Festival royalty brings seafood pedigree

You don’t get more of a deep lineage in Franklin County’s seafood industry than the royal family that will reign over the 61st annual Florida Seafood Festival this weekend in Apalachicola.

The newly crowned Miss Florida Seafood, Franklin County High School senior Olivia Poloronis, has roots in the industry that extend back more than a century, as both of her great-grandfathers, Bill Martina and Pete Poloronis, shrimped together on the F/V Nora B. 

Martina built the F/V Irish Town and shrimped on it for many years. Later his sons Kenneth and Kevin Martina would work it. and they still pull crab traps in Apalachicola Bay every week. 

The queen’s grandfather, Leslie Lemieux, Jr., the newly picked King Retsyo, continues to shrimp aboard the F/V Monica Anne with her uncle Mitchell Lemieux. After graduating from Carrabelle High School, Lemieux voluntarily joined the U S Navy and served during the Vietnam war.

Upon his completion of military service, he returned to Eastpoint where he worked as an oysterman for many years. His entire family were members of the Franklin County Seafood Workers Association, a local trade organization that advocated for the oystermen and women for years. He also shrimped on various boats and captained the Lil Hustler shrimp boat. After devastating hurricanes led to the bay closure to oystering a few decades ago, Lemieux worked at the St. Joe Company paper mill until it closed, and then as a postman until he retired. It was then he purchased two shrimp boats and began shrimping again. 

“He loves being on the waters of Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico,” said his granddaughter. “He is very proud of the rich heritage of our fishing industry and always lends a helping hand to other captains on the water.”

Olivia Poloronis, an honor student who plans to attend Gulf Coast State College and pursue a career in the medical field, is the daughter of Timmy and LeeAnne Poloronis. Her mom, the former LeeAnne Lemieux, was seafood queen in 1998, and chose her uncle Kevin as King Retsyo. The queen’s older brother, Owen, a former Seahawk basketball star, is a sophomore at Iowa’s Luther College, where he plays basketball on a scholarship.

Poloronis was chosen by a panel of three judges, experts in the marketing field from Panama City Beach to Pensacola, who interviewed each of four young ladies – Isabella Nations, Khali McNair and Savannah Odom – each a Franklin County senior. Nations was named first runner-up.

John Solomon, longtime president of the all-volunteer board that oversees the festival, said the festival will have more arts and crafts, commercial and food booths than in the last 20 years.

Plus, he was delighted that after a deal was reached with Deggeller Attractions, the festival will once again feature carnival rides, for the first time in a couple years.

The festival at Battery Park opens Friday morning with free admission, and after the Blessing of the Fleet (see schedule), the Friday evening lineup will feature Christian music headliner Riley Clemmons.

Following the parade Saturday morning, and the oyster eating and shucking contests, the festival continues all day, with the evening featuring headliner county artist Mark Wills.

Solomon reminded visitors that no pets are allowed in the festival with the exception of service animals, with all patrons asked to bring “service” identification such as a leash or a harness. 

“We at the Florida Seafood Festival board want to make all of our patrons’ time to be enjoyable, and as much as we love our pets, there are some patrons that are not ‘pet-people,’” he said.