South Florida Waterways

The essays in this book are about the rivers, lakes, springs, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico, the latter two as they relate to South Florida. Among the subjects covered: Should the Everglades be considered a river of grass? How did French science-fiction writer Jules Verne use the Alafia River near Gibsonton as a launching site for his fictional rocket to the moon a hundred years before scientists launched rockets from Cape Kennedy? How does Lake Okeechobee link the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico? Where did Ponce de León first land in Florida? And what about his supposed search for a Fountain of Youth? How did famous writers (Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway), as well as professional baseball players (Babe Ruth, Dazzy Vance, and Ted Williams), promote fishing in Florida? What role do shipwrecks play in saltwater fishing? And finally how do alligators, crocodiles, turtles, and different species of fish thrive in Florida? The chapters will cover many aspects of the waterways in South Florida and should appeal to boaters, fishermen, bird watchers, and travelers: those who boat or drive through Florida or those who enjoy travel writing from the comfort of their home. The writer is the award-winning author of 58 published books and a retired professor of Linguistics and English at the University of Florida. Some of his published books are "Alligator Tales," "Apalachicola Bay," and guidebooks to four of our rivers: the St. Johns, Suwannee, Hillsborough, and Caloosahatchee.