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Dixie County Chamber of Commerce
solves parking problem

(from left) Cross City Mayor J. Ryan Fulford, Dixie County Commission Chairman Mark Hatch and Dixie County Assistant County Manager Roy Bass are seen at the very end of the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce meeting on Thursday afternoon (May 14) in the Dixie County Public Library Conference Room, where the Chamber’s monthly luncheon meetings used to be held for many years.

Story and Photo By Jeff M. Hardison © May 14, 2026 at 9:30 p.m.
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     CROSS CITY – The monthly meeting of the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce went a bit beyond the 1 p.m. planned ending time on Thursday afternoon (May 14), as Dixie County Commission Chairman Mark Hatch and Cross City Mayor J. Ryan Fulford helped members and guests understand the potential for the June monthly meeting to be in Cross City’s City Hall – rather than in the Dixie County Public Library.

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     As Commission Chairman Hatch said, there are apparently not enough parking spaces at various places near to businesses in Cross City. For instance, when the Dixie County Public Library has a large number of people attending an event – such as the monthly Chamber of Commerce meeting or the weekly Rotary Club meeting, or the several events that happen in the summer, then Forever 54 Flowers and Gifts find its customers are unable to locate a parking place.
     While the Rotary Club of Dixie County, and the Three Rivers Public Library System are going to need a solution to the ongoing parking war with the shop owner in Cross City, the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce has solved its parking problem.
     Mayor Fulford said City Hall can easily accommodate the 43 or so people like the number that showed up for the luncheon meeting on May 14. 
     At some point in the future, the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce meetings may be switching to be in the Dixie County Woman’s Club Clubhouse, too. That clubhouse is across from the southwest corner of the Dixie County Courthouse.
     So, it looks like June’s meeting of the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce may be in City Hall.
     As for July, as usual, the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce is not meeting that month.

Well abandoned, new well established

The start of the drilling begins. Notice the large truck is elevated with its front wheels on blocks, too. This is a level platform for drilling down at a 90-degree angle.

Story, Photos and Videos  By Jeff and Sharon Hardison
© May 12, 2026 at 3:30 p.m.
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Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     LEVY COUNTY – All’s well that ends well.
     “All’s well that ends well” originates from a medieval proverb emphasizing that a positive outcome justifies previous hardships. The phrase, perhaps not quite a proverb, has its earliest roots appearing in 13th-century English literature.
     While used as a title for a poem titled All’s Well That Ends Well, written in 1601 by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), this world-famous poet was well acquainted with John Heywood’s (1497 – 1580) works, which include one titled Dialogue between Reason & Adversity. However, some researchers of literary works have found the origin of the saying goes back even before Heywood’s time.
     In the Tri-County Area of Levy County, Dixie County and Gilchrist County in 2026, some wells are just not working well anymore. Combined with growth of the human population and a drought, some wells are drying up in the Tri-County Area.
     There are an estimated 125,000 wells in the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) as of 2026, according to records. The SRWMD includes all of Gilchrist and Dixie counties and most of Levy County, according to records. More than 90 percent of residents living within the 15-county area that is the SRWMD get their tap water from a groundwater source, according to records. The SRWMD typically has seen more than 3,000 new well permits issued each year, with an average of over 110 permits for domestic self-supply wells issued monthly, according to records. The Upper Floridan Aquifer is the primary source for these wells, according to records.
     If the outcome of a situation or undertaking is a happy one, that makes up for any earlier unpleasantness or difficulty. All’s well, that ends well. 
     This phrase is a bit happier than “It is what it is,” which may be today’s version of “Qué Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).” Qué Será, Será is from a song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and first published in 1955. The song was included in an Alfred Hitcock movie by the title of The Man Who Knew Too Much. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a 1956 American mystery thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James “Jimmy” Stewart and Doris Day. It is a remake of Hitchcock’s own 1934 film of the same name, with a similar but significantly altered plot.
     When told by François Truffaut (1932–1984) that his 1956 remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much was superior to the 1934 original, Hitchcock replied, “Let’s say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional.”
     The quote comes from the 1967 book-length interview Hitchcock/Truffaut, where they discussed his films. This was the only time Hitchcock remade one of his own films, using it to fulfill a contractual obligation to Paramount, according to records.


In this three-minute set of video clips spliced together, which is somewhat noisy, part of the various moments of the drill going down and water samples coming out are seen on Monday (May 11). Click on the PHOTO to see and hear the video.
Video By Jeff M. Hardison – All Rights Reserved

     As for the happy ending of the well abandonment and new well creation completed on May 11, when a new well was made and a new pump was added, that great and wonderful ending was after a sad discovery started on May 1, when a well went dry.
     The proverbial bottom line is that a two-inch well that was created probably in the 1960s “gave up its ghost,” so to speak. As for the history of the well at that one Levy County residence, it was about 13 years ago, thanks to Ken Sheffield of Sheffield Pumps, that old well had served as the water source for The Ink Pad since Sept. 1, 2013.
     Sheffield installed a pump to replace the one stolen from the property before Jeff and Sharon Hardison bought it. People have stolen things and still steal things in rural Levy County.


At this point in the project, water is cycled through the drill site and returned with soil, sand, lime rock, small pebbles and the like.


The water turns to a shade of white as the drill goes down into an area of lime rock.


Here the safety blankets over wires are seen after they were placed before the drilling process began. This stopped a potential arc of electricity due to the relatively close proximity of the drilling equipment to the electric power transmission equipment, including a transformer.


In this picture, Jessica Wright is seen putting a shovelful of powdery lime rock out of the bucket where it was delivered from underground as part of the drilling operation. This whole process demanded a lot of physical labor from the three-member crew.


A trailer used to transport hundreds of gallons of water used in the drilling operation is seen here. Pipes, a tank and other material and equipment were on this long trailer, too.


John Wright watches the drilling machine work as he moves a lever.


John Wright shows a clear stream of water coming from underground here -- after hours of work.


Clear, high quality water shoots from a hose as John Wright holds up a bottle with it – ready for the taste test. 


With the drill having established the point for the submersible pump to bring up the water, Austin and John Wright begin setting up pipes and electronic controls.


Jessica and John Wright dig a path for an electric conduit to be placed.


(from left) Austin, Jessica and John Wright stand next to the tank after completing a drill and pump mission that went perfectly. Each site and each job is unique.


     After a few days of conference at the end of the very localized 10-day disaster period, the project started -- with results that were so positive they exceeded even the highest expectations.
     Wrights Well Drilling & Pump Service brought water service back to the residence.
     John and Jessica Wright, assisted by Austin Wright, completed the well drilling and pump installation in one day. They worked several hours; first, taking all of the actions to abandon the previous well; then drilling for several feet through lime rock and other geological features; laying pipe for water and conduits for 220-volt electric current; as well as sifting shovelfuls of soil and rock particles as the drill went deeper in search of the best place for continuous water service; and more.
     Working closely to electric power transmission lines, the tall machinery was protected from the danger of electric arcing thanks to Central Florida Electric Cooperative placing protective gear over the danger zone before the work began, and then removing the safety equipment within hours of the heavy machinery being driven away.
     The water that came from the new deep well was free of iron and calcium. It was clear and clean.
     Before that, from May 1 through May 10, the Hardison couple were using buckets of water from a neighbor’s hose to flush the toilets. There were no showers. Laundry was completed at a laundromat. At 3 p.m. on Friday, they checked into the Days Inn of Chiefland.
     “It was not the Ritz Carlton,” Jeff Hardison said. “It was not the Hilton. We didn’t sleep there, as we have done that for weeks on end from hurricane evacuations over the 20 years we’ve been here so far. There was a shower, and we grabbed some gallon jugs of water to bring home for flushing toilets.”
     Hardison said he is glad Sheffield referred him to Wrights Well Drilling & Pump Service after a valiant attempt to fix the issue by adding more pipe deeper in the original well failed. The underground water level was just too low for the original pump to pull up water via that original well.
     When the job was complete, there was a four-inch galvanized well with 59 feet of casing, with a 75-foot total depth at a 26-foot water table. The pump was hung 54 feet deep. That one-horsepower submersible pump provides 20 gallons per minute into an 81-gallon bladder water tank. There was a 12-foot one and a quarter inch drop pipe and submersible wire that was not anticipated before the project started. Also, as part of the total project, the two-inch well was abandoned per the specifications required by the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Environmental Protection; and of course, the new well hookup and well line.
     All is well that ends well; however, getting to the end point where the "all" is what is desired -- well, that is a story.

PSF helps Foster Care Month
to be proclaimed

Pausing for a photo opportunity after the reading and approval of the proclamation declaring May 2026 as Foster Care Month in Levy County, as they stood at the front in the Levy County Government Center Auditorium are (from left) Levy County Commission Chairman Tim Hodge; Levy County Commissioner Desiree Mills-who brought the proclamation forward for this Commission to consider approving; Levy County Commissioner Johnny Hiers; TCCRC Manager Beverly Goodman; PSF Chief of Placement and Caregiver Support Carol Ruth, PSF Outreach Specialist Chelsea Bowlin and Levy County Commission Vice Chairman Charlie Kennedy. 

Story and Photo By Jeff M. Hardison © May 7, 2026 at 3 p.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     TRI-COUNTY AREA—It started early Monday evening (May 4) in Trenton. (May the Fourth be with you.)
     It carried into Bronson on Tuesday morning (May 5). (Celebrate Cinco de Mayo.)

     Thursday morning (May 7), it was not listed on the agenda for the Dixie County Board of County Commissioners that morning; however, those agendas are relatively vague.
     There is hope by some people for more awareness of foster care needs being met in the Tri-County Area, and that with that hopeful awareness mission being met in some counties, that spark of hope will ignite action to reflect love for other humans and foster care and adoptions will see a boost in this part of Florida soon.
     During the first Monday of May’s regular twice-monthly meeting of the Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners, which began at 4 p.m. on May 4, when the county attorney’s time on the agenda was reached, Gilchrist County Attorney David Miller “Duke” Lang Jr., at the behest of the Commission, read by title only, a proclamation for Gilchrist County recognizing May as Foster Care Month. Part of the announcement then is that there are 11 foster children in Gilchrist County. That proclamation was approved by a 5-0 unanimous vote of the Gilchrist County Commission on May 4. 
     During the regular first Tuesday after the first Monday of the month, during some of the action at this regular twice-monthly meeting of the Levy County Board of County Commissioners, a similar proclamation was read completely, as well as being passed by a 4-0 vote of the Levy County Commission members present for that meeting.
     It was then that the Partnership for Strong Families (PSF) became clear to be a moving force in the awareness happening regarding foster children in the Tri-County Area during the month of May 2026.
     Joining the four Levy County Commission members present that Tuesday morning – Chairman Tim Hodge, Vice Chairman Charlie Kennedy and commissioners Johnny Hiers and Desiree Mills – for a photo opportunity with the proclamation, were Tri-County Community Resource Center (TCCRC) Manager Beverly Goodman, as well as PSF Chief of Placement and Caregiver Support Carol Ruth, PSF Outreach Specialist Chelsea Bowlin.
     The TCCRC is the center point for PSF to help people in Gilchrist County, Levy County and Dixie County.
     The PSF is the lead community-based care organization for child welfare in North Central Florida (for the Third Judicial Circuit and the Eighth Judicial Circuit), dedicated to protecting children from abuse and neglect. PSF provides foster care, adoption services, and, importantly, preventive in-home services to support at-risk families and reduce the need for out-of-home placement. The Third Judicial Circuit includes Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee and Taylor counties. The Eighth Judicial Circuit includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties.
     The text of the proclamation approved Tuesday (May 5) was similar to the one approved, by reading title only, the day before in Gilchrist County. With Levy County being much larger geographically and in human population, the 50 foster children noted that day in Levy County may be in line with the 11 foster children mentioned as being in Gilchrist County.
     The Levy County proclamation, which was brought forward by Commissioner Mills, noted May as Foster Care Month for 2026 in Levy County as shown below:
The Levy County Proclamation
     Whereas, National Foster Care Month is observed each year in May to raise awareness of foster care and to recognize the parents, family members, foster parents, child welfare professionals, and community members who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes, supportive relationships, and lasting connections; and 
     Whereas, every child deserves to grow up in a safe, and nurturing environment surrounded by love, encouragement, and opportunity; and  
     Whereas, 50 children and youth from Levy County are currently in foster care through circumstances beyond their control, and many face significant challenges related to trauma, displacement, and instability; and 
     Whereas, foster parents, caregivers, social workers, child welfare professionals, mentors, advocates, and volunteers provide essential care, guidance, and support to children in foster care, often going above and beyond to help them heal and thrive; and 
     Whereas, communities share a responsibility to promote the well-being of all children, and we recognize the importance of investing in resources, policies, and practices that strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and support successful transitions to adulthood and permanency; and  
     Whereas, National Foster Care Month serves as a call to action to support youth currently in foster care, honor the families who open their hearts and homes, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring every child has the opportunity to grow up in a loving, permanent home.
     Now, Therefore, Be It Proclaimed by the Levy County Board of County Commissioners hereby proclaims the month of May 2026 as “National Foster Care Month.”  
     Duly proclaimed this 5th day of May 2026 in Bronson, Florida. (end of proclamation)
     The PSF is hosting three virtual info sessions this month for anyone who would like to learn more about foster care in their community. Those sessions are slated for May 11, May 21, or May 26 at 7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to hear from experienced professionals about the roles everyone can play in supporting children and families.
     One way to appreciate foster families throughout the month of May is by donating a gift basket or gift certificate. For more information, please contact via email Chelsea.Bowlin@pfsf.org.
     At PSF, they call foster parents “Partner Families” because they partner with the agency, the community, a child and their biological parents. Partner Families are special people who open their hearts and homes to children in need of safety, love and nurturing.
     Also, at any given time, more than 40 children in North Central Florida are waiting to meet their forever family. Adoptive families provide a permanent, loving home for youth and to forever change their life story. Call 352-244-1615 to speak with someone about helping PSF in this mission.

Annual CFEC Meeting
brings buckets of fun and more
Green buckets foreshadow big sale

CFEC Board of Trustee Donald “Donny” Lane (District 5) speaks with people as they wait in line to register on Saturday morning.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © May 3, 2026 at 10 a.m.
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Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     FANNING SPRINGS – Members and guests of Central Florida Electric Cooperative (CFEC), the 2026 CFEC Annual Meeting on Saturday morning (May 2) may have found the event to be rewarding as they went home with items reflecting tradition as well as change.

     And it was not just the individual account holders, who singularly had the power to vote, but the other guests who collected items and enjoyed aspects of the gathering that morning.
     In recent years, the annual meeting has been moved on the calendar in regard to which month it happened. Likewise, the place where the meeting is held has switched, too. Most people know there is almost nothing so constant as change, and plans on occasion must be revised as a result of modification from what may have been anticipated as being a constant.
     Some may see changes like electric power switches being turned either “on” or “off” as “light” or “darkness.” For some, light is “good.” For others, darkness is “good.” And the same is true as far as how humans perceive any changes. Some think that the love of money, or greed, is a force of evil; while there are others who think greed is good.
     Some may try to draw a metaphoric picture -- like the Panama Canal’s construction, ownership, and subsequent international business and political relationships as being somehow relevant to the sale of an asset by a rural electric cooperative to another interest that is more adept than the co-op at handling Internet service provided for profit over fiberoptic cables.
     Beyond the “what if” and “why” questions, the big deal of the day really was a $100 million-plus sale of one of CFEC’s holdings – Fiber By Central Florida -- to Conexon. During that discussion before the overwhelmingly positive vote for CFEC to move forward with that sale, there was at least one, 100 percent incorrect statement about the level of preparedness for, and ability to recovery from, another hurricane.
     Before that set of moments, however, the more universal picture of the meeting from its 8 a.m. start of registration of members all the way through the relief of rain heard on the metal roof of the Suwannee River Fair Pavilion as the day neared noon, included more than just that strictly business feature.


Soon after the start of the registration and socializing part of the meeting (from left), CFEC Trustee James E. McCain Sr. (District 1); Hallie George and her husband CFEC General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Denny George, agree to provide a photo opportunity. Denny has told people about his love for Hallie as well as his deep appreciation for her understanding and tolerance for what he is driven to do in the performance of his duties that help thousands of other people. McCain is also known for his public service where he has volunteered for decades, and still does, in the Cedar Key Volunteer Fire Department. (To see the Feb. 27 story, photos and video under the headline Cedar Key Fire Rescue Accepts A Blessed Truck; Area Fire Department Honors Volunteers And Paid Personnel, click HERE. 


Hundreds of CFEC members and guests wait to check in at the annual meeting, held in the City of Fanning Springs – which is central to the Tri-County Area of Levy, Gilchrist and Dixie counties.

     By the way, every account holder who registered at the meeting this year will see a $25 discount on their next CFEC electric bill. And there were eight winners of $100 cash; one $250 cash winner; and one $500 cash winner. In years past, the door-prize giveaways at the end of the meetings included a lot of great items. By the $25 discount, though, there is more equity of winning across the whole of people who attend the annual meetings.
     Meanwhile, back at the campus where the Suwannee River Fair Youth Livestock Show and Sale, and youth-related activities of those two weeks a year happen, the 2026 CFEC Annual Meeting event was similar to its yearly meetings from the past.
     There was the absence of a gospel singing group this year during the couple of hours, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., of interim between the start of registrations and the end of that process.
     Many members welcome the plastic five-gallon buckets that are among the door prizes available at these meetings. Those buckets over the years have served as a valuable tool for several chores to help with activities related to business or pleasure such as carrying freed to livestock; storing and then carrying individually wrapped plastic eating utensils and napkins during evacuations from hurricanes; moving gallons of filtered, chlorinated water from a pool to a spa. Collecting rainwater to reduce the time electric pumps run in a day is another use for the buckets given away.
     Yes, the list for buckets’ utilization is long and covers as broad a spectrum as exists for the many different lifestyles of people in the Tri-County Area of Levy County, Gilchrist County and Dixie County (and part of western Alachua County) that comprise the CFEC service area.
     This year, the bucket color was green. Green is one of the colors of paper money (even if it is a different shade). For the poets and philosophers in the neighborhood, the green bucket foretold the story of a river of revenue that flows through the rural electric cooperative as part of the fuel of an economic engine that powers the lifestyles of the area’s farmers, ranchers and the many other individuals who reside or visit in this part of Florida.
     For the people who see the reality of positive aspects from many things, the once-a-year gathering brought buckets of fun and more.
     First, there were hundreds of chances to see old friends and make new friends. Then, for the singular CFEC account holder, there was one small America flag to be held in the air when it came time for the big vote. As in other years, CFEC gave away light bulbs, pencils and other items, too, to put in those spiffy buckets.


Doughnuts and lemonade were available for purchase. Last year, this vendor was outside. This year, that food truck under the roof of the barnlike area of the pavilion, due to the forecast of rain that day – which thankfully was a correct weather forecast, given the drought conditions of the first months of 2026 in this part of Florida.


The co-op offered free, hot coffee to everyone.


CFEC gave away free cotton candy and popcorn to anyone who wanted it.


Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. T. Sanders (left) and Sgt. M. Rome were among the law enforcement members who provided safety and information for all.


Levy County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. C. Rogers (left) and Deputy J. Arter were among the law enforcement members who provided safety and information for all.


Once again this year, a ‘train’ provided free rides for children and others.


Free ‘rides’ in a bucket at the end of a boom gave participants a chance to enjoy a birds’ eye view of the area.


Children and adults went up in the buckets.


Among the team of many people working together to provide the fun option of going into the air in a bucket were Fiber Technician Curtis Williams (left) and Equipment Operator Justin Hiers.


     Seminole Electric Cooperative, whose part in the generation of electricity to CFEC’s transmission lines was not mentioned as much this year as in some past years, probably as a consequence of needing more time to focus on the big sale of the Internet service provider part of the co-op’s holdings. Still, Seminole Electric Cooperative gave away nightlights and cozies for soda cans or beer cans, as well as information pamphlets and more.
     For children, and adults, there were cute and relatively small, white-colored toy CFEC safety helmets available.
     Conexon gave away trinkets, too, including cloths for wiping computer screens or cell phone screens, or for people who use cameras that take pictures alone, to wipe off those lenses. Some of the people in the crowd wore glasses, even bifocals. Hence, a lens cloth from Conexon is among the items of use that could be taken. Also, the Conexon squeezy stress balls, shaped like a football, were easier to squeeze than the yellow-colored CFEC safety helmet shaped stress balls. Some people prefer the more resistant squeezy. Others lean toward the less resistant item for hand-squeezing exercise.
     The organizers of this event provided, again, options for children – like a bounce house and a “train” ride. For young and old, there were chances to enjoy being uplifted by a bucket of a bucket truck. Two buckets were operating at the same time for riders and a third was used by an observer with CFEC, which added to the safety.
     Speaking of safety the Levy County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) brought some of its vehicles for people to see and touch. The LCSO had law enforcement officers answering questions posed to them, as did the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office. And there was more. And there was a law enforcement presence for safety at the event thanks to Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum and Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz. There may have been some deputies from Dixie County and Alachua County in the pavilion, although they were less noticed.
     CFEC gave away free water, coffee, cotton candy, and popcorn. There were doughnuts and lemonade available for purchase. And ULCS sent an employee to again help people understand how electricity can kill people who fail to use proper safety methods when dealing with it.
     CFEC also had staff members able to speak about the tools they use in overcoming any obstacles while striving to always provide safe, reliable affordable electric power. And the vegetation management part of CFEC had staff there to take any information or requests for service, as well as to explain the finer points of needing to remove parts of some vegetation to keep the power flowing along the transmission lines.
     Utility Lines Construction Services (ULCS), formerly recognized in part through its association with Musgrove Construction LLC, is a premier provider of utility construction and maintenance services. As part of the Asplundh Infrastructure Group, ULCS operates across the eastern seaboard, Midwest, and southern United States.
     Overall, this year’s CFEC meeting was part of another beautiful day in the neighborhood, as well as being another aspect of this successful rural electric cooperative, at least from one observer’s perspective.
     Below are some of the several leaders who were on the stage or in the crowd.

Trustees and Others

CFEC Board of Trustees (from left) Jessie Robinson (Dist. 3), Melissa Lewis (Dist. 2) and James E. McCain Sr (Dist. 1)


(from left) CFEC Trustee Donald Lane (Dist. 5), CFEC General Manager and CEO Denny George, CFEC Attorney Woodroe Blake Fugate and CFEC Vice President Kyle Quincey (Dist. 4)


CFEC Trustees (from left) Tammy Bryan (Dist. 7), President Alan Mikell (Dist. 6), and Donald ‘Donny’ Lane (Dist. 5) {again, thank-you Mr. Lane for tolerating the photographer}


Conexon Co-CEO Jonathan Chambers, CFEC Secretary/Treasurer Larry Thompson (Dist. 9) and CFEC President ‘Bo’ Markham (Dist. 8)


Florida House of Representatives Rep. Chad “Cracker” Johnson (R-Chiefland, Dist. 22)


An employee from Seminole Electric Cooperative (left) is seen at the table with Seminole Electric Cooperative General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Lisa D. Johnson (at right).

Levy County names coordinator
for veterans services
and housing initiatives
Information Provided By Levy County Commission
Published April 28, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
     BRONSON – The Levy County Board of County Commissioners recently announce the appointment of Katie Holder to the newly created Community Services Coordinator position.
     Where the county formerly had a veterans service officer and other staff working in regard to housing initiatives, Holder now will oversee community services programs, veteran services, and housing initiatives. The County Commission believes this helps ensure these programs are delivered efficiently and meet the needs of Levy County residents.
     “Mrs. Holder understands the needs of our residents because she’s part of this community,” County Commission Vice Chairman Charlie Kennedy said. “Her background and passion for helping others will strengthen the services we provide across Levy County.”
     Holder, a lifelong member of the community, resides in Levy County with her family and is a graduate of Bronson High School. She served on active duty in the United States Air Force from 1996 to 2000 and attended Solano Community College during her military service.
     Having 25 years of experience in service-orientated roles supporting individuals and families, Holder has built her career around service delivery and community engagement. She is especially dedicated to assisting veterans in accessing the benefits and resources they have earned. As the only woman in her family to serve in the armed forces, she proudly continues a longstanding tradition of military service.
     Holder’s office is located in Suite 107 of the Levy County Government Center, 310 School St., in Bronson. She can be reached by email at Holder-Katie@LevyCounty.org or by phone at 352-914-7192.

Volunteers restore plants on islands

Dave Clark places a Panicum amarum in the ground of the dunes on Cedar Key Beach on April 24.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © April 25, 2026 at 3:15 p.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     CEDAR KEY -- ReCedar Key is a 509(a)(2) grassroots coastal community dedicated to conserving and restoring the Cedar Keys ecosystem. The organization is incorporated as ReCedar Key Inc., which was registered on April 21, 2025, and is located in Cedar Key, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
     Beyond that IRS business perspective, the vision of this group is to restore the natural vegetation to the island of Cedar Key and the neighboring islands after the islands suffered plant loss from Hurricane Helene and other weather events.
     Dr. David G. “Dave” Clark, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor, and Pat Bonish, a Cedar Key businessman, happened to be the two volunteers with this group who were planting native plants on Friday morning (April 24). That is when a journalist, who had planned to take a break from work, happened to see them in action. The best laid plans of some men occasionally go astray.
     A few minutes later, the duo of volunteers answered the publisher’s questions and provided photo opportunities to help the world understand about this recovery mission that came to be after that natural disaster swept through Florida and elsewhere. Hurricane Helene, which struck in late September of 2024, has been recorded as one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to hit the United States in decades.
     Professor Clark, working as a volunteer rather than in his UF/IFAS professorial capacity, was planting “panic grass” to add to the sand dunes of Cedar Key Beach, which is next to the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent to the city park of Cedar Key.
     Panic grass is a diverse, large genus (Panicum and related Dichanthelium) of native annual or perennial bunchgrasses often found in temperate and tropical regions. The particular plants placed on Friday are Panicum amarum, commonly known as bitter panicum or bitter beachgrass. It is a native, perennial, rhizomatous, warm-season grass known for its high salt and drought tolerance. Primarily found in sandy coastal dunes along the coasts of the eastern United States and coasts of the United States next to the Gulf of Mexico, it is essential for dune stabilization and coastal erosion control, according to various sources, according to various scientific journals. 


Dave Clark holds a Panicum amarum and shows its root ball, and those roots will reach down to find water in the sandy soil. Notice the grassy bushes in the left of the photo. They are this type of plant that are one year old.


Pat Bonish and Dave Clark stand with a row of native plants behind them, which were planted a year ago and are thriving – having made it through a winter with a few days of subfreezing temperatures and not showing any impact from the drought because they get their water from what is available as a result of being on the coast next to the Gulf of Mexico.


Some of the 60 ‘panic grass’ plants are easily seen after growing for a year on the dunes of the beach at Cedar Key. 


In the middle of the three thriving plants seen here are four ‘control’ plants that were planted using a method that is older than the currently accepted best planting process for these plants. The hypothesis that the older method would be less effective than the newer method proved to be true, as shown here.

     Dr. Clark, when he is not volunteering to put plants in the ground to help future generations, earns money as a professor of horticultural biotechnology and genetics in the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department. He joined the UF/IFAS faculty in June of 1995, and has an extensive curriculum vitae, which includes being extremely well-published and having a significant amount of plant patents and trademarks.
     Bonish, Clark notes, is the singular spark leading to the initiation of ReCedar Key Inc.
     In the one year and four months of activity – yes, they started before incorporation as a non-profit organization -- they have planted 18,000 native plants, including 5,000 cedar plants that are potentially destined to become seed-producing trees generations after this mission began.
     This monumental success of thousands of plants on islands is not just from Bonish and Clark. They have volunteers galore. The goal of restoring native plants to Cedar Key and its neighboring barrier islands appears to be like a magnet to draw out humanitarian behavior. They have seen support from boaters who transport plants and people for fair prices.
    Bonish, who owns and operates Bonish Studio / The Thirst Emporium at 582 Second St. in downtown Cedar Key, said one of his bartenders heard about the group of volunteers boating out to islands and planting native plants for restoration and to reduce erosion. The young man asked why he was not invited to volunteer. Ever since, he has been among the many people who are welcome to help in this effort, Bonish said.
     Bonish and his wife Cindy are the owners and operators of this combined venue on Second Street that features an art studio/gift shop and a bar specializing in bourbons, ryes, tequilas and local craft beers. And he is a leader in the native plant efforts for the nearby barrier islands.
     Clark said that he is glad to see not only so many volunteers, from 17 to 70 years old, but the nonprofit organization has not had to beg for help monetarily so far. He said rather than “this,” as he held his hand with the palm upward (indicating please put money in it), ReCedar Key Inc. is putting organizational metaphoric hand out like “that” -- in a handshake motion.
     Clark said the 60 Panicum amarum plants on the Cedar Key dunes a year ago have a 100 percent survival rate. Not only that, he said, but the “control” version in this experiment, which were planted using the “old method” lived but they are not thriving. Clark is pleased with the plants’ progress near the beach. He said they are hearty and have never had one drop of irrigation required.
     These plants thrive by putting their roots down through the beach sand, and they are able to use the Gulf water, despite its salinity, he said. These plants hold the beach from future erosion, he said.
     When Clark first started speaking about planting native species on the islands, he mentioned that after Hurricane Helene, he and volunteers recovered 5,000 old growth cedar seeds. Old growth cedar seeds are reproductive units harvested from mature cedar trees, often older than 400 years old, used for propagation or for planting “legacy” trees.
     Cedar Key is named after the dense forests of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) that once blanketed this barrier island and its neighboring island. These islands, according to the City of Cedar Key, were originally dubbed “Las Islas Sabines” (Spanish for “The Cedar Islands”) on a 1542 Spanish map due to the abundance of these trees, city scholars have noted. The area later became a hub for pencil manufacturing in the 19th century because of the tree’s soft, aromatic wood, as noted in several historic journals.
     Clark is off right now from his active teaching duties because he teaches for nine months and has three months off nowadays. Nonetheless, he teaches about plants casually, and perhaps unknowingly, while collaborating with the people involved with the ReCedar Key group’s projects as well as when interacting with curious passersby during a planting session.