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New channel markers give safer access to 'Old Florida' coast

Posted at 8:46 PM, Oct 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-01 06:51:14-04

HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — Hernando County is keeping "Old Florida" a safe for those who want to see it from the water.  

It’s an outdoorsman paradise, great for fishing, and so remote and untouched that you can only see it from the air or the water.

"Right in the middle of the heart of old Florida," said Keith Kolasa, Manager of Hernando County Waterways.

But something else about "Old Florida" is old and not in a good way.

"Many of the channel markers were over 20 years old and degraded," said Kolasa 

Those old channel markers that were not very visible, marked the only path that is deep enough for boats to drive between the incredibly shallow Citrus and Hernando County coasts.

Hernando County is finishing a year-long project, replacing 34 signs marking the deep channel that is the Chassahowitzka River and the new signs much more visible.

"It’s a roadway on the water for fisherman to access these remote areas of Hernando and Citrus Counties.

Areas along the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge where "Old Florida" can live on while boaters and wildlife stay safe. 

"These markers are important for boater safety and especially for preserving the habitat so people don’t run aground and do damage," said Kolasa