Dixie County Advocate

02/19/2025

02/12/2025

Don is good people. If you have a story, please share it with them, they're trying to help.

02/07/2025

ELEVATE FLORIDA
STATEWIDE RESIDENTIAL MITIGATION PROGRAM

Elevate Florida is a first-of-its-kind, groundbreaking statewide residential mitigation program. Led by the FDEM, this program is designed to protect homes and communities by reducing damage caused by natural disasters like hurricanes and floods.

Application Details

The Elevate Florida application portal has launched! To apply, create an account and complete the application on the Elevate Florida Portal. The prior link was to the application portal was incorrect, please use the corrected link, https://fdem-resmit.my.site.com/Elevate/

Property Owner Eligibility

Your property does not need to have experienced flooding or damage to be considered. However, applications may be prioritized based on history of loss. Property owners must:

Be over the age of 18,
Be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien,
The legal owner of the residential property in the State of Florida, and
Be able to contribute up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the project's total cost. Property owners will be required to provide up to 25% of initial inspection costs prior to inspections being completed. Total project cost will vary based on factors such as project type, square footage of living space, foundation and construction type, and any necessary project activities. Approved property owners will receive a detailed breakdown of their construction cost-share and will have time to decide if they would like to move forward with the project's next phase. The cost-share will also include relocation expenses during construction, meaning the program will pay at least 75 percent of these expenses.
Multi-family real estate such as duplexes, triplexes, condos, townhomes, semi-detached homes, apartments and manufactured homes may be eligible.

Eligible Construction Projects

Structure Elevation: Physically raising an existing structure.
Mitigation Reconstruction: The construction of an improved, elevated building on the same site where an existing building and/or foundation has been partially or completely demolished or destroyed. These activities result in the construction of code-compliant and hazard-resistant structures. Mitigation Reconstruction is the alternative to Structure Elevation when the structure is not sound enough to elevate, as determined during application review.
Acquisition/Demolition: A structure is purchased from voluntary sellers and demolished, to be maintained by the local community as open space. The local community must agree to participate in this project type.
Wind Mitigation: Measures that reduce the risk of future wind damage to structures. This may include alterations to the roof, windows, doors, and other vulnerable components of structures. Wind mitigation is another alternative for homes that are not sound enough to elevate.
Potential Program Benefits

Significant Cost Savings – Homeowners can save 75–100 percent on the cost of protecting their property from future flood damage, making it a cost-effective alternative to managing the project independently.
Lower Insurance Premiums – Reduce flood insurance costs with improved property resilience.
Increased Property Value – Strengthen your home’s value with long-term flood protection.
Comprehensive Support – Enjoy end-to-end assistance, from application to construction, including contractor services, temporary housing support, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations.
We encourage you to take advantage of this valuable opportunity to safeguard your home both enhancing resiliency in your community and for all Floridians. If you have any program questions or need help with the application, you can submit inquiries through the “Contact Us” page on the portal or email [email protected]. You can also call the contact center Monday – Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET at 877-ELEV8FL (877-353-8835). To access TTY services, dial 711.

01/21/2025

🚨Tuesday morning weather update🚨

Prepare now for a hard freeze over the next two nights.

📢 Due to the anticipated conditions, the Trail Riders Club will be opening today, Tuesday, January 21st, at 12pm for those in need of shelter for warmth. A cot will be provided, but you will need to bring bedding and commodities. The shelter will remain open through mid-day on Thursday, January 23rd.

Address is 294 NE 241 Street, Cross City

01/21/2025

Paper delivery to stores this week may not be normal… trying to find a way to get papers out without putting my delivery folks at risk with the ice.

01/20/2025

No school Wednesday in what may be the first “snow day” in dixie county in my lifetime 🙂

01/19/2025

Wow!

12/17/2024

It's that time of year (when I have to be working ahead, sigh)...what's your New Year's Resolution? Are you really going to follow through with it this year or do you expect to drop it before Valentine's Day?

12/04/2024

FDC OIG ARRESTS INMATE FOR ASSAULTING CORRECTIONAL OFFICER (The officer is gonna be OK)


CROSS CITY, Fla.— On the morning of December 3, multiple Cross City
Correctional Institution (CI) officers were attacked by a group of inmates. During the attack, an inmate stabbed a correctional officer with an improvised weapon. Additional staff responded and the involved inmates were subdued. The officers were assessed
by medical staff and an injured officer was transported to a local hospital where he is now in stable condition. The inmate responsible for the assault was arrested by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Office of Inspector General (OIG).




"While this is a tragic incident, the outcome could have been much worse. We stand with our officers as they continue to recover from this senseless act of violence," said
Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon. “I would like to thank the Office of Inspector General for their swift investigation and for making this prompt arrest. Any violence towards our staff will not be tolerated, and offenders will be
held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."



Inmate Kevin Rolle (W27513) was
arrested for aggravated battery on law enforcement officer, possession of contraband (weapon), and resisting an officer with violence. Inmate Rolle is currently serving multiple sentences for robbery with a gun or deadly weapon.




FDC is committed to providing for the safety and wellbeing of all staff and inmates in custody. Those who cause harm to others are held accountable for their actions, up to
and including arrest and criminal prosecution.

12/02/2024

Please share‼️

In the last month, UFMAR has rescued three manatees and two sea turtles found inland in Dixie County. These rescues were made possible by the hunters who located the animals and with our partners at MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife who coordinated rescues and relayed info.

We assume these animals were washed inland from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge. We suspect there may be more animals that are stuck inland. Please share to help get the word out so we may rescue any other manatees or sea turtles displaced by the hurricane.

If you find a marine animal washed inland, please take precise coordinates, photos, and note any reliable landmark to help our locating efforts.

Report sightings to
UFMAR at 352-477-0344 or
FWC at 1-888-404-3922

11/28/2024

Your donkey is back! Sorry Mr dude whose donkey ran away last time to my house. Hes back!! I lost your number.—editor

11/25/2024

It's that time of year again! What are you most thankful for this year? (Keep it brief and I'll print as many as I can. You guys know the drill.)

11/19/2024

A strong cold front will pass through the region on Wednesday. Ahead of this front, a heavy rain threat, coastal flooding threat, and possibly isolated strong/severe storms could develop this afternoon into the evening.

Overview:

Heavy Rainfall Threat
An anomalously moist air mass, mostly from the remnants of Tropical Storm Sara, for this time of year will lift north into the region today and will likely result in heavy rainfall across the Panhandle and southern Alabama. Rainfall amounts across SE AL and the FL Panhandle range from 2-4", tapering off to around 2-3" for the western Florida Big Bend and southwest Georgia and 1 to 1.5 inches across south central Georgia and the eastern Big Bend. Given the higher amounts, and a 20-40% chance of 4+ inches of rain across western portion of the forecast area, there is a slight risk (level 2 of 4) of flash flooding concerns for our coastal Florida Panhandle and extreme portions of southern Alabama counties at this time. Across these areas in the slight risk, localized rainfall totals could reach 4 to 7 inches.

Coastal Flooding and High Surf Threat
Strong southerly winds will develop in advance of the front as rainfall begins to approach the region late this morning and into the afternoon. These increasing winds will build surf heights along all area beaches, especially at Walton/Bay county beaches where surf heights could reach 6 feet. The high surf could cause minor beach erosion. High surf is expected to develop this afternoon and last until Wednesday morning. The strong southerly flow ahead of the front will also bring a coastal flood threat this evening and into early Wednesday morning with high tide along Panhandle and Big Bend coastlines. Water levels should stay below 3 feet MHHW along our coastlines with the highest values (up to 2.5 feet MHHW) in the Apalachee Bay and lower values of 1 to 2 feet MHHW along Panhandle Beaches. This coastal flood threat is not expected to persist past tonight and early Wednesday's high tide cycles.

Severe Weather Threat
A severe weather threat also exists with the arrival of this cold front. A Marginal Risk (Level 1 of 5) has been outlined by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) covering portions of our SE AL counties and the western Florida Panhandle. The main concerns at this time are isolated strong to severe wind gusts with some of the stronger storms, though a brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out particularly across our coastal Florida Panhandle counties.

After the cold front moves through Wednesday, breezy and much cooler conditions will affect the region on Thursday and Friday afternoon. Sustained winds around 10 to 15 mph are forecast with occasional gusts of 20 to 25 mph, especially on Thursday afternoon across our Alabama/Georgia counties.

11/05/2024

Wheeler Park behind the courthouse is closed today (and however long) for renovations.