Florida’s Big Dig

The story of the Intracoastal and other thoughts on water, waterways, land, and ecology

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about

I am Bill Crawford. I was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., bisected by the Intracoastal. I graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in commerce, with distinction, concentrating in finance. I obtained my juris doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. I have practiced law for more than 43 years. I am a professional historian and author of the award-winning book, “Florida’s Big Dig,” (2008) the story of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. I have practiced law in Florida since 1975. Along the way, I developed a keen interest in researching and writing history, publishing numerous scholarly journal articles and one award-winning book, “Florida’s Big Dig,” the story of Florida’s Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, using my legal pbackground to understand legal transactions, deeds, wmortgages, bonds, preferred stock, and legal descriptions of land and water. In recent years, I have maintained a limited practice consulting with other professionals on various historical land and water issues, including sovereign, riparian, and submerged land rights, focusing on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and Florida inland waterways. I maintain a broad regular website here at www.floridasbigdig.me and a website solely on how the book was researched as well as some of the major themes explored. The website on the book itself is at www.floridasbigdig.com. The website on contacts for professional services is at www.floridasbigdiglawyer.com?. A fifteen-page outline of my book

Month: February 2015

  • Lake Worth Inlet leading into the Intracoastal Waterway

    This aerial photograph looks westerly first over the Atlantic Ocean, then over the Lake Worth Inlet (sometimes called the Palm Beach Inlet) The inlet bifurcates a long barrier island into two parts.  The part on the left or the southern part constitutes the Town of Palm Beach. The part on the right or the northern…

  • Author rowing on the Intracoastal, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

    The author rows a 21′ long ultra-lite Alden Star rowing shell the average person can lift and launch into the water. The oars are top-of-the-line oars hand carved from light wood in Vermont. A pair of oars will set you back about $400 but, in the opinion of the author, the cost is well worth…

  • Dum(b)foundling Bay — north of Biscayne Bay, Miami, Fla.–a humorous interlude

    North of Biscayne Bay is a small geographic feature known more accurately as Dumfoundling Bay, part of today’s Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in Miami-Dade County, Florida. After federal takeover of the Intracoastal in 1929, the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) began the process of surveying the contour of the waterway as well as any other rights-of-way…

  • Author leads tour on the Intracoastal (without leaving the hotel)

    Last year, I led my first tour on the Intracoastal Waterway about this time of year while aboard the ubiquitous WaterTaxi in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The participants were Road Scholars, a program devised by the Cambridge, Mass., non-profit organization that launched ElderHostel some years ago, today a worldwide lifetime learning program. Participants ranged in age…

  • The Giant Orange of Melbourne, Florida

    This is sometimes referred to as the Giant Orange of Melbourne, Florida. Erected in 1967 from concrete and steel, the Orange is fifteen feet in diameter.  Not to burst too many bubbles but there are several such Giant Oranges throughout Florida. For several years, the Eau Gallie Chamber of Commerce operated it as a orange…