Sarasota Magazine writer Isaac Eger spent a few hours with Jono Miller and generated this story.
Sarasota Magazine Profiles Author
Month: April 2021
Cabbage palm valiantly risks life to thwart desperate getaway
According to a Gary Detman story appearing on the cbs12 website in Vero Beach, a lone cabbage palm put its life on the line to stop a getaway, assist police, and possibly save a life.
The story, titled 3 lbs. of marijuana seized in traffic stop and crash in Indian River County, describes how Indian River Sheriffs arrested a driver “and seized three pounds of marijuana, other drugs, a gun and cash.” The vehicle had a broken headlight and when the deputy attempted to get the driver to pull over, he sped off instead.
The deputy failed to stop the speeding car — that was left to a lone cabbage palm in the median. The driver stumbled away with a broken nose and cuts to his face. He was taken to a hospital and arrested. No information was provided about the condition of the cabbage palm, which may have lost its life in the process.
Ironically, the palm may have saved the life of the driver, who could have been more seriously injured or killed had he crashed into a live oak, bridge abutment, or other more substantial fixed object.
Observant Citizen Calls Out “Textbook Case” of Overpruning in St. Augustine Beach
This post complements Chapter 9 Cabbage Palms in the Landscape in my book, The Palmetto Book: Histories and Mysteries of the Cabbage Palm, published by the University of Florida Press.
Over 700 perfectly healthy cabbage palms in St. Augustine Beach were butchered in the name of overzealous risk management, according to a story filed by First Coast News Reporter Jessica Clark. The story that called out some bureaucratic mismanagement with the palms trees as the victims.
Continue reading “Observant Citizen Calls Out “Textbook Case” of Overpruning in St. Augustine Beach”Bookstore1 Author Chat
Here’s an hour-long chat with the author of THE PALMETTO BOOK: Histories and Mysteries of the Cabbbage Palm, Jono Miller, sponsored by Sarasota’s Bookstore1.
It contains some readings from the Introduction (2:25), the Seminole Thatch (18:30 &35:15) chapter and the South Carolina Flag (36:50), but a large part of the chat involves responding to questions from viewers. Strangler figs (12:25 & 44:40), the roots, (15:40), bloom stalks (16:25), wounds to trunk (24:00) bootjack loss (25:30), range and age (29:30), are they grasses (33:00), rootball size and survivability (45:15),as food (49:10) can you girdle a cabbage palm(53:10). I also reflect on the cover design (10:05) and introduce five books whose style and approach were inspirations to me (5:30) feature some Sarasota connections (40:30), and propose a cabbage palm mystery that needs solution (41:50).