Expert bloggers

Division of Forestry officials are reminding people to use caution during outdoor activities that could spark a wildfire by accident this Fourth of July holiday.

Tips to help prevent wildfires include:

• Clear vegetation away from barbecue or fire pits.

• Keep a garden hose and bucket of water nearby when using fireworks or grilling.

• Soak coals before disposing of them in a non-combustible container.

• Watch for smoke and call 911 or your local fire department immediately if a wildfire starts.

Since June 1, the Division of Forestry has responded to 43 wildfires that burned 394 acres. Lightning was the cause of 33 of those fires, burning 333.9 acres. The remaining 10 started from escaped debris burns, children or were intentionally set.

— Amelia A. Hart

We have been experiencing a typical summer weather pattern; hot and muggy with afternoon showers. The heat has not deterred our local anglers, along with many visitors, from fishing our waters this week.

Surf fishing remains a great choice to wet a hook. It’s inexpensive, with not much fuel expense involved. Whiting, small sharks, sand trout, weak fish, blues and the occasional pompano have been reported from the surf this week. Fresh shrimp will definitely be your best choice for enticing even the smartest of fish when surf fishing.

The anglers fishing the Amelia By the Sea pier have reported an excellent week, with whiting, sharks and trout at the end of their hooks.

The backwater fishing can be tough this time of year. The anglers who have been targeting flounder have had good results when fishing the lower tides. Live mud minnows or finger mullet hooked through the lips and live shrimp hooked on a live bait jig through the tail will give you good results for the summer flounder.

The early riser can enjoy topwater plug fishing this time of year. Live shrimp fished from a float rig or hooked onto a live bait jig for trout and reds is an excellent choice for the live bait angler. Lanceford Creek, Bell River or Jackson Creek to the north or Sawpit, Simpsons and the Nassau River to the south end are all good locations when fishing live bait this time of year. The Berkley Gulp 4-inch swimming mullet or the pogy pattern in white also have been giving anglers good results when fishing with artificial bait this week.
Offshore slow trolling continues to produce barracuda, kingfish, cobia and amberjack.

Jim Tucker reports a sailfish hookup while fishing with Mike Price on a recent trip while slow trolling the inshore reefs.

The north and south jetties are producing tarpon, kingfish and sharks, along with flounder and redfish depending on the bait you use. Fort Clinch State Park has been producing whiting, sharks, bluefish, ladyfish and flounder this week along with the occasional puppy drum. Amelia Island State Park has been producing whiting, flounder, redfish, puppy drum, sharks and the occasional pompano.

I hope you had a happy and safe July Fourth.

Until next week … Capt. Jim.

The National Weather Service has upgraded the severe thunderstorm watch set to expire at 5 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for southern Nassau County until 2 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, the doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. These storms were spotted at 1:14 p.m. along a line extending from Callahan.

The previously issued severe thunderstorm watch for northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia remains in effect until 5 p.m. 

Effective today, the criminal, civil and recording fees collected by the Nassau County Clerk of the Circuit Court's office will increase.

The additional revenue will go to the state, however, not the Nassau Clerk's office.

Criminal Department Fee Updates

Service Current Fee Updated Fee
Certify a copy $1.50 $2.00
Verify a document to be certified from other than clerk $3.00 $3.50
Hardship Fee $6.00 $7.00
Exemplified copies $6.00 $7.00
Searches $1.50 $2.00
Sealing & Expunging $37.50 $42.00
Receiving/Distributing Restitution payments $3.00 $3.50
Appeal to DCA $50.00 $100.00
County Court - Traffic
Certificate of Compliance form $6.00 $7.00
Dismissals & DL/Registration/Insurance expired w/proof it was valid prior to citation $7.50 $10.00
Proof of compliance - Tag/DL/Registration $57.10 $61.25
Proof of compliance - Insurance $42.35 $55.90
Child Restraint Violation $123.50 $141.00
Moving violations other than speeding $123.50 $141.00
Non-moving violations $76.50 $91.00
Fail to stop for school bus/railroad $163.50 $181.00
Seat belt violation $76.50 $91.00
Red Light violation $188.50 $206.00
Open container - driver $123.50 $141.00
Open container - passenger $76.50 $91.00
ATV violation - non-moving $71.50 $86.00
ATV violation - moving $123.50 $141.00
Pedestrian/Bicycle violation $48.50 $49.50
Boating violation - non-moving $61.00 $73.00
Boating violation - moving $65.00 $90.00
Faulty equipment $54.00 $75.00
Dropping load $246.50 $261.00
Handicap parking $143.50 $158.00
Unlawful Speed
6-9 miles over $88.50 $106.00
10-14 miles over $163.50 $181.00
15-19 miles over $188.50 $206.00
20-29 miles over $213.50 $231.00
30+ miles over $313.50 $331.00
Unlawful Speed in a school or construction zone
6-9 miles over $113.50 $131.00
10-14 miles over $263.50 $281.00
15-19 miles over $313.50 $331.00
20-29 miles over $363.50 $381.00
30+ miles over $563.50 $581.00

Civil Department Fee Updates

Service Current fee Updated fee
Exam/correct/certify transcripts for appeals $4.50 per page $5.00 per page
Prepare/number/index original record of appellate proceedings $3.00 per instrument $3.50 per instrument
Certify a copy $1.50 $2.00
Verify a document to be certified from other than clerk $3.00 $3.50
Sealing a case $37.50 $42.00
Eminent Domain cases per deposit $150.00 $170.00
Oath/attest $3.00 $3.50
Validate certificates, any authorized bonds $3.00 $3.50
Exemplified copies $6.00 $7.00
Prepare and issue subpoena $6.00 $7.00
Sign & seal only subpoena $1.50 $2.00
Approving bond $7.50 $8.50
Searching records $1.50 $2.00
Garnishment fees $78.00 $88.00
Additional names after 1st 5 names $2.00 $2.50
Severance $15.00 $18.00
Opening Probate cases
Petition Determine Heirs $101.00 $116.00
Disposition Personal Property $101.00 $116.00
Caveat/Notice of Trust $36.00 $41.00
Summary Admin >$1000 $205.00 $230.00
Summary Admin <$1000 $105.00 $120.00
Foreign Will $255.00 $285.00
Formal Admin $255.00 $285.00
Guardianship Person/Property $255.00 $285.00
Guardianship Person Only $105.00 $120.00
Incapacity $101.00 $116.00
Opening Civil Cases
Any Civil case $255.00 $300.00
Transfer to Civil Case $255.00 $300.00
Circuit Replevin case $330.00 $340.00
Cross-claim, counter claim, or 3rd party complaint (other than Plaintiff) $295.00
Issue summons, including Pluries, Alias $10.00
Appeal case $251.00 $281.00
Appeal to DCA $50.00 $100.00
Domesticate Foreign Judgments $37.50 $42.00
Opening Dissolution of Marriage cases $363.00 $408.00
Opening County Cases
Small Claims <$100 $55.00 $55.00
Small Claims $100-$499 $80.00 $80.00
Small Claims $500-$2499 $155.00 $175.00
County Civil $255.00 $300.00
Replevin <$100 $130.00 $140.00
Replevin $100-$499 $155.00 $165.00
Replevin $500-$2499 $230.00 $260.00
Replevin $2500-$4999 $330.00 $385.00
Replevin $5000-$14999 $330.00 $385.00
Evictions $80.00 $270.00
Filing Extension for Time in Medical Negligence case $37.50 $42.00
Mediation Fees
Mediation 50k-100k $80.00 $120.00
Mediation <50k $40.00 $60.00
Mediation County $40.00 $60.00
Foreclosure Fees
Foreclosure sale Clerk fee $60.00 $70.00
Clerk fee to notify surplus trustee $10.00 $15.00
Disperse surplus funds $10.00 $15.00
Appoint surplus trustee $10.00 $15.00
Guardianship Audit Fees
Verified Inventory >$25,000 $75.00 $80.00
Annual assets <$25000 $15.00 $20.00
Annual assets $25,000-$100,000 $75.00 $85.00
Annual assets $101,000- $500,000 $150.00 $170.00
Annual assets >$500,000 $225.00 $250.00
Child Support Delinquency Fees
Late Fee $7.50 $25.00
Preparation of Notice $6.00 $7.00
Contest Fee $7.50 $25.00
Judgment Fee $7.50 $25.00
Preparation of Judgment $6.00 $7.00
Postage $0.41
Payoff statement $7.50 $25.00
DL Suspend Fail to Pay $10.00 $25.00

Recording Department Fee Updates

Service Current fee Updated fee
Certifying copies $1.50 $2.00
Verify a document to be certified from other than clerk $3.00 $3.50
16 mm microfilm $37.50 $42.00
35 mm microfilm $52.50 $60.00
Microfiche $3.00 $3.50
Searching records $1.50 $2.00
Clerk fee for Transfer of Lien $15.00 $20.00
Each addt'l lien $7.50 $10.00

Ten Steps to Conserving Energy and Controlling Electric Costs

1) Keep the thermostat as high as comfortably possible during the summer months. A good rule of thumb is to set your thermostat for 78 degrees. By the same token, each degree below 78, can cost 5-6 percent more for cooling energy.

2) Fans cost less to use than the air conditioner; rely on them as much as possible.

3) Keep windows shaded from direct sunlight whenever possible. Blinds and curtains will block the sun and keep your house cooler. Awnings or porches are effective ways to reduce heat gain in the summer.

4) Set your water heater to 120 degrees or the “Low” setting to save energy. If your dishwasher does not have a booster heat element, you may need to increase the temperature to 140 degrees for good performance.

5) Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when you have a full load.

6) Wash clothes in cold water most of the time. Clean the lint trap before every dryer load to save energy and reduce run times.

7) Replace light bulbs with ENERGY STAR® compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), which use two-thirds less energy.

8) Fill in holes around doors and windows to keep the cool air in and the hot air out.

9) Use the sleep mode on the computer and other electronics when not in use.

10) Use a microwave whenever possible; it takes less time and uses less energy.

Source: Florida Public Utilities

The good news is deaths resulting from recreational boating accidents fell in 2007, according to figures announced by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division. The count dropped from 710 in 2006 to 688 in 2007, the lowest figure since 2004.

This is possibly a result of more boaters adopting responsible boating behaviors, such as making sure that everyone on board is wearing properly fitting, Coast Guard-approved life jackets at all times.

Many agencies are working to teach recreational boaters how they can make boating safer. These include the U.S. Coast Guard, National Safe Boating Council, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Power Squadron.

The Coast Guard Boating Safety Division also released figures that revealed while fatalities decreased, other measures — including injuries, number of accidents and property damage — rose last year.

Injuries rose from 3,474 in 2006 to 3,686 in 2007. Reported recreational boating accidents, which reached 4,967 in 2006, climbed to 5,223. Property damage, which was a record $43,670,424 in 2006, rose further to $53,288,858 last year.

Top causes for all accidents revealed by 2007 statistics remain fairly consistent with previous years. Operator inattention, careless/reckless operation, passenger/skier behavior, excessive speed and alcohol use rank as the top five contributing factors.

Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 21 percent of the deaths. Where instruction data was submitted, three fourths of the deaths occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. More than two-thirds of those killed in boating accidents drowned, and of those, 90 percent were not wearing life jackets.

Your Coast Guard Auxiliary of Fernandina Island is asking all boat owners and operators to help reduce fatalities, injuries, property damage and health-care costs related to recreational boating accidents by taking personal responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their passengers.

Essential steps include always wearing a life jacket and requiring passengers to do the same; never operating a boat — that includes personal water craft and paddle craft such as a kayak or canoe — while under the influence; completing a boating safety course; and getting a free vessel safety check by your Coast Guard Auxiliary.

One of the best things about doing psychotherapy is that you are almost forced to think positively, that is, if you really want to help people. In other words, therapy is often therapeutic, even for the therapist.
This doesn’t mean that I will no longer charge for my services, but it is a terrific benefit.

There is a relatively new field in our business called “positive psychology.” If you read many of the old books on counseling, often there is a preoccupation with pain and suffering. Indeed, research on this topic has shown that less than 5 percent of the psychotherapy texts discuss positive feelings and outcomes. While it is important to be able to accurately diagnose emotional problems, moving on to more hopeful, happier ground should be the goal.

Positive counseling is about viewing emotional problems not as overwhelmingly dismal and negative, but assisting clients in finding new direction in thinking and feeling. Remember that it is not what happens that often makes you feel bad, but rather what you think about it.

Why do people who have faith live longer and, statistically, report to be happier than doubters? Because they have positive belief systems! I have no religious agenda in this article. However, in order to challenge beliefs and thoughts which consistently lead to negative feelings, it is important to be able to dispute prior thought patterns. This can be difficult, even painful, but the results are often good.

Even when experiencing divorce or family death, at the end of the day there are positives to be found. Challenging anxious and/or depressing thoughts (with or without medication) can lead to more positive, happier outcomes.

If this all sounds a little slushy, think of the alternatives. And if you’ve never tried to access positive psychological thinking, remember the quote “Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

I am not attempting to convince you not to think rationally and make critical decisions. There are negative forces in our community, the state and the nation. There are certainly good decisions and bad ones. But even when you decide against an issue, it can be done in a relatively positive way — which is probably better for you and those you care about.

Martin Seligman, author of the book Authentic Happiness, talks about the value of acts of kindness as being one of the keys to feeling happier. He states that “Kindness is not accompanied by a separate stream of positive emotion like joy; it consists in total engagement and the loss of self-consciousness. Time stops. It is a gratification that calls on your strengths to rise to an occasion and meet a challenge.”

In short, kindness makes you and the recipient feel good. That is what it’s all about.

Our local anglers are reporting the action is heating up along with our summer temperatures. There is plenty of live bait available at the buoy line, reefs, wrecks, jetties and the backwater. The arrival of the bait means plenty of action when slow trolling, bottom-fishing or live-baiting.

The backwater anglers can expect flounder, trout, reds and puppy drum at the end of their hooks, but I would try to be on the water early in the morning or late in the evening. Live shrimp, mud minnows or finger mullet will work well for bait for the live-bait angler.

The topwater action continues to be good, especially fished over or around the oyster bars holding bait.

Once again, you will get your best results fished early or late in the evening. Zara spooks, Rapala skitter walks or pops and the Mirrorlure Top Dog are excellent choices for summer time topwater plug fishing.
Tarpon, sharks, cobia, bull reds and the occasional kingfish are fired up at the jetties. Pogies are by far your No. 1 choice of bait, although mullet, live blue crab or shrimp boat by-catch also will do the job. I prefer to fish on the bottom although floating your baits also will work.

I would also bring along a frozen block of chum to help attract fish closer to your lines. Sheepshead and puppy drum are still being caught around the north and south jetties and the George Crady Bridge State Fishing Pier. Fresh shrimp, fiddler crabs or cut blue crab will do the trick for you. Jim O’Grady this week caught a 24-pound kingfish at the jetty, along with a tarpon which was approximately 130 pounds, fishing with cut pogie on the bottom.

Barracuda, Spanish mackerel and kingfish are being caught around the towers and the buoy line, especially around the massive schools of glass minnows and greenies. Slow troll live bait in these areas for some hot action.

The offshore fishing has been hot with kingfish, cobia, amberjack and barracuda holding around BA, FB, FC, HH and AH. Gerald Wilder reports a nice catch of kings and cobia on a recent charter. Live greenies, cigar minnows and threadfin herring are great baits jigged up and slow trolled over the reefs and wrecks. Forty-three-pound test wire leaders rigged with two, 4X trebles will be your best rig when trolling the inshore reefs. Keep your eyes open for this is an excellent time to catch a sailfish trolling the reefs.

The surf anglers have been reporting small sharks, whiting, blues, summer trout and the occasional flounder and pompano. Fresh shrimp fished on the bottom on the incoming tide should give you excellent results. The banks along Fort Clinch have been producing flounder, trout and whiting this past week. Amelia Island State Park has flounder, puppy drum — with some anglers reporting drum in the 10-pound range — trout and whiting.

We are now in our summer weather pattern. Plan to be off the water by late afternoon to miss those thunderstorms. I wish you a great weekend on the water.

Until next week … Capt. Jim.

By FRANCINE KING

The Times-Union

It appears the WTA Tour tennis tournament that has been played at Amelia Island Plantation since 1980 will remain in the Jacksonville area for its 30th anniversary.

But it might have a new home.

Residents of Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach received a notice Thursday that the Sawgrass Board of Governors has approved in principle a proposal from Octagon Enterprises to have Sawgrass play host to the event, which was previously known as the Bausch & Lomb Championships.

Octagon, the company that manages the women's professional tennis tour event, acknowledged Friday that it is trying to close a deal to bring the event to Sawgrass, but it still has to iron out a contract with a new local sponsor.

Bausch & Lomb ended its 22-year title sponsorship after the conclusion of the 2008 tournament, which was won by Russian star Maria Sharapova.

"Our intent clearly is to keep this event in the Jacksonville area and make it financially viable," tournament director John Arrix said. "We're exploring keeping it at Amelia Island, as well as going to Sawgrass. We're really hustling to find a new title sponsor and additional sponsors."

Jason Mudd, CEO of AXIA, the public relations firm hired by Octagon to help identify new sponsors, said three companies have expressed significant interest in the title sponsorship, and one has signed a letter of intent.

Arrix said if everything continues on course, he expects to make an announcement about the new sponsor in the next few weeks.

The notice to Sawgrass residents, a copy of which was obtained by the Times-Union, indicated that the agreement to move the tournament would be a three-year deal. But it acknowledged that the details of the contract had not been negotiated.

"For 29 years, we've appreciated the support of the Jacksonville area community at the Bausch & Lomb Championships," said Phil de Picciotto, president of Octagon. "With the restructuring of the women's tennis tour, we're doing everything possible to maintain our presence in the market with a new event."

The Nassau County School District this morning released the school start times for the 2008-09 school year.