The formation of Lake Seminole flooded 12,000 acres of standing timber creating a primordial fishing paradise with millions of navigational hazards. Timber was cut for boat lanes pre-flooding, and channel markers were installed to mark safe passages. These channel markers are essential for safe boating…especially for visitors unfamiliar with the lake. Hurricane Michael destroyed many of these channel markers creating an unsafe condition in some areas. This safety issue was communicated to our Congressman Sanford Bishop in a letter with sixty-four pages of signed petitions.
What is known as the junction of I-75 and Sealy’s run was one such area, where a missing marker caused many boaters to miss the boat lane turn and end up out in the timber. This area was specifically discussed at a community meeting in Donalsonville on January 25th. The Corps explained that they had funding for replacing markers but did not have a boat capable of installing new channel markers, and they were currently searching for a contractor to do the work. The following week, Mr. Bobby Moore of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suggested a buoy as a temporary fix. On February 7th, within one hour of speaking with Matt Like, I met a Corps team to install the temporary buoy.
On Friday October 2nd, at approximately 4:45pm, the Corps of Engineers was notified that a boat had hit an underwater obstruction in what is known as the Fireman’s Cut, or Jack’s Cut. The hazard was about a foot underwater, picture below, and about 20 feet long. Within 75 minutes, a Corps contractor was dispatched and on site to eliminate the hazard. Phenomenal response, at the end of the day on a Friday afternoon, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and their Contractor Anderson. Pictures by fishing guide Paul Tyre who identified the hazard and stood by to make sure the hazard was secured. Thank you and excellent job by all!
