Cypress Springs

[Sludge]

Frenchman 1: Americans sure are stupid.
Frenchman 2: How stupid do you think they are?
Frenchman 1: They're so stupid, we could put water in a bottle and they'd buy it.
Frenchman 2: Probably. But I wonder how much they'd pay?
Frenchman 1: More than they pay for gasoline.
Frenchman 2: No way!

[GLENFWB]

I can't help myself...whenever I see someone drinking a Nestle water product I always tell them...."I peed in that water!" Then I tell them to read the label, if it says Cypress Spring...yep, I peed in that water! My sister quite drinking that brand of water because she says she can't get that thought out of her head. (Yes I know, they don't bottle water from the spring basin...but it sure is fun to tell people that.)

For some strange & unknown reason, the state of Florida allowed a water bottling company to buy this pristine site from Harold Vickers instead of the state purchasing it. Oh, but let's make sure we keep divers out of Sally Ward.

I have boycotted bottled spring water for decades. Okay, I realize that my boycott has absolutley no impact on the bottled spring water industry, I know this. BUT it does permit me britchn rights and makes it easier to look at myself in the mirror knowing I am not lining their pockets to buy up the next spring somewhere. I believe that my logic on this one is inescapable.

Who would have ever thought that bottled water from a spring would cost more than gasoline?

[easyrider003]

Anyone up for a dive on June 18, thursday? I am only OW certified, only joined this site to find people to dive with. Gonna dive cypress first and hopefully will even squeeze in a dive at Morrison spring. Anyone wanna go?

[sfsgt04]

I live in Palm Coast and I saw those pics and I have to go and try this place. It's beautiful!! It's hard to find places locally to go to besides Bluesprings, Alexander and then of course the drive to Paradise and High Spring's hotspots. I would like to plan a day to go up to Cypress and take a look though. Any information would be great. SAM

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Up for a road trip? Its probably 4 hours north west of Ocala.

Easyrider, I'll dive, you pick me up, I'm in Loxley, Alabama. I'll even show you the best launch to use and where the best food is in Vernon.

[Puttzer]

And now for the rest of the story:

Harold Vickers bought Cypress and Magnolia Springs. Rumor has it a local was holding out to buy both for less. The county commission wouldn't let him open Magnolia even though it already had a building with bathrooms etc. Get it?

FWIW: it was a great site or family swimming/diving.

So anyway, Harold finally sold Cypress to a bottling company. Per my conversations with him, he really didn't want to do so. Even asked if my wife, an attorney, would help him fight the county.

Obviously things didn't work out: we have yet another water bottling company, the county government hides their greed and corruption, and the locals loose.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Harold still resides over on the high land by Magnolia Springs. Every so often we'll cruise down to Magnolia/Becton after diving in Cypress to put us back in our places and Harold will be out there telling us to use his launch rather than plopping out of the boat into the silt. He made some "enhancements" at both springs, which led to several lawsuits. In the end, he still made some serious bank with the sale of the land around Cypress Springs.

[OutlawCaver]

What ever happened to Zephrhills sucking all the water out of Spring Lake south of Marianna? They had 18 wheeled tankers lined up everyday along Hwy 167 for quite awhile.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Maybe all the shotgun weilding locals around that little pond ran them off?