Episode 80: Capt. Benny Blanco - Shifting Baselines

Mill House Podcast

Mill House

Wilderness, Sports, Leisure, Education, Hobbies

5 • 973 Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2023

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Benny Blanco is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, but under his skin, his blood runs hot. In 2015, his life pivoted becoming a devout conservationists after Florida Bay lost over fifty thousand acres of his favorite fishing grounds. These grass flats were decimated by a large algae bloom cause by poor water quality and lack of fresh water. Joined at the hip with Captains for Clean Water, Blanco has been hand in hand with fellow guides and anglers alike on the footsteps of Tallahassee demanding change. The decimation over the years hasn’t just been in Florida Bay but throughout Florida (Indian River Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon, Everglades National Park, Caloosahatchee River, etc..). The main culprit was the lack of fresh water as it travels south through the Everglades. 2022 was a critical year when a passed Bill (2508) was on the desk of Governor DeSantis for a possible veto which was successfully executed. Those waning hours were critical. Captains for Clean Water and Benny’s army were called upon and the “Rally in Tally” was a power play demanding to be heard, and they were. Benny Blanco has been a sought after fishing guide for over two decades. But his popular fishing show, “Guiding Flow TV” tells the conservation story from the poling platform of his skiff. Saving the Everglades is his most important work, and his voice has become one of the most powerful and respected in demanding Florida Legislature to clean up its act!

Transcript

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0:17.0	Betty Blanco grew up knowing he was happier on the water, but it became crystal clear after he survived a troubled time when he almost lost everything. He then dedicated his life to perfecting his craft and focusing on his life in fishing.
0:22.0	He soon saw things differently,
0:24.4	including the water quality and its effects
0:26.6	on his beloved fish.
0:28.6	He wrapped himself in his voice
0:30.1	around helping save what he loved most and his efforts have impacted the
0:34.0	conservation movement. On today's podcast we spoke about how he evolved and
0:39.0	became a role model and has become an inspiration for anyone who's ever struggled in life.
0:44.0	We hope you enjoy.
0:48.0	We broke everything, we broke lines, we broke cooks everything we broke lines we broke cooks we broke rods we broke our minds we broke
0:58.5	marriages we broke the whole thing we came up with the idea of going out that night and chasing girls and whoever had the biggest pair of pain he's when the pot.
1:09.0	I knocked another arrow and he turned around the other way and I shot him going through the other way so I double-lunged him both ways.
1:16.0	But it was nothing for us to paddle an air mattress out into government cut.
1:20.0	I got him on. All right now we're going to teach him a cut him on.
1:23.0	All right now, we're going to teach him a lesson.
1:27.0	I'm just an old guy that likes to fish.
1:29.0	I'm not quitting yet.
1:31.0	And he said, well, who the hell do you think you are, Sue App?
1:34.0	And I said, that's exactly who I am.
1:37.0	Life's journey to the grave should not be one arriving with a pretty well-preserved body, but rather skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke,
1:46.3	thoroughly torn out, thoroughly used up proclaiming wildly, wow! What a ride!
1:54.0	There's something fishy going on here. Benny Blanco.
	...

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