The Florida State Legislature this year approved across-the-board rate increases for fees charged by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The new prices take effect September 1, 2009. It was a state decision and the local counties will see no additional revenue. Because the new rates do not take effect until September 1st, anyone who renews their vehicle registration and driver's license before then can pay the lower rates.

You can renew your vehicle registration up to three months in advance.  If your registration expires on or before November 30, 2009 you should renew it before the new fees take effect on September 1^st. You can save even more money by renewing your registration for two years rather than just one.

Driver's licenses can be renewed up to 18 months in advance. Changes of address can be updated at the lower rate by accessing http://www.flhsmv.gov/dhsmv/express.html before September 1.

Below are some of the hikes:

- License plate renewals: From $28.10 to $46.65.
- Registration fee for new vehicles: From $100 to $225.
- Drivers license: From $32.25 to $54.25.
- Replacement of lost license: From $15.25 to $31.25.

This applies to boat registrations, too. So, enjoy your summer, but you might want to take care of some registrations before the summer's end.

Click here for more detailed fees.

On July 13th, the state of Florida got serious about our honey. As the 4th leading honey-producing state, Florida beekeepers were seeing what I would call unfair competition from overseas. Honey was being sent to Florida (and other places) with additives and calling the product pure honey. This was not fair to people selling pure honey.

Five major honey producers and processors approached the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 asking for a U.S. standard of identity for honey. The FDA did not take up the cause "due to other more pressing matters".

So, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stepped in. Under the new regulation, honey containing anything other than the "natural food product resulting from the harvest of nectar by honeybees" is considered an adulterated or mislabeled product.

Florida is the first in our nation and possibly the world to have such a regulation on honey. Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson says 28 others states are now considering it and hopefully the USDA and the FDA will get involved, too. The regulation went into effect on July 14, 2009.

The USDA allows for up to 18.6% of added water to honey for it still be classified as grade A. Honey is one of nature’s perfect foods as it does not spoil and you can store it almost indefinitely without additives or preservatives.

If you like honey, rest assured you will get pure honey in Florida.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/Florida_Honey

The early bird may get the worm, but I was very fortunate this morning to capture the Nina and the Pinta as they were leaving St. Augustine. It was a little before 6:30 this morning when I noticed what I thought were shrimp boats heading back to sea. I thought they were shrimp boats as we had rough waters last night and thought they had come into the St. Augustine inlet for safe harbor, as they are known to do.

Well as the two vessels passed the inlet and continued heading north on the Intracoastal Waterway, I realized what they were and leapt for my camera.

I would have taken pictures of the shrimp boats, too, as many of you know. But this was exciting to have them this close in the early morning hours.

I knew they were visiting St. Augustine from May 5- 18^th, but the days they just fly past. Don't miss my video posted below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIdR6Org6mk