A sad goodbye; How Hurricane Milton Finally Ended the On The Blue Line Podcast

Bottom Line Up Front: I hope you will read this entire blog post, but the bottom line is that the podcast has ended effective immediately due to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Milton. It has been a blessing that anyone has chosen to listen over the years, and I thank each of you for your support. I will forever be grateful.

Dade City, Florida October 2024

Hurricane Milton

As I write this on October 12, 2024, the aftereffects of Hurricane Milton continue to destroy the lives and livelihoods of many in my community. I am sure this is the story of an innumerable number of communities across central Florida. As many of you know, I work in law enforcement, and we have been on an Alpha/ Bravo schedule (12 hours on and 12 hours off) since before Milton struck the state.

My story is that the devastating blow came to our property after finally making it home the morning after the actual storm passed. All the water overflowed inland bodies of water, as I do not live anywhere near the coast. I live in an area where recent unscrupulous development has caused homes that have been in this area for 100 years to flood for the first time. Currently, my entire property is a lake, and my house is full of water. Unfortunately, I also do not live in a flood zone- again, the 100-year part- so I do not have flood insurance, and this loss is consequential. The ray of light is that the houses should not be a total loss, but it will be a project of rebuilding that will take several years.

Hurricane Milton October 2024, Dade City, Florida

It is somewhat humorous as I look back over the last five years since starting the podcast. Since 2019, I have lost a zone partner to suicide, my father to a heart attack, and I had open heart surgery to replace a heart valve, and through every setback, the podcast returned. It returned, because I love it. Since my early influences of a local radio DJ and voices like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, I have always loved the power of talk radio. The ability to empathize, educate, support, entertain, and provide relief for people who you will likely never meet. Even on a small scale, it was one of my life's most remarkable and fulfilling experiences.

“These are the people; YOU are the people who have been out here working every day with houses destroyed, no power, and personal uncertainty. ”

Furthermore, for this podcast, my audience was cops. These are the people; YOU are the people who have been out here working every day with houses destroyed, no power, and personal uncertainty. The people who, despite personal loss and tragedy, have continued to serve the people of their community. What a fantastic group of people, and such an honor to be counted among them.

I assure you the need to end the podcast is not taken lightly and is probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. However, as always, I am candid with you, the listener, and have always told you everything, so here are the details that led to this decision.

Whether due to my naivete, incompetence, or lack of experience, even after five years of trying to build it into a company to become my full-time career, I was never able to monetize. The podcast continues to be a financial loss year after year and has been simply a labor of love. The house is flooded, and my property does not have flood insurance because I do not live in a flood zone. And even though I hear there are viral videos about “it’s not a flood, it’s a hurricane,” my insurance company feels otherwise, and there is no coverage for now. Next is the bureaucracy and what it will mean for even maintaining control of the property long enough to rebuild over the next few years, provided I can do the work myself and finance it myself on a law enforcement salary.

Hurricane Milton, October 2024. Dade City, Florida

These factors leave me deciding that I must practice what I preach. It is time to put my nose to the proverbial grindstone and push hard to figure out how to rebuild for what is now the third time in my life. This is not a week, month, or even year plan; at best, we are talking years, and I cannot ask you, the listener, to continue to hold on as I have through each previous setback. This is not to say that it will never return, but it will be a long time from now if it ever does.

Lastly, I want to say thank you. The dream was to build this podcast into a daily show and move away from solely being a law enforcement podcast to one that dealt with societal issues and news while providing hope for the listener. The feedback I have gotten from many of you is truly a blessing. It has brought me to tears as I think about the feedback I have received even recently. It hurts me to leave you the listener, but unfortunately, the ability to do this long-term is a numbers game, and it requires large numbers of listeners to get sponsors in order to make it a career.

As part of this goodbye, I want to leave you with this. I have spent the last several days sleeping at the office in the morning, working overnight, and then returning to the District office to sleep in my office again. Over these last few days, I have witnessed the camaraderie and strength of the human spirit as so many of my fellow officers and those in the Florida Guard and from agencies around the state focus on helping those in distress. I have realized that this, this brotherhood, this fraternity is what matters—sleeping in a small office on a cot while the whirl of a 24-hour operation marches on around me reminds me of how minor my issues are in the grand scheme. The relationships of friends, family, brothers, and sisters in blue matter and give us strength over and over again.

“I have realized that this, this brotherhood, this fraternity is what matters—sleeping in a small office on a cot while the whirl of a 24-hour operation marches on around me reminds me of how minor my issues are in the grand scheme. The relationships of friends, family, brothers, and sisters in blue matter and give us strength over and over again. ”

I do not write this for you to feel sorry for me or to create some sort of sympathy for my plight. Everyone is physically okay, and for that, I am so thankful. However, I want you to remember what law enforcement does daily in this country. Next time you interact with an officer, maybe they are a little rude, a little irritated, or a little frustrated. I am not excusing it; but please remember, at what cost they continue to put on their uniform and serve each day! For my civilian followers, the next time you see a law enforcement officer at the store or restaurant, say thank you, smile, engage, and remember that the human side of that uniform may be hurting or struggling.

Thank you again; if you listen to the podcast, then you know the phrase: I will NOT see you next week on the podcast, but for as long as I physically can, I will see you out there- On the Blue Line. God Bless!

Hurricane Milton 2024. Dade City, Florida.