The one-two punch has led to a slow recovery with building permits just being issued within the last 4-6 weeks. Caddy’s is a popular beachside bar & restaurant that was allowed to reopen in early March with a tent & picnic tables on the beach. Owners plan to eventually rebuild but hope that the partial reopening will help employees & locals looking for some sense of normalcy.
Our last stop was well inland in the Forest Hills neighborhood north & northeast of Tampa Bay. This neighborhood is in zone ‘X’ so flood insurance is not required. When a pumping station failed to operate during & after hurricane Milton, storm & sewage water rose to more than 6 feet! It’s something for those in zone ‘X’ to consider - relatively low priced flood insurance considering the amount of potential damage from flooding which is not covered by property insurance.
The two pics below are from Treasure Island. The second pick shows a home being lifted. Such a job costs an average of $300,000!
Sat., April 26th is “PurpleStride”. I’ll emcee the walk/run at Treaty Oak Park in downtown Jacksonville. Registration is 8-9am with an opening ceremony at 9am followed by the walk/run. Join me as we “Wage Hope” against one of the most deadly cancers on the planet. And read about my mom’s battle * here * - “A Very Personal Journey: My mom’s fight against terminal cancer”. You can donate in memory of my mom “Team Connie Real Fine” * here *. Much appreciated!
PurpleStride is the ultimate walk to end pancreatic cancer. It’s a family-friendly day filled with fun, hope and the power of community.Your participation and fundraising help those affected by pancreatic cancer in your area by:
- Offering free, personalized support and resources through PanCAN Patient Services.
- Providing molecular testing and personalized treatment recommendations at no cost through PanCAN’s Know Your Tumor®.
- Supporting PanCAN’s research priorities of finding early detection methods and new treatments.
- Creating hope — because a five-year survival rate of 13% is just not acceptable.
