NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

May 22, 1998

CONTACT: Mark A. Trainor (850) 488-4676

LAKE PANASOFFKEE RENOVATION GETS BOOST

A dream for renovating Lake Panasoffkee took a giant step toward reality last week on the front steps of the Sumter County Courthouse with the introduction of a new seven-member Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council.

Created during the 1998 Legislative session in Tallahassee, the Council is charged with developing a blueprint for renewing a lake that, historically, has been a favorite for anglers seeking largemouth bass, bluegills and shellcrackers.

Council members and local fish camp owner Jim Veal predicts several lake restoration projects will soon be recommended.

For starters, Veal thinks a heavily vegetated eastern shoreline of 4,500-acre Lake Panasoffkee in Sumter County will be cleared back to its original timberline, thus restoring feeder creek water flow.

Other recommendations on the immediate horizon will include a suction dredge to remove an alarming buildup of bottom silt, especially around Shell and Grassy Points, prime bream bedding areas.

"Additional silt removal from numerous natural springs scattered about the lake will restore flow and improve water quality," Veal said.

Veal, John Springstead, Billy Merritt, Jim Wade, David Hanson, George Buhmeyer and Bill Davis have all excepted Council appointments.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has targeted nearly two dozen lakes throughout the state for "fast track renovation" to meet its objectives of making the water bodies more "angler friendly." Lake Panasoffkee is the latest to make this list.

In addition to the FWC, other state agencies contributing to the Lake Panasoffkee effort will include the Department of Environmental Protection, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

State Senator Ginny Brown-Waite and State Representative Everett Kelly were credited with being "prime movers" in getting the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council bill passed this year in the Florida Legislature.

Also hailed for his vital role in the Council's inception was Jamie Adams, former Sumter County Sheriff and most recent appointee to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's five-member board.