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LEVY COUNTY - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced on June 29 that a total of 12 derelict vessels will be removed from the waterways of Levy County.

There are five vessels to be removed from the Withlacoochee River, with one of those being removed on a Citrus County removal contract. Another vessel, a concrete hull shrimp boat that has been there for more than 20 years, will be taken out of the Wacassassa River. Another six derelict vessels will be removed from the waterways surrounding Cedar Key.

Work began June 21 with the removal of the “Miss Katherine,” a 38-foot shrimp boat.

“The ‘Miss Katherine’ has been derelict for several years and has been obstructing the Withlacoochee River,” explained Lt. Robert Johnston, FWC area lieutenant in Levy County.

The contractor removing the vessels is Sammy Royal with Sea Tow in Horseshoe Beach.

The DV Removal Project in Levy County is being funded by an FWC Direct Removal Project, using funding that may only be used by FWC to contract removal projects.

“We also have another program where local governments can apply for grants to remove derelict vessels. This has been exhausted for FY 21/22; however, we are now accepting local government applications for the FY 22/23 budget. This funding will be available beginning July 1 for local DV removal grants,” said Phil Horning, FWC Boating and Waterways.

Both FWC and local governments will continue to remove derelict vessels throughout the state at the same time. With both processes working simultaneously, more derelict vessels removals can occur throughout the state.

“I’ve been assigned to Levy County for the past 17 years and some of these vessels were here before I arrived,” said Johnston. “Seeing these derelict vessels finally removed means so much to me and my crew. I’m glad to see these go."

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As TrophyCatch heads into the last months of Season 10 and the 10-Tag Celebration, eight more prized fish are still swimming in Florida lakes and the FWC is offering clues about where to find them. These new tagging maps of the remaining lakes could lead lucky anglers to the pink-tagged bass.

Through Florida bass telemetry and tagging studies, FWC biologists have found that where a largemouth bass is tagged and released can frequently coincide with where an angler catches the same bass weeks, months or even years later. Based on these patterns in bass behavior, TrophyCatch is releasing “tag zone” maps for the remaining eight waterbodies, showing the areas where the prized bass were tagged and could potentially be caught.

Dale Dew, who caught the first 10-Tag bass, was within yards of where the fish was released with its pink tag in Lake Griffin. Of course, these hints come with a caveat: while bass can be predictable, there are many exceptions to their typical home range patterns and some bass are not homebodies at all. In contrast to Dew’s catch, the second reported 10-Tag bass was caught by RJ Crawford in Newnans Lake over three miles away from where it was tagged. Thus, these new hints don’t eliminate water in which a 10-Tag bass might be found but should be treated as higher-probability areas. View each of the ranges on the maps located on the 10-Tag Celebration web page. Let’s see how many can be found!

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• Leave your pets at home when you go to parties, fireworks displays, parades, and other gatherings. Loud fireworks, unfamiliar places, and crowds can all be very frightening to pets, and there’s a great risk of pets becoming spooked and running away.
• Consider putting your pets in a safe, escape-proof room or crate during parties and fireworks.

ALACHUA - Summer is here, and in Florida, starting July 1, the second annual Freedom Week kicks in. runs from Friday, July 1 through Thursday, July 7.  Consumers can purchase qualifying recreation and outdoor items and admissions to entertainment and cultural events exempt from tax during the 2022 Freedom Week Sales Tax Holiday. Passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the sales tax holiday begins Friday, July 1 and extends through Thursday, July 7. 

Included are entertainment purchases as well as recreational items such as fishing, camping, sporting, boating, and pool supplies are included in the list of eligible items you can take advantage of purchasing during the seven-day tax-free holiday.

S include event and performance tickets for concerts, sporting events, and plays scheduled to be held between July 1 – Dec. 31 as well as admission to museums, state parks—and season tickets are also included.

This tax-free holiday does not include purchases made at theme parks, entertainment complexes, public lodging establishments, or airports.

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See below for detailed information provided by the Florida Department of Revenue. https://floridarevenue.com/taxes/tips/Documents/TIP_22A01-04.pdf

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