FWC charges three for multiple fishing net violations
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FWC charges three for multiple fishing net violations

Three veteran Franklin County fishermen, two of whom have been cited in the past for violating Florida’s so-called net ban, have once again run afoul of the law. On Aug. 25, in a boat under 20-feet long, captain William D. Sorenson, 82, of Eastpoint, and passengers Johnny D. Johnson, 59, of Carrabelle, and Donnie G….

Living shorelines to the rescue
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Living shorelines to the rescue

As Tropical Storm Debby blew itself into a Cat 1 hurricane on its way toward the Florida Panhandle Aug. 5, Franklin and Gulf county residents braced for the worst.  Fears of waking up to see a main transportation artery, U.S. Highway 98, chopped to pieces in precisely the same places where such storms as Kate…

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Apalachicola likely to keep millage unchanged

They still could go up to 9.0 mills, but from all indications, Apalachicola city commissioners are planning to keep the millage unchanged. By keeping the millage steady at 8.3457 mills, the city will yield about $2.19 million in property taxes, roughly $270,000 more than the $1.92 million the millage raised this year. The city of…

The Cubans: People of a paused land
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The Cubans: People of a paused land

Apalachicola’s Richard Bickel, an Emmy Award-winning photojournalist, recently returned from Cuba with a wealth of new works. The trip was his 14th trip to the island. “The economic crisis was as bad as I have seen,” he said. “The country was out of gasoline, and there were nightly power blackouts. To get around, I had…

Prospect Bluff Historic Site ordered closed
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Prospect Bluff Historic Site ordered closed

The U.S. Forest Service earlier this month issued a Forest Order that will close for the next year the Prospect Bluff Historic Site in its entirety.  The site, commonly known as Fort Gadsden or the colloquial “Negro Fort,” will be closed until Aug. 12, 2025 “unless terminated earlier by an authorized Forest Service official.” The…

Sandbag locations announced
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Sandbag locations announced

Due to the predicted rainfall from potential tropical cyclone four, which is expected no earlier than Sunday evening, Franklin County Emergency Management will be opening sandbag locations from 1 to 5 p.m. today. They are no longer providing filled sandbags; they will have empty bags and sand available at each location. They will have a…

Island marina project could face new PUD rules
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Island marina project could face new PUD rules

At last week’s meeting of the Franklin County commission, they didn’t discuss the details of a revised proposal by the developers of the most high-profile project on St. George Island in many years. Instead, they debated what rules should apply. The Landing at SGI, LLC, a multi-faceted project first introduced last year, has revised the…

Two men, one committee, the race is on
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Two men, one committee, the race is on

If it wasn’t for a Republican state committeeman race, 80 percent of Franklin County’s GOP voters would have no local race to vote on at the upcoming Aug. 20 primary. The ones who live on St. George Island, and along the streets of Eastpoint, would still have to decide whether incumbent county commissioner, Ricky Jones,…

UPDATE: Inmate fled rec yard, stole employee truck
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UPDATE: Inmate fled rec yard, stole employee truck

A Monday evening escape by an inmate at the Franklin County jail led to a high-speed chase into Gulf County, where he was apprehended by deputies. Charles Morgan Carpenter, 41, Telogia, was captured less than an hour after the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office received word at about 7:20 p.m. ET that an inmate had stolen…

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Apalachicola man injured in Bay County crash

An 81-year-old Apalachicola man suffered minor injuries on Thursday evening, July 4 when he was involved in a traffic mishap in Bay County. According to a press release from Troop A of the Florida Highway Patrol, the man was driving a sports utility vehicle about 7:23 p.m. southbound on County Road 389 when a 52-year-old…