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Jim Lee

Jim Lee is a fourth-generation Floridian raised, in his early years, on a cattle ranch south of Kissimmee, Florida. As a boy, he spent considerable time hunting rabbits and running fish traps. His family moved to Orlando where he remained until he joined the U.S. Army. During his time in the service, he worked as a cryptographer in Japan. 

Jim has hunted many areas of the state, fly fished many central Florida lakes, and salt water fished most of Florida’s coastline and the Florida Keys. Turkey hunting and offshore fishing are his passions. 

He was schooled at the University of Florida and at Alameda University. While making a living and raising his children, he was CEO of Florida Material Handling and Caster, Executive Director of the Florida League of Anglers, Sales Manager for Craft Equipment, Agent Manager for Allied Van Lines and Mayflower Van lines, owned a restaurant and finally a became mortgage broker. All the while, he wrote various articles for fun and profit. 

Lee published Seafood Legends in 2008 and distributed them on both coasts of Florida and published a second edition in the summer of 2018. 

He was a correspondent for the Tampa Tribune for 27 years, writing a weekly column on fishing and human-interest stories. His articles have been published in Saltwater Fishing magazine, Florida Sportsman magazine and six other outdoor magazines. He also published Florida Fishing magazine, a newspaper give-away that was distributed on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and through J.C. Penny Co. where he wrote ad copy. 

Lee wrote and produced several radio shows, and wrote ad copy and sold ads for three radio shows on three different radio stations, The Getaway Show with Jim & Joe, The Getaway Show with Sergio, and The Getaway Fishing Show. 

Lee also hosted a nationwide telephone fishing report for the Tampa Bay area, where northern anglers could get the current information to be able to plan their trips in advance. Lee also served as a food critic for seafood restaurants on-line on a weekly basis and wrote a weekly column for the Tampa Bay Area website. 

You can reach Jim via email at: jleebetterrates@tampabay.rr.com.

Palmetto Sunrise by Jim Lee

Palmetto Sunrise

ISBN: 9781937801939 (pbk)
ASIN: B07HHC6VWV

The story line follows the progression of the O’Berry family in early Florida, touching on four generations, but mostly about the first two. It begins with Frank and Martha O’Berry and their sidekick Joshua ’Wolf’ Johnson, moving via ox cart from Alligator town (Lake City) to Kissimmee area. They planned to gather wild cattle, driving the cattle from the Kissimmee area to the meat packing plant in Tampa, which was a natural opportunity back then. Thieves, rustlers and other mishaps pursue their progress. The couple had 4 boys and 4 girls over the years. One leftover mishap introduces Zeke Blaikie, who holds a vindictive grudge throughout the book.

Frank is six feet four inches tall, angular features, and very strong for his age. He exhibits a commanding but easy attitude. Martha is a capricious red head with freckles, very short at four feet eleven and very adapted to the outdoor life. Joshua, “Wolf” Johnson is a six foot five, lanky cowhand, rough features. He bulldogs wild cattle for fun, and runs down wolves on horseback, dispatching them with a pistol, hence his nickname ‘Wolf’. He is very easy going and has a great sense of humor. Zeke Blaikie, the sun of a vicious holdup man, turned bad who pursued the O’Berry’s throughout the book. He was blonde, just under six feet, with a cunning and despicable attitude.

The story gradually shifts to Franks eldest son James Adolphus O’Berry and ultimately his friend Thomas Atlee as they pursue a dream of growing tomatoes on Andros Island in the Bahamas, eluding an attempt on their lives several times by Zeke Blaikie and then lost at sea. James ends up in a Farm in South Florida, complete with a wife Elizabeth and a band of friendly Indians. One mishap involved Clyde Boykin, a thief who stole Jim’s entire Tomato crop sent to the New York Market. The couple had several children, but only one lived to maturity.

James is five feet ten inches, blonde round face, very easy going, but with a purpose. Elizabeth is the perfect partner. She is very easy going, fun loving, a bit taller than Jim, with long blonde hair, who supports his various endeavors. Clyde was six feet, with black hair, balding at the top. He was two hundred fifty pounds, an evil slick salesman.

Seafood Legends by Jim Lee

Seafood Legends

ISBN: 9781717724304 (pbk)
ASIN: B07BH6ZBQB

A cookbook and tales of the sea. Enjoy mouthwatering seafoods of the South and 200 years of history, anecdotes of the sea. Seafood Legends is a new cook book for fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops, conk and more. Plus, fantastic stories; some about history and some about the places the recipes came from.

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