As Ben Ellis watched the news over the past couple of days about four fishermen missing in the Gulf of Mexico, he could almost feel the salt water spray and the body heat draining away. ...more

March 4, 2009

Ben Ellis, 62, of Tampa was one of four scuba divers who motored out of St. George's Island in the Florida Panhandle on a cold December day in 1984. They were aboard a 23-foot boat that was headed to a sunken wreck where they planned to spend the day diving. ...more

March 3, 2009

Highlands County commissioners may take action today to begin discussion on the final decision on the public-access issue at Lake Denton, regarded as one of the most attractive freshwater scuba-diving sites in the state. ...more

October 7, 2008

It's a safe bet that Highlands County commissioners expected to make enough off scuba divers at Lake Denton to at least pay for the attendant who takes those $25 per day fees. That's not happening by a mile, and it shows the flaw in the county's strategy. ...more

August 8, 2008

So far this summer, only three scuba divers have paid the $25 per day, weekend/holiday user fee to use the county's 40-foot wide, shell road that serves as the only public access to Lake Denton. ...more

August 7, 2008

INDONESIA - Scuba divers swept away in strong currents survived 12 hours in shark-infested waters before scrambling onto a remote Indonesian island where they faced yet another threat: a Komodo dragon. ...more

June 8, 2008

SEBRING — Like other Americans, from George Washington and Patrick Henry to Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King, fourth-grade student Michael Stone has a dream. Because he says his dream is being stepped on by government, Stone is doing what the Constitution says he can do: petition the government for redress of a grievance of the people. He's spearheading a petition asking that county government reopen Lake Denton to the public, and without the expensive user's fees and restricted hours and parking that will keep some people from using the public lake. And his petition is taking off not only with his fellow students but with adults, too. ...more

January 8, 2008

Since its creation, I've been an active participant in each of the Lake Denton Committee meetings. It's been my shared opinion with others, this issue revolves around overcrowding at the boat ramp by scuba divers seeking certification, a lack of parking space in the immediate neighborhood for them, and some of the illicit and/or illegal activities that too often occurs in secluded areas. Working together, committee members, county employees and several other concerned people have developed a short-term plan that will reopen Lake Denton to the public. I'm glad to say they've made a lot of progress and presented the proposals to the Board of County Commissioners. However, I am very much opposed to one particular aspect of the committee's recommendation. In order to pay for (or at least offset) the costs of improvements and needed personnel, a per diver fee of $25 per day was agreed upon. This amount, after much discussion by the divers present, was deemed to be reasonable and a customary cost incurred as part of their normal certification process. This fee would be waived for the instructors and "Dive Masters" present. ...more

January 6, 2008

SEBRING — Ken Melvin and Ray Napper, two of the seven members of the Lake Denton Citizens Advisory Committee, were not happy with the committee's recommendations to re-open this closed public lake with severe restrictions. Melvin, though, reluctantly endorsed the Highlands County commissioners' decision Tuesday to reopen the popular lake –– closed since early September –– despite the number of controversial restrictions on public access. He described the lake reopening plan as too little, too late and nowhere near a good solution to a big problem. Unlike the other speakers who harshly criticized the plan, though, Melvin didn't oppose the commissioners adopting the committee's unpopular and controversial plan. ...more

January 3, 2008

SEBRING — Don Bates, the Highlands County commissioner who chaired the special Lake Denton Citizens Advisory Committee, admits there still are unanswered questions about the county's closing of public access to the county's most popular lake. ...more

January 2, 2008