Florida's stone crab season opens Wednesday, meaning commercial and recreational crabbers can begin pulling the granite-shelled delicacies from traps that have been collecting the crustaceans in the Gulf of Mexico the past 10 days. ...more

October 13, 2008

Two easy calls for Hillsborough voters this Election Day should be the selection of the tax collector and property appraiser. ...more

October 6, 2008

There's probably nowhere else in the nation with so many fishing opportunities for the boatless than in the Bay area. ...more

May 23, 2008

Since its creation, I've been an active participant in each of the Lake Denton Committee meetings. It's been my shared opinion with others, this issue revolves around overcrowding at the boat ramp by scuba divers seeking certification, a lack of parking space in the immediate neighborhood for them, and some of the illicit and/or illegal activities that too often occurs in secluded areas. Working together, committee members, county employees and several other concerned people have developed a short-term plan that will reopen Lake Denton to the public. I'm glad to say they've made a lot of progress and presented the proposals to the Board of County Commissioners. However, I am very much opposed to one particular aspect of the committee's recommendation. In order to pay for (or at least offset) the costs of improvements and needed personnel, a per diver fee of $25 per day was agreed upon. This amount, after much discussion by the divers present, was deemed to be reasonable and a customary cost incurred as part of their normal certification process. This fee would be waived for the instructors and "Dive Masters" present. ...more

January 6, 2008

Capt. Lori Deaton of Ladyfish Charters is one of the lucky ones. ...more

January 3, 2008

It's been more than a decade since Florida voters overwhelmingly adopted a ban on fishing nets in coastal waters, but poachers are still flouting the law. ...more

November 14, 2007

Starting Monday, it will be a bit more expensive to fish or hunt in Florida. The Legislature passed the first fee increase in decades at the request of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. ...more

September 30, 2007