Gilchrist County may pick future
solid waste transfer site at Aug. 3 meeting
County may give away $5,000
for switching land buy choice
County may lose $4 million from slow action

The four members of the Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners present for the July 6 meeting are (from left) County Commissioner Kenrick Thomas, Vice Chairman Bill Martin, Chairman Darrell Smith and County Commissioner Sharon A. Langford. Commissioner Tommy Langford was out of the county on a planned vacation trip.

Story and Photo By Jeff M. Hardison © July 8, 2026 at 7:45 a.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     TRENTON – A solid waste transfer site is not a landfill. Trash is transported from there – not buried there.
     Despite the difference, the Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners are seeing and hearing the NIMBY (not in my backyard) reactions from some property owners -- as the commissioners continue striving at meetings to hopefully use a $4 million grant from Florida Legislature to help fund the construction of a new solid waste transfer site. 

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     A solid waste transfer site is known, too, as a “roll off site” because the residential (not commercial) waste and recyclable items collected there are rolled off to another place. From Gilchrist County, all of the residential garbage goes from these collection points to Union County.
     The New River Solid Waste Association (NRSWA) was formed when Baker, Bradford and Union counties combined their resources to create the NRSWA in 1988. The association was formed to share the costs associated with solid waste disposal and resulted in the design and construction of the New River Regional Landfill (NRRL) – Florida’s first multi-county, regional facility.
     The NRRL is an integrated solid waste management system located in Union County, and it operates disposal facilities for Class I solid wastes (which includes handling of special wastes such as waste tires and white goods) as well as 19 rural residential debris collection and recycling sites, which include garbage from Gilchrist, Dixie and Levy counties.
     The solid waste transfer site to be built at one of two current sites under consideration is not going to have leachate going into the ground, although some people crying to the County Commission complain that solid waste transfer sites pollute underground aquifers. Actually, the garbage is not buried at the site. It is not a landfill.
     The former Gilchrist County landfill is covered and monitored. The landfill for Gilchrist County trash for the past number of years is in Union County, where semi tractor-trailers take the garbage from Gilchrist County to Union County. 
     The solid waste transfer area is on a concrete platform where all fluids go into a tank. Then, that fluid is transported off of the site for disposal in Union County. If a person spilled a can of Coca-Cola on the site in Gilchrist County, then that liquid would drain and be hauled away. Commercial waste and hazardous materials are not collected at solid waste transfer sites. Metal, cardboard and other recyclable materials may be collected at these sites.
     The NIMBY issue that Gilchrist County Commission members face currently is from some landowners near the property where the County Commission already has entered into an option to buy that particular land. The property owners in that area have complained that they do not want a solid waste transfer site anywhere near their homes, gardens, pastures or forests. Among the complaints is that their family has generations who have lived there over the previous years.
     The County Commission solicited property owners in the county to find other possible locations – despite agreeing to exercise an option to buy that particular piece of property.
     On Monday (July 6), Gilchrist County Chairman Darrell Smith, Vice Chairman Bill Martinand commissioners Kenrick Thomas and Sharon A. Langford spoke about the latest section of possible land for the future solid waste transfer site. Commissioner Tommy Langford was out of the county on a planned vacation trip.
     The lion’s share of the first hour of that regular twice-monthly meeting showed Gilchrist County may pick future solid waste transfer site during Aug. 3 meeting. Of course, maybe they will continue to discuss matters rather than make a choice. 
     Gilchrist County may give away $5,000 for switching land buy choice. Gilchrist County may lose $4 million from slow action. Then again, the leaders may act and move along a definite path toward reaching a goal.
     This attempt to buy land to build a new solid waste transfer site is seeing some other issues now. It is the time of year for creating next year’s annual budget. The clock continues ticking to qualify for a $4 million grant, even though the state government has given the county an extension already on securing a piece of land to accept the grant to partially fund the construction of a new solid waste transfer site.
     The County Commission cancelled its regular July 20 meeting. It has several budget meetings planned.
     Gilchrist County Administrator Bobby Crosby opened a lengthy discussion on July 6 regarding the new property to possibly be considered for the future solid waste transfer site.
     The new offer of a place to put the solid waste transfer site is 22 and two-tenths acres, Crosby said, and it is located east of U.S. Highway 129 on Gilchrist County Road 232 where there is a dairy farm in the area. The seller wants $22,000 an acre, Crosby said, as of July 6. That piece, then, has a starting price of $488,400 total. Crosby said the county’s engineer has casually looked at the land, and at first glance it appears suitable from an environmental perspective.
      However, just like the land the county has an option to buy already, the $30,000 or so needed to be invested in environmental studies has not been completed yet. Likewise, the rezoning process required for either property has not started.
     There is a limited amount of available land suitable for the new solid waste transfer site, where a willing seller is ready to deal with closing the deal with the county. Out of all 67 counties in Florida, Gilchrist County ranks as the fifth-smallest county by land area. It covers approximately 349.68 square miles (about 224,000 acres) of land, according to the United States Census Bureau.
     Crosby said one issue is finding a location away from established residences. Other factors considered are roads and traffic patterns. And the site must meet current standards for zoning and construction.
     The current main transfer site is 30-plus years old, and it is not able to be expanded, unless the animal control part of it is moved. Relocated Gilchrist County Animal Control would cost $1 million or so. Some people complain that animal control is not needed, however state law mandates a certain minimal level of that service for nuisance animals in every Florida county.
     Crosby, again, recited some of the history of this land-buying process that has not been concluded, including that four or five other sites have been considered already. Closing the sale on those other properties failed. Some properties were bought by other interests who outbid the county, and there even was a property owner who refused to sell to the county – just because the property would be used for the good of the whole community as a solid waste transfer site.
     The current land where the county has an option to buy it is near State Road 47 and CR 340. 
     Commissioner Langford said she thought the seller at the newest location, east of U.S. 129, was willing to take $20,000 an acre, but now he wants $22,000 an acre.
     After a comment by Commissioner Thomas, County Administrator Crosby said that whatever site is selected must be reviewed for environmental impacts. If the county finds land and builds a new solid waste transfer site, Crosby said, it must meet the current standards for any possible impact on neighbors.
     “Somebody can say, ‘Well, the dairy is there,’ but the dairy has been there a long time,” Crosby said in regard to environmental impacts.
     Commission Martin, like others, again stressed that this solid waste transfer site is NOT a landfill.
     “It’s trash in, trash out,” Martin said. “Nothing will be buried there.”
     Martin let listeners know that the debris does not sit and rot at a transfer site. It is brought in and then it is taken by semis quickly enough to not cause a health hazard from becoming rodent infested.
     Gilchrist County Attorney David Miller “Duke” Lang Jr. used a map and a pointer to show everyone at the meeting that the newly proposed site has several residences on five-acre lots near to that site. He said when those people with established homes and the people who plan to build residences on those lots learn about the possible sale of that 22.2 acres for a future solid waste transfer site, then the County Commission will hear the same NIMBY complaints that they are hearing on the property where the county has an option to buy that land now.
     The bottom line for everyone who lives near to either site now is that on Aug. 3 this issue is set to be heard – with that part of that regular meeting to start at 6 p.m. Both sites will be discussed.
     And, even though the County Commission so far has failed to have one clear direction on a site – beyond establishing one option to buy with a deadline to close that deal or pay that property owner $5,000 for holding that land off of the open market for property sales, there is some hope officials will establish a clear path toward closing on a property purchase.
     If the county fails to buy property, then it cannot accept the $4 million designated by the state to cover some of the cost of the next solid waste transfer site in this county.
     For now, there is no back yard in Gilchrist County where a new solid waste transfer site is definitely to be located. And the county taxpayers will spend a certain amount of money on nothing more than advertising for meetings if things fall apart on Aug. 3. The county may possibly move forward with what is required as a first tangible step to bring that project to fruition. And if the county leaders choose the newest possible site, then the landowner who is currently involved with possibly closing the sale on his property will accept $5,000 as part of the process.
     On Aug. 3, the County Commission may choose to have an option to buy the second piece of property, too, with some deadline for decision on closing that purchase to be made, or to pay some fee for not exercising that option.
     And the county leaders may choose to seek still more land to possibly purchase.

Free enterprise thrives
in Tri-County Area
on USA's 250th Anniversary
Gray Construction Services
heralds 25th year of building

(from left) Dressed as President George Washington is Kaleb Barbieri; dressed as Betsy Ross is Sadie Hachman; and as Lady Liberty – The Statue of Liberty – is Gina Nobles. They were among the people helping celebrate Independence Day in Old Town on Saturday (July 4) at the Marathon Convenience Store and Hardees Restaurant.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © July 4, 2026 at 8:15 p.m.
Gray Construction Services Graphic copied from LinkedIn
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Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     TRI-COUNTY AREA – Stoney Smith is a sixth-generation Floridian who has served on the Chiefland City Commission and the Fanning Springs City Council in years past.
     In addition to that, Smith, as a local businessman has embodied the true spirit of free enterprise as an American.
     A staunch Republican, his commercial interests in the Tri-County Area, and beyond, provide jobs for people as well as opportunities for consumers to purchase products and services.
     On Thursday (July 2), Smith did a couple of things that show he enjoys giving back to the community. First, he fed firefighters. Second on June 2, he called a member of the local press corps.
     Smith noticed a fire vehicle that is part of the Florida Forest Service (a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) as it turned to go south on U.S. Highway 19 at the traffic light in Old Town (Dixie County) shortly after 8 a.m. on the Fourth of July 2026.


(from left) Dressed as the Uncle Sam is Sam Byrd, dressed as Stoney Smith, Republican business owner, is Stoney Smith, and dressed as Benjamin Franklin is Coleton Vickers. Smith helped several people start their Fourth of July festivities by having some fun in Old Town and enjoying sales as well as entering a contest to win prizes.


Among the items of décor in the Hardees of Old Town is this wall with red, white and blue balloons as well as information about some American history.

     “Now, there’s some real heroes” Smith said to daily news website editor and publisher Jeff M. Hardison as the two businessmen stood in the Marathon-Hardees parking lot on the morning of the Fourth of July 2026. 
     People who know Smith realize that one topic will switch quickly to another topic in conversations with him. Also, while speaking with him, it can be a challenge to get a word in edgewise. Hence, when he noticed the truck, the conversation switched from the celebration at the minute to another happy event a couple of days earlier. 
     He went on to mention that 14 firefighters were provided with submarine sandwiches and hoagies at the Usher Fire Tower, a lookout structure operated by the Florida Forest Service (formerly the Florida Division of Forestry), located at the Usher Work Center on U.S. Highway 19, south of Chiefland.
     This tower is among those that serve as a vital tool for wildland fire observation in the region. The Florida Forest Service utilizes a network of these steel towers to spot wildfires and manage the state’s timberlands.
     Smith said he wanted to do something to let some members of the team that battles against wildfire know their work is appreciated.
     Meanwhile, back to another of the busy businessman’s actions on July 2 leading to the July 4 meeting of Smith with Hardison, Smith had called the journalist to invite him to the gas station, convenience store and restaurant where he was again giving back to the community as part of the celebrants of Independence Day.
     That call was cut short, though, because the publisher had another incoming call from another business owner. Smith had been speaking about when he served recently as a moderator during a Republican Party event at First Baptist Church of Bronson, where political candidates enjoyed chances to speak to people in attendance at that get-together. Hardison told the man that he regrets not being able to attend that event, but that he planned to be at the one in the Tommy Usher Community Center, where the City of Chiefland is having a similar forum this month.
     The proverbial bottom line was that Hardison learned about Smith’s plan for a local celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America becoming a nation. From 8 a.m. until noon, on the Fourth of July, 2026, at the Marathon gas station and convenience store, and the Hardees in Old Town, 25807 S.E. U.S. Highway 19 (the southeast corner of U.S. 19 and Southeast Dixie County Road 349 {aka Highway 349}), the holiday was to be celebrated.
     Hardee’s is a major American fast-food restaurant chain known for its charbroiled Thickburgers (Angus Burgers) and freshly baked, “Made from Scratch” biscuits.
     Hardison showed up shortly after 8 a.m. on July 4, where he took advantage of a few photo opportunities to herald the celebration of American freedom from British control and the continuation of free enterprise. Thanks to Smith, the journalist had the start of some coverage of the day and night in the Tri-County Area of Dixie County, Levy County and Gilchrist County.
     Not only were there people dressed for the occasion, but there were items on sale at this business, too. Also, there was a contest where people could win a $500 gift card for gasoline, inflatable rafts, a bicycle and more – just by signing up to be in the contest.
     Visitors could accept free bead necklaces of red, white and blue if they wanted as well. Hardison accepted a blue set of beads that were as blue as the background for the stars that are on the American flag.
     Inside the Hardee’s there was a wall with some patriotic figures from early American history. On a television screen at another side in the Hardees, there was an ongoing video running with a set of photographs from a recent trip to Washington, D.C., where the leader and chair of the Dixie County Republican Executive Committee -- Jovante' Teague – had visited, and returned with photos.
     The additional officers for the Dixie County Republican Executive Committee include Committeeman Hunter Allen and Committeewoman Nicole Walker.
     Smith let the visiting journalist know that he anticipated some local elected leaders to be dropping by the celebration of the Fourth of July at this business location. The journalist had to leave, though, due to other duties calling for his attention.

Gray Construction Services
heralds 25th year of building

This graphic taken from a LinkedIn post, shows Gray Construction Services celebrating this day as well.

     And there is another Tri-County Area business that has happy news on this Fourth of July, too.
     This Fourth of July marks a milestone unlike any other for the nation -- 250 years of American independence.
     And for Gray Construction Services, it’s also a milestone -- 25 years of building!
     A quarter century ago today (Saturday, July 4), Gray Construction set out to be a general contractor who its clients could count on, across commercial, institutional, industrial and infrastructure projects.
     Today, the structures that licensed, bonded and insured general contractor has helped bring to fruition stand as a testament to the people behind them -- the crews, the partners, and the clients who trusted Gray Construction Services with their vision.
     As America celebrates 250 years of building something greater, Gray Construction Services is proud to mark 25 years of building alongside the communities it serves, and they noted they are “just getting started.”
    “Happy Independence Day from all of us at Gray Construction Services,” they noted on a LinkedIn message today.
     Beyond the stories of business success by Smith and Gray, there are a million other Tri-County Area ventures that help keep the communities going – including those involved in agriculture, aquaculture, tourism and some manufacturing.
     Publisher’s Note: And as some people who know Hardison will be able to guess may be mentioned -- there is one daily news website where business interests can advertise for the best return on investment of ad dollars in Florida -- HardisonInk.com.

Gilchrist County
public schools score an ‘A’
Levy County public schools score a ‘B’
Dixie County public schools score a ‘B’

This color-coded map below, created by the Florida Department of Education, shows how all 67 counties earned grades of ‘A’ through ‘C’ for the 2025-2026 school year.

By Jeff M. Hardison © July 3, 2026 at 4 p.m.
     TALLAHASSEE – Information recently provided by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) showed district grades for the past year.
     For the 2025-2026 school year, the FDOE district grades reflected 34 counties earning an “A,” 23 counties earning a “B,” and 10 counties earning a “C.”
     No school districts in the state received a “D” or “F,” according to the FDOE report.
     This annual grading system for school districts by the FDOE is not a typical bell curve grading system. 
     In a typical bell curve grading system, grades are assigned based on a normal distribution of student scores, not fixed percentage ranges. 
     This means the cutoffs for A-F depend on the class’s mean (average) and standard deviation (spread), and are often set to match standard statistical percentiles.
     A common bell curve setup uses these percentile boundaries:
     A: Top 10 precent (≥ 90th percentile);
     B: 75th–89th percentile;
     C: 50th–74th percentile;
     D: 25th–49th percentile; and
     F: Below 25th percentile.
     These percentiles correspond to approximate percentage score ranges if the class distribution is normal.
     The FDOE report shows that Gilchrist County earned an “A,” and Levy and Gilchrist counties’ school districts both earned a “B.”
     DeSoto County scored the lowest, earning 53 percent of total possible points. The next lowest were Gadsden (55 percent), Okeechobee (56 percent) and Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Madison, and Putnam (57 percent) counties, according to the FDOE evaluation.
     Top performers were St. Johns (76 percent), Walton, Nassau, and Lafayette (74 percent) counties, and Indian River and Collier counties, both at (73 percent), according to the FDOE evaluation.

Publisher invites
candidates to be Americans
Deadline for campaign ad placement nears
By Jeff M. Hardison © June 29, 2026 at 8 a.m.
     JEMLANDS – A historic anniversary and an absolute deadline are nearing as a local journalist and businessowner invites political rivals to practice being an American.
    First the United States of America heralds its 250^th anniversary on July 4 when it declared independence from being a colony, which partially explains this being written as “a historic” rather than “an historic” anniversary. Some people call it a birthday because it was the metaphoric birth of a new nation.
     It is “a” rather than “an” in America because in standard American English and modern British English, the “h” in “historic” is fully pronounced (aspirated), rather than back in the 1700s or with some English accents where an “h” is not heard and the word would sound like “istoric.”
     The American manner in which to say “historic” starts with a hard consonant “h” sound; therefore, “a historic” is the grammatically logical choice.
     Beyond American English grammar, the Associated Press Stylebook enforces “a historic event,” as proper.     Jeff M. Hardison, doing business as HardisonInk.com, notes that candidates seeking election to offices will have an opportunity up until July 17 to have completely paid for and approved a political ad for election.
     Now a publisher, Hardison has been a reporter, managing editor, editor, and executive editor of weekly and daily newspapers all across his home state of Florida. He was a student journalist in high school, in junior college and then in college, including being published as a paid student journalist for the first time in his life when he wrote a story published in his hometown newspaper -- the St. Petersburg Times -- on July 5, 1977.
     “I cashed that check almost 50 years ago,” Hardison said on Monday (June 30). “It was for my story about a St. Petersburg City Council member who had a belly dancer perform for him at Straub Park as a surprise gift from his colleagues during the Fourth of July festivities there, then -- July 4, 1977.”
     Hardison mentioned that his story was the top story of 10 that were published together from the inaugural class of Newswriting and Editing students at Modern Media Institute, which was a school owned by the St. Petersburg Times that eventually became the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. The photo that all 10 stories wrapped around was from the belly dance in the St. Petersburg park on the Fourth of July 1977. 
     “Here’s the thing,” Hardison said, “I own the local 16-year-old daily news website now. It is a for-profit venture. I am a Florida-born American. A free press serves a free society, but ads fund my business. Running for office and people voting for those who are in government came to be in no small part thanks to actual journalists from more than 250 years ago.
     “Political ads for the Aug. 18 election must be paid and finished for placement in the daily news website before July 17,” he continued. “The cost is $400 for one month. Effective today (Monday, June 29), through Aug. 18, those ads are now moved closer to the top of all seven pages. Only the two honorable candidates for the position of being Levy County court judge bought two months’ worth of ads.”
     The journalist said candidates who think they will be able to advertise on the daily news website had better move quickly toward that goal. Even though the absolute deadline is July 17 for the actual completion of payment and ad creation and ad approval is July 17, the actual coordination of those elements to make that ad or those ads come to fruition are a bit sooner.
     “If some candidate tries to start the process after July 14,” he said, “then he, or she, or they, will find that that ship has sailed and that train has left the station.”
     The physics of space and time, combined with the ability of the relatively small workforce at the daily news website are going to result in a “thank you for trying to advertise, but you waited too long,” statement rather than an ad or ads being published.
     Hardison said that before he was the managing editor of The Naples Star (Collier County) in the mid-1980s, he was the business writer there. He started his daily news website 16 years ago only by being intrepid. He went against the best business practices he had written about back when he was in Naples for start-up ventures.
     “I had faith, hope and love moving me to stay in my chosen profession,” Hardison said. “The interests that I thought would advertise with me did not. This is similar to today. I think candidates who want to be elected will use the best advertising offer on the market, which is to buy an ad on my daily news website. I may be correct. I may be incorrect.”
     Hardison said that regardless of whether a candidate buys an ad or not, it will have zero effect on his coverage of the election or post-election news.
     “Some people who served on one Town Council years ago expressed at an open meeting their opinion that a positive story I wrote about their town's Fourth of July events one year resulted from them advertising with me, and they felt I should cover their Town Council meetings more than I did, since they advertised,” he said. “At that meeting, I went to the lectern and let them know they misunderstood reality. Ad purchases and coverage are not related. I returned a pro-rata portion of what the town paid for that ad, and that ad was removed the next day.”
     Candidates who want to advertise are strongly encouraged to do so now.
     Hardison has been honored by the Florida Press Association and the Florida Press Club with more than a dozen annual awards for his professional efforts as a reporter, editor and now as a publisher so far -- from 1981 through 2025.
     The best method to initiate the process to buy a political ad is to send an email to hardisonink@gmail.com. The second-best method is to call 352-493-9950.

Sturgeon science shared
at last Rotary meet for RY 2026-2027 

Gilchrist County Rotarian Charlie Smith introduces the guest speaker he brought – United States Geological Survey Fish Biologist Mike Randall – as Smith tells about the big fish that are the key topic of the day – Gulf sturgeon.

Story, Photos and Video By Jeff M. Hardison © June 30, 2026 at 8 p.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     TRENTON – The last regular weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Gilchrist County for the Rotary Year 2025-2026 was on Monday (June 29), and Club Treasurer Charlie Smith invited a guest as well as the club inviting everyone to enjoy the program about Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi).
     The Rotary Year is July 1 through June 30. 
     The keynote speaker there -- United States Geological Survey (USGS) Fish Biologist Mike Randall -- has been studying this species of fish, and other fish, through his work with the USGS since 1999. He conducted research as a professional scientist before then as a fish biologist for some years with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, even back when that state agency had a shorter name. 

In this video, USGS Fish Biologist Mike Randall explains on Monday (June 29, 2026) that the USGS is the science arm of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS is a non-regulatory agency, Randall explained, as he opened his presentation. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which oversees certain federal land with fish and wildlife on that property, can use the science-based facts found by the USGS, he said, and then the FWS makes federal regulations based on the scientific data that is provided. Click on the PHOTO to see and hear the video.
Video By Jeff M. Hardison – All Rights Reserved

     People who are familiar with Gulf sturgeon know they are prehistoric. They almost became extinct, though, because sturgeon eggs are the prime source for caviar. There are different species of sturgeon, but the Gulf sturgeon eggs were used for caviar as were the eggs that make -- Beluga caviar -- which consists of the unfertilized eggs harvested exclusively from the female Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), a prehistoric predatory fish native to the Caspian and Black Sea basins. Widely recognized by culinary experts as the most luxurious and expensive caviar in the world, its prices command anywhere from $7,000 to over $22,000 per kilogram ($3,200 to $10,000+ per pound) depending on its grade and origin.
      Meanwhile, back to the Tri-County Area fish -- Gulf sturgeon are protected because their populations plummeted drastically due to historical overfishing, habitat degradation, and restricted spawning paths, according to information provided by the NOAA Fisheries.
     Also formally known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA Fisheries is a federal agency dedicated to the stewardship, management, and conservation of the nation's marine life and their habitats. It operates within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the United States Department of Commerce.
     Randall is with the USGS, another federal agency helping in the research of marine life.
     Gulf sturgeon became listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1991. This ancient fish species remain vulnerable due to slow reproduction rates and ongoing environmental threats.
     Fish Biologist Randall provided a wealth of information based on his scientific research as well as other work by scientists in this field. One of his USGS colleagues from the Gainesville lab was not able to attend the meeting on Monday.
    The program drew many visitors to Trenton that day, including veteran Rotarians and visiting Rotarians.
    Gilchrist County Rotary Club Treasurer Smith shared with HardisonInk.com that he and his wife Ann had an encounter with a Gulf sturgeon that jumped out of the Suwannee River and hit Ann first and then sliced his arm with its armor-like scutes about 20 years ago when they were boating.


Fish Biologist Mike Randall holds a $400 monitoring device that may be placed in a Gulf sturgeon in his right hand as he holds the bigger data collection device in his left hand. He shared a lot of information about where he places the data collection tubes in the river, and how he finds them even though the river level goes up and down.


Fish Biologist Mike Randall describes the Gulf sturgeon grow from little fish to be a force to be reckoned with if a person happens to have one hit them as their boat travels quickly along the Suwannee River.

     Randall packed his hourlong presentation with facts about the two types of Gulf sturgeon in the Suwannee River that return as separate groups with one set showing up in the spring and the other in the fall. And the eggs from the springtime version produce fish who return at that time of year, and the fall set return to the Suwannee River from the Gulf of Mexico in the fall.
     The fish eat small creatures on the Gulf’s bottom. After building up bulk, they then go to the rivers to spawn, where they do not eat, Randall said.
     Full-grown Gulf sturgeon typically reach six to eight feet in length and weigh between 150 and 300 pounds. Females grow larger than males, often exceeding eight feet, while most males stop growing at around five feet. In rare instances, they can grow up to nine feet long.
     Gulf sturgeon can leap up to seven to nine feet into the air above the surface of the water. Because these prehistoric fish can grow to be bigger than eight feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds, their massive jumps pose a significant hazard to boaters in rivers like the Suwannee River. They have caused injuries to boaters in the Santa Fe River, too.
     Randall said he believes this happens from boaters going quickly across the surface of the river. If the boats were not moving as fast, then the fish would hurt people to a lesser extent.
     Humans caused these fish to become protected. Back in the 1800s, he said, some fish were selling in Florida for a nickel a pound and sturgeon were seeing a $1-a-pound price tag. 
     They are easy to catch because of their predictable migratory lifestyle. Combined with humans eating their eggs and overfishing for the meat, the species could have been among those that no longer exist if not for humans creating law to reel in certain human inclinations that can make a specie extinct.
     The USGC, the NOAA Fisheries, the FWC and other marine biologists continue learning about these fish.
     Randall said he believes the Gulf sturgeon jump more often when the water level is low in the river, like now. They have an air bladder that helps with their floatation stability. He said this needs more air on occasion and the fish are able to take air in through their mouths to add air to that part of their bodies. Another factor from low water level is a slower flow of the river. The fish need to have water passing through their gills to breathe, and they use water flow with their fins to swim where they instinctively are drawn to swim.
     Scientists use small monitoring devices to detect where the fish travel to record their migratory routes as well as their depths in the water.
     A previous method of study to determine fish count included capturing and recapturing Gulf sturgeon in the Suwannee River. With the advent of sonar that can be dragged beside a boat, scientists can detect the number of sturgeon. This is more cost effective, Randall said, but there is a loss for the researchers who can’t tell if a particular fish was present the season before and returned.
     These sturgeon travel up the river to White Springs (Hamilton County0 in the Suwannee River, he said. In the Gulf of Mexico, they travel south to Charlotte Harbor and north to Panama City. The information about travel of all sturgeon is shared among various scientists who are monitoring travel patterns and other information from Gulf sturgeon that are tagged with transmitters.
     In a more recent study, where the USGS is helping the Suwannee River Water Management District with research related to shallow water in shoals, results are showing a difference between male and female Gulf sturgeon for the water levels through which they will travel.
     The Suwannee River is an index river under the Gulf Sturgeon Recovery Plan. In addition, we will continue our participation in a multi-agency tracking and mark-recapture study to monitor sturgeon populations across the northern Gulf following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sturgeon forage in areas that are also important to other imperiled marine vertebrates such as sea turtles and manatees. A new focus of the program will be to utilize our long-term mark-recapture and acoustic tracking database to examine multi-species foraging areas in the northern Gulf and assess how changing environmental variables such as temperature and red tide events impact these populations.
     Randall said the eggs of sturgeon need gravel to connect with once they are fertilized. The very young fish look just like a miniature version of the adult sturgeon. 
     The adult sturgeon can have a scute, which is the scalelike structure that is a form of prehistoric natural armor, that is as big as an adult human’s hand. Meanwhile, the young fish might only be as big as a human hand.
     Gulf sturgeon typically live for 20 to 25 years on average, although they can occasionally reach lifespans of 40 to 60 years in the wild. One sturgeon mortality that Randall shared was of an older sturgeon that was hit by a boat propeller and had been tracked for years.
     Other than boat props, sharks are another nemesis. Randall said that as water in the Gulf of Mexico continues to stay warmer for a longer period, this will cause sharks to stay there rather than going south. Given the life cycle for sturgeon to eat in the Gulf during certain months and then return to the river as it gets warmer, the timing for sharks and sturgeon to be in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time will increase.
     And sharks are the dominant natural predators for adult Gulf sturgeon, eggs, larvae and hatchlings are eaten by opportunistic fish such as catfish, bass, sunfish, and suckers. In the Suwannee River, they are occasionally hunted by American alligators.
     In marine waters and the Gulf of Mexico, potential predators include large sharks.
     Natural predators exist, but humans are a significant threat to the survival of the Gulf sturgeon. Human-related dangers include dams, which restrict access to vital spawning habitats, preventing reproduction; and as noted, vessel strikes by speedy boats that strike and kill jumping sturgeon during the summer months. Another human-driven danger for these fish is dredging, which destroys bottom-feeding areas and suffocates sturgeon eggs.
     To see the May 9, 2016 story and photo under the headline -- Sturgeon jumps and hurts man on the Suwannee River -- click HERE.

Rotarian Carries Scars From Scutes

Gilchrist County Rotary Club Treasurer Charlie Smith is seen before the start of the meeting. He set up most of the dozens of chairs for members and guests. (And check out the photo immediately below.)


And Charlie Smith shows five scars left on his right arm by a Gulf sturgeon that struck him while he was in a boat with his wife Ann 20 years ago on the Suwannee River. Smith mentioned that he recently documented 34 sturgeon jumps within five minutes in the Rock Bluff area of the Suwannee River. That is a jump every 8.8 seconds. USGS Fish Biologist Mike Randall said each Gulf sturgeon only jumps once every 24 hours or so. Therefore, there were 34 of those fish that Smith documented in that five-minute session.

Program Draws Many To Trenton

D. Ray Harrison Jr. is among the visitors of the day. Harrison is a long-serving public servant and former funeral director in Gilchrist County. He is most noted for serving nearly 40 years as the Gilchrist County Property Appraiser (1965–2004) and subsequently representing District 2 on the Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners, serving multiple terms as its chairman. As far as Rotary, he was a member of the club even back when it was known as the Trenton Rotary Club.


Rotarian Lowell Chesborough, a past club president (left), is going to be in charge of grants for the Gilchrist County Rotary Club, President Tammy Hale mentioned, prompting this photo opp. By the way, Hale became the club president as of July 1, as she accepts the duties from outgoing Gilchrist County Rotary Club President Dr. John Frasier. The theme for the International Rotary Club Year is – Create Lasting Impact. That starts July 1. Also, in this Rotary Year in Gilchrist County, Holly Creel is the club administrator and Pat Knight is the Foundation chair. And Madison Redd is set to be the incoming president for the next Rotary Year.


Dana Nicholson of the Branford Rotary Club (left) helps Gilchrist County Rotarian Holly Creel move a table before the meeting starts


As Rotarian Damon Leggett is ready to turn off the lights for the slide presentation in the background, USGS Fish Biologist Mike Randall stands in the foreground ready to tell about Gulf sturgeon. Not only is Leggett putting service above self as a Rotarian, but he is also the Gilchrist County Florida Property Appraiser. And here, he serves all as the light switch operator.


Denise Fowler is the person who caters the meals for the club now. This past meeting, the meal included chicken pot pie, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who dined there. Here are the first sweet iced teas of the afternoon -- ready for people to enjoy.


Among the visiting Rotarians from beyond Gilchrist County on this day are (from left) Branford Rotarian Lois Milliken (sister of Gilchrist County Rotarian Jo Buckles, who is a former club president), Branford Rotary Club President Cindy Modesitt (as of July 1) and Branford Rotary Club Publicity Chair Dana Nicholson.

199^th Performance

The members of the Levy County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and the Levy County tourism manager present for the June 18 meeting -- (from left) Levy County Tourism Manager Catrina Sistrunk, TDC Vice Chair Helen Ciallella, Daryl Kirby, Vicki Todd, Tim Haines, Debra Jones, Amy Henderson, Chair Desiree Mills and Norman Weaver, sing the HardisonInk.com Jingle just before the start of that meeting in Conference Room C of the Levy County Government Center in Bronson. This nine-member group may be the most people singing the jingle so far in history. Jeff M. Hardison asks people to sing the jingle, and some of them agree to sing it. (Thanks people!) CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO SEE AND HEAR THE VIDEO ON YouTube.com. The very first person to sing the jingle was Danesh “Danny” Patel of Danny’s Food Mart in Chiefland in March of 2013. HardisonInk.com started as a daily news website on Feb. 1, 2011.
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By Jeff M. Hardison © June 18, 2026 at 3:30 p.m.
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