FOR SALE: Recreational Angling Rights

This is neither the end nor the beginning of this issue. For those of you just tuning in ... don't chime in ... until you peek a little further under the hood and get familiar with the proverbial big picture.

'Shark Fishing' ban or 'Fishing' ban?

There are millions of license-paying recreational anglers in Florida shoveling BILLIONS into the state's economy year after year after ... you get it by now, right?

Precedent-setting legislation drawn with a broad paint brush dipped in generic white is a dangerous thing; at least as far as us real Americans would care to be concerned.

According to: StateOfFlorida.com, the Sunshine State is the top travel destination in the WORLD.

The peninsula boasts the following:

Coastline - 1,197 Statute Miles

Tidal Shoreline - 2,276 Statute Miles

Beaches - 663 Miles

Florida has more than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams & waterways

Longest River - St. Johns at 273 miles

Prove to some of the kind of people that know -- first-hand, including me, that a history or even a recent rash of perilous outcomes or tourism-detrimental press and PR exists, that is directly tied to an otherwise innocuous activity that has been going on for decades -- and there might be a topic of intelligent conversation amidst the static and noise.

Hell, we welcome any spirited debate. The least we ask is that you bring a brain and a valid point to the party ... even if it's not yours. Here's a few hints: conservation, public safety, tourism PR concerns, the local economy, etc. Just pick one and stick to it.

Otherwise, knee-jerk reactions and 1970's JAWS mentality fueled, politicized scare tactics are a big fat, bloated, worn-out bore.

Over & Out 4 Now -- stp