Alex Boerner

PHOTO ESSAYS: You Are My Sunshine State

Many who have lived here for years say that old Florida is gone, having given way to tourists, snowbirds, developers and air-conditioning. The citrus industry, one of the state's icons and leading economic resources, has been beaten up so badly by hurricanes, foreign competition and citrus canker that many farmers were forced to sell out to developers. Slowly, rows of houses steadily began to replace the rows of citrus trees that covered the rural farmlands. Now many of those homes built by green-eyed developers sit empty from a popped bubble, having been abandoned or never lived in to begin with. It is only one sign of the tumultuous nature of this state, and while some have chosen to simply move away, there are plenty of those who believe in Florida. They hold out and continue to fight to maintain and enjoy their beloved way of life in the sweltering melting pot known as The Sunshine State.

This essay only shows my singular experience here and my relationship to the people and places I've encountered...a very small piece of this large state.

   
  
Citrus, one of the main industries in Sebastian, and the state, is not as lucrative as it once was, and entire citrus groves are being purchased and cleared for development. This grove, one at the intersection of County Roads 510 and 512, was cleared by Browncorp Construction and Contracting for the development of single-family homes.
     
  
   
Construction of Segment 2 of the five-segment Crosstown Parkway connecting I-95 with U.S. Highway 1, cuts a swath through the neighborhoods of Port St. Lucie, FL. The 1.75 mile stretch of road is being built in an effort to further relieve traffic congestion as the area continues to grow at a high rate.
   
A row of kindergarteners stands on stage during graduation at Pelican Island Elementaryn School in Sebastian. As housing increases and more people move into the area, the infrastructure must be changed to accomodate for the increase of families and their children. Pelican Island Elementary, in Sebastian, FL had the highest enrollment out of all the elementary schools in Indian River County last year with 647 students.
     
  
Times are tougher for James Judah since he opened his fish market with his father, Bascomb Judah, during the heyday of Sebastian's fishing industry. Judah, who owns Judah & Sons fish market on Indian River Blvd in Sebastian with his son, Kevin Judah, has been at this location since 1949 and is the only retail fish market left on the road. Kevin believes that over-regulation of commercial fishing has crushed the industry in the area and says that he may only be able to keep their fish house open for another two or three years. Development is creeping up on the river as large houses are being built just across the street from the store, and the value of the property that it sits on continues to rise.
   
  
     
  
Attendee at a rally for Tom Gallagher, Republican candidate for Governor of Florida.
   
Jesper Parnevik warms up in the practice area of the Champion Course at PGA National amidst the crowds while preparing for the final round of the Honda Classic Sunday morning in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
   
The bride, Lisa White, and her mother exit the Northside Agape Baptist Ministryfollowing her wedding.
     
  
   
The FURST (Florida UFO Research and Study) Group in Vero Beach meets every third and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the home of Susan "Sunset" Cerdan.
  
Humberto Silva, 72, left, is currently living with longtime friend Angie Pape, right, and her family, as he deals with his health problems without medical insurance. At the age of 69 Humberto Silva had to quit his job as an auto mechanic in 2001 due to health problems, therefore losing his health insurance. Now he has no job and no insurance.
     
  
Curtis Hinton and his wife Alice Hinton, who have lived at 7005 8th Street for14 years, sit with a few of their dogs in their yard while relaxing outside on Thursday evening. Curtis, who has seen many accidents along the stretch of dirt road and is a self-proclaimed slow driver, says he likes to sit outside, watch the road and shake his head as drivers speed by.
   
  
"I love being out here at night. It's a challenge to be out here in the water with these magnificent animals, not knowing where they are. I'm trying to keep my excitement down because you have to be calm for the shot. You never know what's around the next corner. It'll be exciting," said Larry Friedman, a sales engineer from New Jersey who is also an avid hunter. On the opening evening of the Florida public water alligator season, Friedman and his guides, Lewis Clanton, Chip Hatley and Mickey Miller, headed out into the darkness of the Blue Cypress Water Management area in Indian River County to try to find a trophy alligator.From the Essay - You Are My Sunshine State
     
  
Mosquitoes
   
Alligator hunt guide Lewis Clanton cuts the spinal cord of an alligator shot and reeled in by Larry Friedman, of New Jersey on the opening night of alligator hunting season. The gators are shot from a distance with a crossbow with a fishing line attached to the arrow. If the shot sticks, the gator is then reeled in close to the boat. When close enough, the gator is hit with a "bang stick," which is a stick with a shotgun shell in the end that is discharged upon impact, killing the gator. Finally, the spinal cord is cut with a knife at the base of the head, ensuring that the gator will not thrash while on the boat.
   
Just over the edge of the railing at the end of Sexton Plaza, at the very east end of State Road 60, lies this pipe extending into the Atlantic Ocean.
     
  
"We were in the water for about a half-hour, it was beautiful," said Sue Pope, out of the frame on the far right, after lifeguards cleared Stuart Beach during a brief thunderstormon on a cloudy Thursday afternoon in Stuart, FL. But a little rain would only temporarily stop the Pope family, of Easton, PA, from enjoying the last day of their visit to Florida. "This is our last day here so we've got to make the most of what we can get," said Sue, who was hiding out under a gazebo with her family, from left, daughter Madison Pope, 9, mother June Rummel, of Port St. Lucie, FL, son Michael Pope, 9, and daughter Katie Pope, 5, until the rain stopped. Josh Pope, 9, out of the frame on the far left, rounds out the Pope triplets. The family drove down from Pennsylvania, stopped in Jacksonville, went to Disney World, saw the shuttle launch and went to a St. Lucie Mets game, in Port St. Lucie, where Katie, far right, also got to announce the Mets' batters in the bottom of the 5th inning.
   
Kerry Marinos, center, hugs her daughter, Ally Marinos, 15, left, while talking with her daughter's friend, Katie Streeter, 16, in her kitchen Wednesday afternoon in Stuart. In December, Marinos was laid of from her sales coordinator job, and now works part time at Publix, where she had been working a second job for the past two years. Her monthly income from Publix is not enough to cover her mortgage payments, and she is having difficulty finding another job. "I've always had two jobs, so this doing nothing all day is making me crazy," said Marinos. She gets phone calls from her mortgage company every day. She has recently applied for food stamps, is trying to sell one of her cars and is making other adjustments to conserve money. Her home has always been a gathering place for her kids and their friends, and she has always fed them, which has changed. "'There's never any food in the house,' they say. Normally everybody comes her and eats," said Marinos.
  
     
  
   
  
     
  
   
A wood stork peers into a motel room at the Warm Mineral Springs Motel.
   
A boy stands in an open fire hydrant during a neighborhood gathering.
     
  
   
Nicole Lamb, of Orange City, GA, who was partying in the infield of the Daytona National Speedway during the Daytona 500, shows off her confederate flag belly-button ring.
   
Bright sun prompted Jocelyn Walker, center, of Oak Harbor, to use a Bush/Cheney placard as a sun shade while talking to friends Cindy Vannoy, left, of Grand Harbor, and Bette Lathrop, right, of Oak Harbor, Wednesday afternoon at a Republican rally at the Grand Harbor Country Club featuring former First Lady Barbara Bush.
     
  
In the median of Barefoot Boulevard, the main stretch of road through Barefoot Bay, Bart Rose kneels down to get a photograph of a sandhill crane, one of the birds that he feeds occasionally, and has become accustomed to people. Rose has lived in Barefoot Bay for 14 years and has photos of a giant egret that he coaxed into his living room.
   
  
John Thanasiu looks out over the water that had flooded the the main road of Heritage Plantation and crept up into his front yard Tuesday afternoon. The road flooded after the rainfall from Monday and Tuesday morning. Thanasiu, and other residents of Heritage Plantation, say that not enough is being done to clear the streets of the water, which collects whenever there is significant rainfall.
     
  
   
Christmas lights adorn the tower at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina which overlooks the Indian River just north of the Barber Street Bridge in Vero Beach.
   
     
  
   
Pat McClarey, 72, retired, works out in the pool during the Aquasize class at the Jungle Club under the instruction of Deborah Martin. "I come to water aerobics to maintain health and especially for my back. I have back problems and I feel like this is my therapy. And it's working fine. I have a shoulder problem too so I just feel like the water and the combination of the two is beneficial to me more than any other exercise, although I do walk and ride my bike. I enjoy coming here because in the water there's nothing on your joints. That's very good for me," said McClarey.