Weird Florida

[TracGunny]

Last modified Tue., January 06, 2004 - 01:23 AM
Originally created Tuesday, January 6, 2004

Weird Florida: A courthouse moon, a robber to dye for

There was the getaway car with a flat tire, and the skinny-dipping rangers

Staff and news services
Chalk it up as another strange year in Florida.

There was the defendant who mooned a jury and the bank robber who used an Easter egg defense when he was caught red-handed. There were nude park rangers and a sex-crazed emu -- thankfully not in the same place at the same time.

In Northeast Florida, a teen set himself on fire while a friend planned to videotape him jumping off the roof of the Orange Park Mall. And what about the bank robber disguising himself with a homemade beard made of cotton balls painted black? Or the family riot authorities had to break up during a high school graduation?

All were among the dozens of bizarre events in 2003.

It was a bad year for bank robbers in particular. A Miami man robbed two banks then fled on foot. He was caught when he sat down to rest. He told police he robbed the banks because ''I'm too ugly to get a job.''

A Brevard County bank robber didn't check the tires on a getaway car -- but a witness did and saw one was flat. Officers began checking tire shops and found the suspect. And in another less than speedy getaway, Jacksonville police found a bank robber fleeing on a city bus.

A man accused of robbing a Boca Raton bank told police the red ink covering his hands didn't come from exploding dye packs, but from coloring Easter eggs. The man robbed the same bank twice during the week before Easter, the second time with a note that said ''No dye pack this time. I will shoot you!''

In St. Johns County, a man was arrested after his peculiar disguise prompted the suspicion of a few Hardee's restaurant patrons. They jotted the man's license plate down as he drove off with cotton balls pasted to his chin. A short time later a bank was robbed but authorities were able to locate the suspect thanks to the tips from restaurant patrons.

In Naples, police were searching for two burglary suspects when two men dressed in black jumped into what they apparently thought was a getaway car. They bolted when the driver shouted, ''Sheriff's Office! Freeze!'' The deputy in the unmarked car caught one of the suspects.

Inmates weren't so lucky as well. In one creative jail break attempt in Charlotte County, a prisoner used toothpaste to paint his black shoes white, drew a Nike symbol on a plain T-shirt and sewed pants out of a blanket using the spring from a pen as a needle. The idea was to look like a civilian and walk out of the jail. It didn't work.

Two state park rangers were punished for drinking beer and skinny-dipping during a state-paid training event near Apopka for a program to beautify Florida's parks.

In Panama City, a man who pleaded insanity to armed burglary and aggravated battery wrapped up his defense by loudly hooting ''cuckoo-cuckoo'' and mooning the jury. He was serving as his own lawyer.

A woman accused in a knife attack claimed the incident was a mistake. The North Port nurse said she was trying to wake up her 19-year-old son by throwing objects off his dresser. That included a coin bank, CDs and an 18-inch ''samurai-type'' knife that struck him in the buttocks.

continued....

[TracGunny]

As usual, animals contributed to the weird news. The owner of a 300-pound emu that escaped its pen near DeFuniak Springs had a warning for anyone who might come across the flightless bird: ''I don't want to be held liable if that sex-crazed thing does something to somebody.''

And a raccoon dashed off with a Palm Harbor's golfer's tote bag containing snacks and a $1,200 wedding ring. A groundskeeper said he recovered the ring in a swamp after he asked himself, ''What would a raccoon do?''

In other weirdness, authorities caught two Jacksonville teens in the middle of a fiery stunt on top of the Orange Park Mall. A 16-year-old donned multiple layers of clothing drenched in lighter fluid. Meanwhile, his 15-year-old friend rolled the video camera trying to capture the act, which was supposed to end with the older teen jumping off the roof to calm the blaze. The stunt didn't go far, though. Before the mighty leap, a mall employee saw someone on fire and called authorities.

In politics, former Republican Gov. Claude Kirk demanded that Democratic presidential candidate Dick Gephardt pay him $1.60 after receiving an unwanted fax inviting him to attend a fund-raising reception for $2,000. The payment was to cover calls Kirk made to get off the fax list.

Homeless advocates were outraged in Kissimmee when police officers dressed as vagrants to catch people running red lights. The officers pushed shopping carts, wore fake teeth and shabby clothes and carried small cardboard signs that said ''Sheriff's traffic sting in progress.'' Despite the warning, they nabbed 171 drivers.

A first-grade teacher in Miramar upset parents and students after she told the class that Santa Claus doesn't exist and explained the improbability of flying reindeer and a fat man visiting all the world's houses in one night.

Strange school stories hit Jacksonville, too. At the old Jacksonville Coliseum, at least one Terry Parker High School student got more attention than expected on graduation day with the arrest of four family members. It all started when an off-duty officer tried to escort an unruly woman out of the building. Then other family members got out of their seats to help the woman. One pushed the off-duty officer down several stairs. Eventually the ruckus caused a larger fight to erupt in the crowd.

And what's a year in Florida without stories about alligators, sharks and election scandal.

In an election victory that perhaps could have taken place only in Miami-Dade, a Hialeah Gardens city councilman was re-elected after being charged with trying to bribe his opponent to drop out of the race.

The strangest shark attack of the year happened in Tampa, where a woman was bitten by a 2-foot shark at the Florida Aquarium. Not that the woman was doing anything wrong. The aquarium has a petting tank filled with sharks and stingrays.

A Port Charlotte woman hit an alligator in her Honda Accord and tried to save it. But she crashed her car when the 6-foot reptile began to thrash around in the back seat. She was charged with possession of an alligator, a felony in Florida.

The Associated Press and Times-Union staff writers Nin-Hai Tseng, Shawna Sundin and Tia Mitchell contributed material to this report.:p

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/010604/met_14467128.shtml

[TracGunny]

Saturday, May 15, 2004
Story last updated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2004

Florida couple conquer lawnmower racing, cancer

By BILL KACZOR
Associated Press Writer
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Janet Witt has racked up loads of mileage riding lawnmowers, but she has yet to cut a blade of grass with one of the mini-tractors.

She and her husband, Jim, are among a growing number of lawnmower racing enthusiasts. It's a quirky sport heavy on fun and puns - a sticker on Janet's mower says "Girls Kick Grass " - until the ladies and gentlemen start their engines.

"All the funny stuff stops when the green flag goes down," Jim Witt said. "It's serious then."

The Pensacola couple are among the nation's elite. Each has won a STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series championship. Fellow racers voted Janet Witt 2003 Driver of the Year after she kept running - and winning - while fighting cancer.

"It's just a hoot," said the 41-year Witt, a secretary at Pensacola Junior College. "When you are out there it's just you, just like you're one of the NASCAR drivers. It's you and your equipment."

That equipment ranges from stock mowers putt-putting around at up to 10 mph to souped up machines capable of 70 mph. Some have been rescued from junk yards while others are new and, like Janet's, have never cut grass.

Jim, a 51-year-old mechanic for the Escambia County Utilities Authority, entered a local charity race in 1997 with an old mower that was just sitting around.

Two years later he was competing on the national circuit with the likes of "Sodzilla," "Lawn Ranger," "Mr. Mowjangles" and "Turfinator."

Janet, known as "The Lawn Blonde," went along on weekend racing trips and took videos as Jim ran in the class of prepared mowers that get up to 45 mph.

"When you first start doing it, it feels totally out of place that you're going this fast on a lawnmower," Jim said. "You do more riding it than you do actually sitting there driving it. You're using a lot of body English."

Drivers wear helmets, neck collars, gloves, boots and heavy pants. The first safety rule, however, is to remove the mowers' blades. Most racers are men, but a few women also compete.

In 2000, Janet got tired of working behind the camera and began racing in the IMOW - International Mower of Weeds - class, a play on IROC - International Race of Champions. These essentially are stock mowers with a higher gear ratio that gets them to nearly 25 mph.

The next year, Janet was diagnosed with tongue cancer and had an operation. She had a recurrence in 2002 and received radiation. Last year, she underwent chemotherapy and radiation for small cell lung cancer. Her latest tests show the cancers are gone.

"I missed one race in 2001 after major surgery, but other than that I raced," she said. After one victory, she gave her doctor her photo with the checkered flag and inscribed it, "Live to mow. Mow to live."

She credits the tight-knit mower racing fraternity with helping her beat the disease.

"They were always looking out for me," she said.

This year she has taken over Jim's machine and he is running in another class with a bigger, faster mower.

Racers are attracted by the sport's relatively low cost and camaraderie.

"It's cheap fun," said eight-time national champion Bob Cleveland, 46, of Locust Grove, Ga., a customer service representative for mower-maker Snapper.

"We just use the event for an excuse to socialize," Cleveland said at a May 1 race in the Florida Panhandle town of Chipley. "We don't race for money. It's for trophies and bragging rights."

Cleveland and the Witts belong to the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association. Chicago-based Gold Eagle Co. launched USLMRA in 1992 as a publicity stunt to promote one of its products, STA-BIL, an additive to keep stored gasoline fresh.

Public relations man and USLMRA president Bruce Kaufman at first thought the gimmick might last a couple years.

"Forget about it," he said. "The thing just took off."

Kaufman, who calls himself "Mr. Mow it All," said company officials went to England to consult with Jim Gavin, who founded the British Lawn Mower Racing Association in 1973, before a tongue-in-cheek announcement of their plans on April Fool's Day 1992.

The organization claims about 370 members, including 250 active racers running on the national circuit, in local chapter races or both. Races mostly are held in smaller towns such as Athens, Ala.; Mendota, Ill., Jonesboro, Ark., and East Durham, N.Y. One exception is Indianapolis - not at the Indy 500 but at mower derby sponsored by a Boy Scout troop.

A few pockets of mower racing existed earlier, including the North American Society of Grass Racers and Sod Slingers, or NASGRASS, founded 19 years ago in Naples.

The USLMRA is trying to create a national following. It has a deal with ESPN2 to telecast its season-ending race Sept. 4 in Mansfield, Ohio, and provided technical assistance for the recent film "The Prince and Me" - the hero wins the girl by riding his mower to victory.

The USLMRA provides insurance for racers and events. Some, including Janet Witt, have needed it.

She was leading on the last lap in the final race of 2003 when a wheel caught a hay bale lining the Mansfield track. Her mower flipped and Janet broke a collarbone.

"The machines inherently are a little bit top heavy," said racer Alan Elder, 45, of Grand Island. Touching his side, he then said, "Mine weighs 409 pounds and I've had every bit of it right here on these six ribs, broke all six of them."

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, a trade association, opposes lawn mower racing as unsafe, but that hasn't stopped these dedicated enthusiasts.

"We don't fish. We don't golf," Jim Witt said. "There's nothing wrong with all those things. This is just what we do."

For Jim, that includes cutting the lawn with a stock mower. It's a chore Janet refuses.

"Too slow," said the Lawn Blonde.

As Mr. Mow it All would say, "You mow, girl."

On the Net:
U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association: http://www.letsmow.com/

Copyright Associated Press
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/051504/D82J2U981.shtml

[TracGunny]

Saturday, May 15, 2004
Story last updated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2004

Lawn mower racing puns at a glance

The Associated Press
Puns heard on the lawnmower racing circuit:

Racer names: Geronimow, Sodzilla, Mr. Mowjangles, Prograsstinator, Turfinator, Weedy Gonzalez, Lawn Ranger, Ace of Blades, Mowdacious, Mowron, Mowertician, Precious Mowments, Lawnsome Dove, Mowna Lisa, Born to Mow, Bat Mowbile, Mowchanic, Yankee Clipper.

Racing commentary: Ready, set, mow! Get the mow on the road. Mow for it! You mow, girl! Way to mow! You've got mow-tivation. Two laps down and one to mow.

Mow puns: Mow for your money. That's mow business. You reap what you mow. Mow shoes, mow shirt, mow service. How mow can you go? The Big Mow. The Grassed and the Furious.

Copyright Associated Press.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/051504/D82J2UCG0.shtml

[TracGunny]

Thursday, August 26, 2004 Story last updated at 10:12 p.m. on Thursday, August 26, 2004

Gainesville man stabs alligator to free his dog from reptile jaws

The Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A man stabbed a 6-foot alligator with a pocketknife after the reptile grabbed his dog by the head, and managed to scare off the reptile.

Matthew Goff, 29, said he was walking his dog Sugar, a tan-colored bloodhound/Shar-Pei mix, Wednesday evening at Kanapaha Park when the attack occurred.

Goff, an air conditioner repairman, said the unleashed dog had wandered to the edge of a pond when the gator grabbed its head.

Goff jumped in the water and stabbed the gator with his pocketknife, hoping it would release Sugar.

"It happened so quickly," Goff said. "I couldn't stand by and watch it happen, and I had the pocketknife so I decided to try and save her."

The gator released the dog when Goff stabbed it in the right eye. Sugar then ran home, he said.

Goff said he dragged the gator closer to shore, shoved it as far as he could and then ran away - the pocketknife still lodged in the gator's eye.

Sugar escaped with three noticeable teeth marks on her left shoulder, one on her head and another on her right ear. Goff, who had a few scratches from his brawl with the gator, said he was relieved to save the dog.

"A lot of people walk their dogs at this park and let them swim in the water, but I don't think I'll ever walk her again without a leash," he said.

An alligator trapper with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission planned to try to kill the gator Friday.

Copyright Associated Press.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/082604/D84N9DI80.shtml

[yellowwing]

Freakin' A! When I lived in TN, a folding Buck knife was standard issue for any male over 12yrs old. We didn't have any gators though.

[Sparrowhawk]

http://vvakerry.bizland.com/gatordeer.jpg

[Sparrowhawk]

http://vvakerry.bizland.com/deer2.jpg

[garryh123]

Its got Bambi! WOOOOOHOOOO!

[CMyr]

Thanks for the update, TracGunny. Nice to know life goes on as normal down there. :)

[TracGunny]

September 9th - 8:08 am ET

Dog wiggles paw free and shoots Pensacola, Fla., man who was trying to shoot seven puppies

The Associated Press

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A man who tried to shoot seven puppies was shot himself when one of the dogs put its paw on the revolver's trigger.

Jerry Allen Bradford, 37, was charged with felony animal cruelty, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. He was being treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound to his wrist.

Bradford said he decided to shoot the 3-month-old shepherd-mix dogs in the head because he couldn't find them a home, according to the sheriff's office.

On Monday, Bradford was holding two puppies — one in his arms and another in his left hand — when the dog in his hand wiggled and put its paw on the trigger of the .38-caliber revolver. The gun then discharged, the sheriff's report said.

Deputies found three of the puppies in a shallow grave outside Bradford's home, said sheriff's Sgt. Ted Roy.

The other four appeared to be in good health and were taken by Escambia County Animal Control, which planned to make them available for adoption.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.
http://wire.jacksonville.com/pstories/20040909/2429244.shtml

Too bad the wound wasn’t fatal... - TG

[TracGunny]

Thursday, September 9, 2004 Story last updated at 04:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 9, 2004

Man sentenced to 6 months for swinging alligator at girlfriend

The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A man who swung an alligator at his girlfriend during an argument was sentenced to six months in jail.

David Havenner, 41, of Port Orange, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of an alligator, said Linda Pruitt, spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office. He changed his earlier plea of not guilty, she said Wednesday.

He was sentenced to six month in jail with 48 days credit for time served during the Sept. 1 hearing, according to court records.

Sheriff's officials said Havenner was keeping the 3-foot gator in his bathtub and swung it at his girlfriend, Nancy Monico, 39, during an argument on July 16.

Monico told investigators that Havenner beat her with his fists, then grabbed the gator and swung it at her as she tried to escape. The gator struck Monico at least once, after which time Havenner threw empty beer bottles at her and then kicked her out of their mobile home, she told investigators.

Havenner told investigators that Monico bit his hand because she was upset that they had run out of alcohol.

The alligator was later released into the St. Johns River, wildlife commission officials said.

Information from: The Volusia Review

Copyright Associated Press
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/090904/D85015O00.shtml

[Sparrowhawk]

That did the shooting, was questioned and released into the custody of Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. The lawman is famous as a no-nonsense response to crime officer. The Sheriff took the puppy into custody but not before the puppy was counseled by a state psychologist that specializes in dog-human shootings.

The puppy now branded as an owner shooter type dog is having difficulty being adopted. No one wants to own a puppy with a troubled past, said Sheriff Arpaio, so he took the dog into custody for its own protection.

http://www.wildutah.net/9-20-00/htmldocs/Sheriff.htm

[Sparrowhawk]

Here's the link


Puppy goes to jail for shooting owner (http://www.wildutah.net/9-20-00/htmldocs/Sheriff.htm)

[thedrifter]

They say the state of the Brotherly Love has problems;)

Good thing I only go to Florida for vacation,.....:D


Ellie

[grayshade]

When I was stationed at Kingsbay Ga., ten minutes north of Jax, I use ta' get licquered up and swim the alligator infested lakes on base. I must report that I was never bitten, but a few buddies said I was pursued. Probably gators just looking for nibbles not bites. I am lucky to say all toes and fingers accounted for.


Semper Fi

:yes:

[grayshade]

Yep, you can't trust con-dogs. Turn your head and they pistol-whip ya within an inch of yer life. Close your eyes to sleep and you end up in a shallow grave in the backyard with the neighbors cat. It's a cruel world we live in.


Semper Fidelis



;)

[TracGunny]

Saturday, September 25, 2004 Story last updated at 08:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2004

South Wire: Got Gator? It's what's for dinner at Gatorama

By CORALIE CARLSON
Associated Press Writer

PALMDALE, Fla. - A dozen pairs of ominous olive eyes and snouts emerge from the murky lagoon, gathering near the dock where Roy Dyer stands with a 5-gallon bucket of raw chicken.

He coos to them like kittens and dangles a chicken leg over the water until one of the crocodiles leaps up - revealing 64 menacing teeth - and slams its powerful jaws shut around the snack with such force that it can be heard inside the gift shop.

It's eatin' time at Gatorama, a venerable Florida roadside attraction and gator farm with nearly 4,000 alligators and crocodiles.

And after watching the reptiles chow down, visitors can sample the creatures themselves: the restaurant serves gator ribs and specialties made from Florida's other white meat.

The delicacy tastes "close to pork, but there's no bone or fat," said Patty Register, who owns and operates Gatorama along with her husband, Allen. She disputes any likeness to chicken.

In addition to a menu of gator dishes, Gatorama claims to have the largest collection of large alligators and crocodiles - about 60 that are 12 feet or longer - and the only breeding colony of alligators in the United States.

Gatorama was one of the state's original gator farms - it holds one of 30 licenses issued in 1987 - and is one of about 18 farms currently producing in Florida, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Statewide, Florida farms produced more than 207,000 pounds of alligator meat and more than 27,000 hides in 2002, the most recent year statistics are available.

Gatorama harvests about 1,000 alligators annually and sells more than 15,000 pounds of meat a year, most if it over the counter at the Gatorama gift shop, although they will ship it overnight anywhere.

Despite the demand for the meat, Register said they're more interested in tourism than farming, although, "It's a harder way to make a living."

When Gatorama opened in 1957, it was one of about 70 roadside tourist attractions in Florida, Register said. Now it is among the 20 or so that have survived competition from Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and other big theme parks.

But smaller, vintage attractions continue to draw some segments of tourists, said Donna Ross, president of the Florida Attractions Association. "They've had kind of a resurgence for the nostalgia market."

Ross attributed part of the comeback to the "grand-tripping" market, baby boomers who want to take their grandchildren to places that are slower-paced.

Gatorama sits on U.S. 27 in the middle of rural Glades County, about 80 miles west of West Palm Beach, although it seems a lifetime away from the hustle and bustle of South Florida's booming cities and suburbs.

At Gatorama, a sign warns visitors: "No swimming or sunbathing. Violators may be eaten."

Guests walk down a covered boardwalk over a lagoon that's crawling with about 60 alligators and crocodiles - gators on one side, crocs on the other. Crocs are more aggressive, so they're kept apart.

A few yards down, concrete pools on each side of the boardwalk hold dozens of gators and crocs - from little babies to rare Cuban crocodiles.

To show the difference between the two reptiles, Dyer plucks out a young gator and croc, each about 2 feet long, and tapes their jaws shut - even these skinny little guys have about 20 pounds of jaw pressure, he said.

He tries to let each visitor hold a croc and gator and teaches them about the reptiles in hopes of demystifying the creatures.

"Most people don't want anything to do with them, because they think they're slimy, nasty creatures," Dyer said. "Actually, they're very smooth, soft animals."

The crocodile has a lighter olive color, a long snout, no tongue, and an extra row of interlocking teeth. They're also a protected species - no crocodiles are served at the restaurant and no croc hides are sold at the store.

American alligators, on the other hand, came off the threatened species list in 1985, and are fair game. They're darker in color, have tongues, wider flat snouts and about 40 teeth.

But farther down the boardwalk, past the bobcats, tortoises, monkeys and raccoons, sits a crocodile so scary looking that it reinforces all of the stereotypes Dyer tries to quell: a 14-foot behemoth crocodile named Goliath.

About 40 years old and weighing at least 1,500 pounds, Goliath wears the signs of a crocodile who's been through his share of fights: he's missing one eye, the last two feet of his tail are gone and his cage is lined with nine skulls of alligators that he has killed.

Now in a cage by himself to protect the other animals, Goliath could break a human leg with a swipe of his tail, Dyer tells a group of gasping onlookers who shout out questions.

Several questions involve the Crocodile Hunter and Crocodile Dundee, but Dyer quickly dismisses any suggestion of battling the beasts.

"If you just had a knife and went up against one of these crocodiles," he said, "you would not win."

IF YOU GO:

LOCATION: 6180 U.S. Highway 27, Palmdale, about 15 miles north of Moore Haven in Glades County.

ADMISSION: $9.95 for adults and $3.50 for "critters less than 56 inches"

HOURS: Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

On the Net:
http://www.gatorama.com/

Copyright Associated Press.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/092504/D85AEQOO1.shtml

[TracGunny]

Saturday, September 25, 2004 Story last updated at 08:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2004

The Associated Press

Recipes for Gatorama's house specialties:

Fried Gator Bites

Ingredients:

_ 2 lbs. gator

_ 1 cup flour.

_ 1/4 cup cornmeal Everglades seasoning

_ vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Directions:

Cut gator into small finger sized pieces. Combine flour and meal in a bag. Add gator and shake. Deep fry 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees until they float. Season with Everglades Seasoning.

Honey Grilled Gator Ribs

Ingredients:

_ 3 lbs. gator ribs

_ 1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger.

_ 2/3 cup brown sugar

_ 2 Tbs. butter

_ 1 cup soy sauce

_ cloves pressed garlic

_ 1 cup honey

_ vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions:

Rinse ribs, pat dry. Cut ribs through to within 3/4 inch and spread ribs and place in zip-lock bag. Combine soy sauce, ginger and garlic; pour over ribs. Seal and refrigerate for four hours, tossing occasionally. Over low heat in sauce pan, combine sugar, honey and butter. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Place rack 4 to 6 inches from heat source. Place ribs on grill over medium heat. Brush sauce on ribs and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side until juices run clear.

Serve ribs with remaining sauce brushed on.

Blackened Alligator

Ingredients:

_ 2 lbs. gator tail

_ blackened seasoning mix

_ butter or Italian dressing

Directions:

Place fillet between two sheets of wax paper and flatten with meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. Dip fillet in butter or dressing to coat each side. Sprinkle both sides heavily with mix. Cook on white hot skillet until done, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until crispy.

Serve with lemon or butter if desired.

Copyright Associated Press
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/092504/D85AER4G4.shtml

[TracGunny]

yummm, yum!