Guide to Running a Hurricane Newscast

Before I begin this article, I want to state that I am grateful that Hurricane Dorian missed Jacksonville, and I am also very aware that the storm's destruction was catastrophic for some. This article is not about trivializing a hurricane. It's more about trying to fill air time when the hurricane shows up and is just a wind storm in your area.

The only torture worse than waiting for a hurricane to hit is watching hours of news leading up to the event. And then hours of news people trying to make a small, off-shore hurricane seem like something else in order to keep viewers tuned in. The news channels know a lot of people are watching, so the show must go on, and on, and on. The stars are the weather people, but you need the anchors to provide words such as "devastating" to describe storm potential, as well as general assignment reporters stationed at important spots in order to monitor that which needs no actual monitoring.

Is My Back Yard Pond a Lake?

I read somewhere that there are more lakes in Florida than in Minnesota (Land of 10,000 named Lakes) or Wisconsin (15,000) COMBINED. 30,000 lakes! All the water, if nothing else, reminds me of Wisconsin. When we moved to Kansas for a year, it was very different that way. I think I counted five lakes in the state, with two of them man-made. But it also got me to wondering if some of the 30,000 lakes in Florida are also man-made or even subdivision-made. Basically, what makes a lake, and is that a pond or a lake in your back yard?

Florida's Lost City of Travertine

I was perusing old Florida newspapers when I came across a 1927 article that mentioned Jacksonville. In the article, it was implied that "travertin" could be found only in Italy and Florida. However, I can't find any modern evidence that this stone was ever found in Florida at all.

Jacksonville City Water That Tastes Good

I recently received my automatic order for my EveryDrop filter, and it seems like a good time to revisit the water situation in Jacksonville. It's not as bad as you might think, but since I don't like the taste of the natural elements in the water, I spend $50 every six months on a filter. I go with the EveryDrop filter because it's the manufacturer-recommended filter and it has some certifications that seem important. And the water tastes just right.

JAX GIS Beats Homebuilders In Naming Streets

I'm not even sure if there are street signs up yet in Magnolia Grove near my house, but Jacksonville's GIS map has the street names in case you were wondering. Actually, I just used the GIS maps to help Google Maps add a few other streets, so using it is kind of like going right to the source.

Dishwasher or Giant Drying Rack

Maybe this is a local Jax or FL thing. Two examples in less than a year make it more than a coincidence, I think.

Neighborhood Ponds--What Do They Do?

I read about the purpose of ponds on Jax's wastewater pages, but I still don't understand completely the pond in my backyard. I reached out to the email address listed, but I have not received a response after a week, so I figured I'd post the letter here. I've found that sometimes government employees spend time searching online rather than reading emails, and they will come across one of my articles and then contact me. If YOU happen to know the answers to my questions, even if you don't work for Jacksonville, Duval, or JEA, feel free to reach out to me. I think a lot of people in the area would like a better understanding of these ponds.

Review of Aquatics Camp at St. Johns River Base at Echockotee for Boys AND Girls

It's odd there isn't more about this aquatics camp near Orange Park online. The Scout River Base seems to have some reviews of its own, along with some reviews of the Aquatics Camp, but there's not a lot of buzz considering the cool factor associated with an aquatics camp like this for my kids. This review will continue to be updated as we go through the process of signing up and attending the camp. If we like it, then it will be a review that spans more than one year. This is for both boys and girls, Scouts and non-Scouts, though I am not sure how well it's advertised to the general public (and that's totally up to the Scouts to decide).

JEA Bill Flyer FAIL - River Clean Up, World Water Day, and a Free Tree

What do World Water Day and St. Johns River Cleanup Day have in common? Both of them were mentioned in my JEA bill flyer that I received on 3/29/2018 and that was billed on 3/23/2018. Actually, an Arbor Day free tree giveaway for Jax was also mentioned, so that's cool. The problem is, since these events had already taken place by the time I got the flyer, I participated in none of the events.

Wondering What Made Our Geese Get Louder

We've lived in Jacksonville for over six months. Geese are annoying here, like they were in Milwaukee. The main difference is that the geese never fly South from Jacksonville. At least they don't seem to fly anywhere. However, in the last week of January, 2018, the geese in our neighborhood suddenly and obviously got much louder (all night long), so what's the deal with that?

Ollie's And The $50 Floor Repair: DIY Vinyl Flooring

When I as looking for houses in Jacksonville, I mentioned to my realtor that people here didn't seem to understand the simple formula I'd learned about selling a house. I've sold two houses that have increased in value by a lot. Both of those houses sold because of flooring, lighting, and paint. We're talking 10% increase in value per year for each house. Today, I'm going to show you how to increase the value of your home by  $2,000 to $5,000 for $50.

Jacksonville's GIS Map Needs This Feature

My house did not flood during Hurricane Irma. We were in Evacuation Zone 1, and we got out of the area. However, that's not enough for me. I want to know if my housing investment is safe, and the best way to do it is to have more information about the flooding that did occur, possibly as an added layer on Jacksonville's fairly nice GIS mapping system.

Historical Flood Risk and Costs

I am sure 2017 will put Florida and Jacksonville back on top when it comes to flood risk and cost, but I thought it was interesting to see the historical data. Here's the top 30 as of 2016 with the total number of claims closed with FEMA payment and the total amount.

Jacksonville, FL - The Worst Drinking Water?

You've probably seen the top 10 list of cities with the worst drinking water. Like the list that says Floridians are the worst drivers, this list is also flawed. Here's my explanation on my family blog.

Smart ASSet ASSessment of Florida Drivers is Half-ASS

We all like quick answers and someone else to analyze data for us. This includes the folks at local news networks, most of whom picked up the Smart Asset analysis of our country's worst drivers. If Florida news outlets want to know why some politicians get away with calling their reporting Fake News, then this is a classic example. Because this really is Fake News. Let's see why.