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Highlands Today

Drawn To Nature

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Corine Burgess a natural resource specialist for Highlands Soil and Water.

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: June 15, 2008

SEBRING – Except when he's sleeping, 5-year-old Justin Burgess rarely stays inside his home.

"He loves to be outside, just like me," said his mother, Corine Burgess, the natural resources specialist in the Highlands County Soil & Water Conservation District office.

"He's a little nature lover and a tree-hugger, just like his mamma," Burgess said about the boy she and husband, Dan, adopted four years ago when Justin was one year old.

They adopted the African-American boy when Corine was 45 and she and Dan were in their 26th year of marriage.

High school sweethearts who have been together since their days at Coral Shores High School in the Florida Keys, they both love everything about the ocean.

Asked what she and Dan like to do most on their off-work time, Corine said, "If it's just the two of us, then definitely we go salt water fishing. We don't care for fresh water fishing, but we love salt water fishing. We both love the ocean."

"But," she added, "Since Justin came into our lives, we don't do much fishing. I spend every spare minute I possibly can with my child, because I just love to be with him. We have a lot of fun together.

"And he, just like me, doesn't like to be inside. We both have to be outside. If I'm not outside, I just don't feel . . . fulfilled, I guess, would be a pretty good word to describe it."

After high school, Burgess graduated with a bachelor's degree in public administration from Barry University. The school is based in Miami but Burgess took all of her courses at South Florida Community College's University Center.

Upon graduation, chasing her love of the outdoors, she immediately jumped into a job as a state park ranger and was assigned to Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring.

Dan also had an active outdoors job, as he was in the U.S. Coast Guard when they married. He now makes custom cabinets at his own business, Cutrite Cabinet Company Inc., in Sebring.

From Highlands Hammock, Burgess got a promotion to assistant park manager at Delean Springs State Park. More promotions and job transfers followed and she wound up her state park career as the park manager of Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West.

Returning to her and Dan's beloved Florida Keys was very special, Burgess said. But she left the state park system, where she worked from 1988 to 2000, to move to Sebring to be close to family.

When she and Dan moved to Sebring in December 2000, Burgess landed a job in county government as the secretary to the assistant county administrator. During the next seven years, Burgess transferred to several different jobs within county government and ended up as the public information officer.

In April 2007 Burgess made another job transfer and got back into the type of work that really floats her boat, dealing with nature and the outdoors. She joined the five-person staff of the Highlands County Soil & Water Conservation District as the natural resources specialist.

Burgess said she found her indoors office work at the Highlands County Government Center interesting, especially her duties as public information officer. But it wasn't the type of work she likes most, which is anything to do with nature and the outdoors.

"I have a background in natural resources and all those years in the state park system, and I feel best when I'm outside," she said. Working at any job that doesn't directly deal with nature, she said, "just does not 'fill me up,' so to speak.

"This position," she added, "is a good fit. It works for me."

Burgess said she and husband thought for many years that they'd have a great life together without children. But that changed, she said, and when they met Justin four years ago at a Lake Placid children's facility they fell in love with him.

"He is," Burgess said about her rambunctious 5-year-old who'd rather chase butterflies than stare at the TV, "the love of my life."

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