The strong earthquake occurred just before 11:00 am local time. Nearly two thousand people have reported feeling shockwaves in parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

The US Geological Survey,or USGS, reports very little seismic activity in Florida historically. There are six documented earthquakes including one felt on Captiva Island along the Gulf of Mexico in 1948 and two strong earthquakes in Cuba in 1880 that were felt in Key West.

Today’s earthquake in the Gulf did not trigger a tsunami. The U.S.G.S. reports historically, only one known tsunami has been recorded on the Atlantic Coast - generated by an earthquake off Newfoundland in 1929.

Where it was:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US10/22.32.-90.-80.php

Specifics on earthquake:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/usslav.php

Wildlife officials say a sick loggerhead turtle rescued by Pasco County Sheriff’s marine officers Wednesday is likely a victim of Southwest Florida’s spreading red tide. There have been reports of fish kills along the beaches of Pinellas County in recent days. Bill Richardson – a red tide researcher with the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission says the persistent algal bloom is shifting to the north.


“It was first sighted in mid June down near the Caloosahatchee area – San Carlos bay - and it’s patchy in its distribution but I’ts been along the coast of Charlotte and Sarasota and then more recently has come up across the mouth of Tampa Bay near the Sky Way fishing pier.”

Richardson says there’s no way to predict when the red tide bloom will dissipate. He says if there’s lots of rainfall and then lots of fresh water flowing into Tampa Bay ‘that’ could impede its progress. The red tide organism that occurs in southwest Florida is stopped or slowed down when salinity decreases.

----

Tropical Storm Florence is getting better organized but still poses no threat to Florida. But while tropical systems can do great harm, they can also do some good. Rainfall from the massive storms can relieve droughts. And as red-tide researchers have discovered tropical systems can also move the harmful algal blooms away from beaches, bays and inlets. Bill Richardson is a red tide researcher with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in St. Petersburg.

”If a hurricane came and its path was such that large volumes of water are transported offshore – say south away from the coast and there was a current red tide in those waters – the red tide would be transported out of that region and that’s one way red tide can dissipate”.

Researchers had predicted that Tropical Storm Ernesto last week might move Southwest Florida’s persistent red tide far away – but the storm lost its punch and the red tide remains. The good news? No hurricane clean-up. The bad news? Cleaning up dead fish.

Florida tomato growers are meeting this week in Naples for their annual conference. One of their big concerns is a shortage of workers. In the wintertime, almost every tomato eaten in the United States is grown in Florida. At the height of harvest, the industry employs about 50-thousand workers. But since a crackdown on illegal immigrants, growers are concerned they won’t find enough help to pick their multi-million dollar crops. Reggie Brown is executive vice president of the industry-trade group ‘Tomato Exchange’.

“During that period of harvest, we need large numbers of workers to accomplish that task. There is concern we may or may not have sufficient labor available to accomplish that task. And if we don’t, it will be a disastrous experience for the industry.”

More Florida-based growers have begun to use the federal guest worker program. In exchange for guaranteed help, it costs growers more money because they must provide housing and transportation to their workers in this country legally. The tomato industry is worth an estimated one-billion dollars to the Florida economy.

Wildlife officials say a sick loggerhead turtle rescued by Pasco County Sheriff’s marine officers Wednesday is likely a victim of Southwest Florida’s spreading red tide. There have been reports of fish kills along the beaches of Pinellas County in recent days. Bill Richardson – a red tide researcher with the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission says the persistent algal bloom is shifting to the north.


“It was first sighted in mid June down near the Caloosahatchee area – San Carlos bay - and it’s patchy in its distribution but I’ts been along the coast of Charlotte and Sarasota and then more recently has come up across the mouth of Tampa Bay near the Sky Way fishing pier.”

Richardson says there’s no way to predict when the red tide bloom will dissipate. He says if there’s lots of rainfall and then lots of fresh water flowing into Tampa Bay ‘that’ could impede its progress. The red tide organism that occurs in southwest Florida is stopped or slowed down when salinity decreases.

----

Tropical Storm Florence is getting better organized but still poses no threat to Florida. But while tropical systems can do great harm, they can also do some good. Rainfall from the massive storms can relieve droughts. And as red-tide researchers have discovered tropical systems can also move the harmful algal blooms away from beaches, bays and inlets. Bill Richardson is a red tide researcher with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in St. Petersburg.

”If a hurricane came and its path was such that large volumes of water are transported offshore – say south away from the coast and there was a current red tide in those waters – the red tide would be transported out of that region and that’s one way red tide can dissipate”.

Researchers had predicted that Tropical Storm Ernesto last week might move Southwest Florida’s persistent red tide far away – but the storm lost its punch and the red tide remains. The good news? No hurricane clean-up. The bad news? Cleaning up dead fish.

Wildlife officials say a sick loggerhead turtle rescued by Pasco County Sheriff’s marine officers Wednesday is likely a victim of Southwest Florida’s spreading red tide. There have been reports of fish kills along the beaches of Pinellas County in recent days. Bill Richardson – a red tide researcher with the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission says the persistent algal bloom is shifting to the north.


“It was first sighted in mid June down near the Caloosahatchee area – San Carlos bay - and it’s patchy in its distribution but I’ts been along the coast of Charlotte and Sarasota and then more recently has come up across the mouth of Tampa Bay near the Sky Way fishing pier.”

Richardson says there’s no way to predict when the red tide bloom will dissipate. He says if there’s lots of rainfall and then lots of fresh water flowing into Tampa Bay ‘that’ could impede its progress. The red tide organism that occurs in southwest Florida is stopped or slowed down when salinity decreases.

----

Tropical Storm Florence is getting better organized but still poses no threat to Florida. But while tropical systems can do great harm, they can also do some good. Rainfall from the massive storms can relieve droughts. And as red-tide researchers have discovered tropical systems can also move the harmful algal blooms away from beaches, bays and inlets. Bill Richardson is a red tide researcher with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in St. Petersburg.

”If a hurricane came and its path was such that large volumes of water are transported offshore – say south away from the coast and there was a current red tide in those waters – the red tide would be transported out of that region and that’s one way red tide can dissipate”.

Researchers had predicted that Tropical Storm Ernesto last week might move Southwest Florida’s persistent red tide far away – but the storm lost its punch and the red tide remains. The good news? No hurricane clean-up. The bad news? Cleaning up dead fish.

Fans and friends of Punta Gorda singer-songwriter Steve Blackwell are choking back tears this week. On Monday the 57 year old found of the popular “Punta Gorda Guitar Army” passed away following a year long battle with Melanoma. W-G-C-U’s Valerie Alker has this remembrance.

Voter turnout in Tuesday’s primary election was the lowest ever recorded in Florida. Statewide, only 15-percent of voters cast ballots. Voter turnout in primary elections is never very high. If one-third of people head to the polls to choose their party’s candidates in the general election, political watchers are happy. But a statewide 15-percent turnout has disappointed political scientists. Florida Gulf Coast University public affairs professor Peter Bergerson blames an election held just after Labor Day, rainy weather in parts of Florida and a two-decade long decline in political party activity:

“One of the primary ingredients in winning a race is having an effective organization. So if you remove the major influence of political parties during primary elections, you’ve removed one of the motivating factors or forces that bring people to the polls.”

Bergerson also says college football may be to blame. The state’s three big universities all played their first games this past weekend, diverting attention from the election.


Political observers says Tuesday’s ultra-low turnout at the polls was disappointing and not surprising. Statewide, just 15-percent of voters cast ballots. In Southwest Florida it wasn’t much better: Lee, Collier and Hendry Counties all reported a 17-percent turnout. 20-percent of Glades County voters turned out and just 15-percent in Charlotte. University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus says the state didn’t do a good enough job educating the public that everyone can participate in the primary.

“Even if you’re not a Democrat or Republican, you can still vote in the non-partisan judicial races and school board races. And we had record highs in the number of competitive judges and school board races and yet one-fifth of our population who’s independent didn’t realize they could vote in those races. And I think that dampened turnout a lot too.”

MacManus also blamed the low turnout on poor weather in South Florida and the election falling one day after Labor Day. She expects turnout to be much higher in November for the general election because of the governor and senate races.

This month Southwest Florida International Airport celebrates the one-year anniversary of its new terminal. The bright and airy facility has received widespread praise from travelers. Lee County Port Authority executive director Bob Ball says he’s heard few complaints about the new terminal…except for one: the new cell-phone lot doesn’t have any facilities. People use the free parking area so they don’t have to pay money or enter the terminal to greet passengers.

“We have spent $438 million to build a facility which has lots of restrooms, a lot of amenities and we welcome those people to go into short-term parking and utilize the facilities there. The cell phone lot can be operated very efficiently and it maybe inefficient for those people that simply may be lazy and don’t want to get out of their car.”

Ball spoke on W-G-C-U’s Gulf Coast Live and said they also have no plans to add a special room for smokers at Southwest Florida International. He did say they plan to install mailboxes so travelers can send postcards or last-minute bills before boarding.

Republican Charlie Crist faces Democrat Jim Davis in November to become Florida’s next governor.

In the race for Florida Attorney General Skip Campbell faces Bill McCollum in November.

In the race for Chief Financial Officer Republican Tom Lee faces Democrat Alex Sink in November.


In State Legislative Races that cover Southwest Florida:

In State House District 69 Laura Benson wins.

State House District 73 Republicans John Albion and Nick Thompson each got nearly 50% of the vote. A run-off or recount will be decided on Monday 9/11/06. The winner takes on Democrat Pete Burkert in the general election.

Republican Michael Grant won State House District 71.

In State House District 70 Democrat David Shapiro faces
Doug Holder in November.

In House district 77 Republican Incumbent Denise Grimesley faces Democratic challenger Thomas Zane in the general election.

House district 76 has Incumbent Dudley Goodlette term limited out. In the General Election Republican Garrett Richter faces Ken McPherson with the Constitutional Party.


There are 7 circuit judge races:
In group 9 Circuit Judge Meg Steinbeck won re-election.
In group 28 Naples attorney Beth VanArsdale Krier won.
In group 26 Fort Myers attorney Joe Simpson won.
In group 14 Former State Representative Bruce Kyle won.
In group 31 Fort Myers attorney Keith Kyle won.

Two races will run off in November –
In group 29 Lynne Dailey faces Miguel Fernandez
In group 30 Frank Mann Junior faces Liz Adams.


*******************************************************

In Lee County:

Republicans Frank Mann won John Albion’s former Lee County commission district 5 seat.

The Lee County commission district 4 seat has Republican incumbent Tammy Hall re-elected.

Brian Bigelow beat incumbent Doug St. Cerny in District 2.

In the Lee County judgeship race Diane Dramko and Tara Paluck face off in November.


**************************************************

In Charlotte County:

Charlotte County Commission seat for district 2 has incumbent Republican Adam Cummings re-elected.

In Charlotte commission district 4 Matt DeBoer is leaving office.
Republicans Richard Loftus takes his place.

For Charlotte County judge Paul Alessandroni takes the bench in January.
**************************************************
In Collier County:

Collier County Commission District 4 has incumbent Frank Halas facing Michael Lissack in November.

For County Judge Mike Carr appears to have won.

******************************************************
In Sarasota County:

Commissioner District 2 Joe Barbetta was elected.


In Glades County: (results unknown)

In Glades county voters will be asked if they want to levy a one cent sales surtax to fund infrastructure and public utilities.

Glades voters will also be asked if they want to grant property tax exemptions to new and expanding businesses.

******************************************************

In Congress:

In District 13 – the race for outgoing U.S. Representative Katherine Harris’s seat Republicans Vern Buchanan faces Democrat
Christine Jennings in November.

In District 14 – Connie Mack faces Robert Neeld in the general election.

In the U.S. Senate Katherine Harris faces Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson in the General Election.

In District 16 Incumbent Republican Mark Foley faces Democrat
Challenger Tim Mahoney and Emmie Ross – with No Party Affiliation in the General Election in November.

Republican Charlie Crist faces Democrat Jim Davis in November to become Florida’s next governor.

In the race for Florida Attorney General Skip Campbell faces Bill McCollum in November.

In the race for Chief Financial Officer Republican Tom Lee faces Democrat Alex Sink in November.


In State Legislative Races that cover Southwest Florida:

In State House District 69 Laura Benson wins.

State House District 73 Republicans John Albion and Nick Thompson each got nearly 50% of the vote. A run-off or recount will be decided on Monday 9/11/06. The winner takes on Democrat Pete Burkert in the general election.

Republican Michael Grant won State House District 71.

In State House District 70 Democrat David Shapiro faces
Doug Holder in November.

In House district 77 Republican Incumbent Denise Grimesley faces Democratic challenger Thomas Zane in the general election.

House district 76 has Incumbent Dudley Goodlette term limited out. In the General Election Republican Garrett Richter faces Ken McPherson with the Constitutional Party.


There are 7 circuit judge races:
In group 9 Circuit Judge Meg Steinbeck won re-election.
In group 28 Naples attorney Beth VanArsdale Krier won.
In group 26 Fort Myers attorney Joe Simpson won.
In group 14 Former State Representative Bruce Kyle won.
In group 31 Fort Myers attorney Keith Kyle won.

Two races will run off in November –
In group 29 Lynne Dailey faces Miguel Fernandez
In group 30 Frank Mann Junior faces Liz Adams.


*******************************************************

In Lee County:

Republicans Frank Mann won John Albion’s former Lee County commission district 5 seat.

The Lee County commission district 4 seat has Republican incumbent Tammy Hall re-elected.

Brian Bigelow beat incumbent Doug St. Cerny in District 2.

In the Lee County judgeship race Diane Dramko and Tara Paluck face off in November.


**************************************************

In Charlotte County:

Charlotte County Commission seat for district 2 has incumbent Republican Adam Cummings re-elected.

In Charlotte commission district 4 Matt DeBoer is leaving office.
Republicans Richard Loftus takes his place.

For Charlotte County judge Paul Alessandroni takes the bench in January.
**************************************************
In Collier County:

Collier County Commission District 4 has incumbent Frank Halas facing Michael Lissack in November.

For County Judge Mike Carr appears to have won.

******************************************************
In Sarasota County:

Commissioner District 2 Joe Barbetta was elected.


In Glades County: (results unknown)

In Glades county voters will be asked if they want to levy a one cent sales surtax to fund infrastructure and public utilities.

Glades voters will also be asked if they want to grant property tax exemptions to new and expanding businesses.

******************************************************

In Congress:

In District 13 – the race for outgoing U.S. Representative Katherine Harris’s seat Republicans Vern Buchanan faces Democrat
Christine Jennings in November.

In District 14 – Connie Mack faces Robert Neeld in the general election.

In the U.S. Senate Katherine Harris faces Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson in the General Election.

In District 16 Incumbent Republican Mark Foley faces Democrat
Challenger Tim Mahoney and Emmie Ross – with No Party Affiliation in the General Election in November.