(The Herald follows the writing guidelines in the Associated Press Stylebook unless otherwise noted below.)
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AAA – formerly the American Automobile Association in Heathrow. AAA is acceptable on first reference, but story should mention the organization is an automobile association.
A. Duda & Sons Inc. – agriculture and development company, based in Oviedo.
Alaqua Country Club – in Longwood.
Alive After 5 – downtown Sanford street party sponsored by the Historic Sanford Welcome Center on the second Thursday of each month.
Allegiant Air – airline at Orlando Sanford International Airport.
Altamonte Mall
Altamonte Springs – not Altamonte, when referring to the city.
Amtrak – rail service operated by the National Railroad Passenger Corp., a government-owned corporation.
Auto Train – an Amtrak rail service that carries passengers and vehicles between Lorton, Va., and Sanford.
Barn, The – bar in Sanford.
BBee’s Home Cooking – restaurant in Sanford.
Bethune-Cookman University – formerly Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach. B-CU on second reference.
Bettye D. Smith Cultural Arts Center – in Sanford.
Big Tree Park – Seminole County park in Longwood.
Bikefest – annual motorcycle event sponsored in Sanford by the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Bike Week – annual motorcycle event in Daytona Beach.
Bishop Block – buildings on the south side of 1st Street between Palmetto and Sanford avenues.
Blue Spring State Park – along the St. Johns River near Orange City. (There are “Blue Springs” elsewhere in Florida, including Lafayette Blue Springs State Park on the Suwannee River, and Madison Blue Springs State Park on the Withlacoochee River.)
Bonefish Grill – restaurant in Longwood (see FishBones).
Bookertown – unincorporated area northwest of Sanford.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
Bram Towers Apartments – residential high-rise for seniors in Sanford.
Bright House Networks
call letters – radio style: 1400 AM (WSDO); television style: WRBW-Channel 65.
Captain’s Cove Restaurant & Poolside Bar
Carlos’n Charlie’s – restaurant in Lake Mary.
Celery City – Sanford’s nickname when it was an agricultural community.
Celery Soup – community theatrical performance based on oral histories.
Central Florida – also capitalize North Florida and South Florida.
Central Florida GreeneWay – State Road 417 toll freeway, also referred to as the Orlando beltway. From Interstate 4 to the Seminole-Orange line, it also is called the Seminole Expressway.
Central Florida Regional Hospital – in Sanford.
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens – in Sanford.
Church @ the River – in Sanford.
Cities in Seminole County:
• Altamonte Springs
• Casselberry
• Lake Mary
• Longwood
• Oviedo
• Sanford
• Winter Springs
city hall, county court, courthouse – lowercase unless preceded by a geographic name, such as Sanford City Hall.
Colonial TownPark/Heathrow – shopping/dining area in Lake Mary.
Community Redevelopment Agency – Need to clarify whether referring to the Sanford or 17-92 agency.
composition titles – Use double quotes around titles of books, movies, TV programs, CDs, song titles, plays, etc.; use single quotes around such titles in headlines.
Corner Cafe, Home of Gourmet2Go, The – restaurant in Sanford.
Cranes Roost Park – in Altamonte Springs.
Creative Sanford Inc. – non-profit organization that is developing oral histories into the Celery Soup community theatrical performance.
CrimeLine – a Central Florida crime-reporting agency, 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).
Crooms Academy of Information Technology – public high school in Sanford that is a magnet for information technology. Use Crooms on second reference.
Daytona Beach – not Daytona, when referring to the city in Volusia County.
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona State College – formerly Daytona Beach Community College.
DeBary – city in Volusia County.
DeLand – city in Volusia County.
Delta Connection Academy – flight school in Sanford.
Deltona – city in Volusia County.
18th Judicial Circuit Court – serves Seminole and Brevard counties.
Econlockhatchee River.
E-Pass – prepaid toll program offered by the Orange County Expressway Authority, also used at the Lake Jesup toll plaza.
EZ Liquor – in Sanford.
farmers market – capitalize if part of an official name, such as Sanford Farmers Market.
Father’s Table, The – dessert manufacturer in Sanford.
FishBones – restaurant in Lake Mary (see Bonefish Grill).
Five Points Operations Complex – in Sanford on U.S. 17-92 near County Road 427 that that includes several Seminole County governmental services, such as the Criminal Justice Center, Juvenile Justice Center, Animal Services, etc.
Florida Hospital Altamonte – one of eight Florida Hospital campuses.
Floridan Aquifer – a groundwater system along the coastal regions of the southeastern states.
Florida Power & Light Co. – Use FPL on second reference.
Florida’s Natural Choice – Seminole County’s motto.
Fort Mellon and Fort Mellon Park – in Sanford.
Fourth Fridays – art event sponsored by the Historic Sanford Welcome Center.
Gallery on First – gallery and artists’ studios on 1st Street.
Gateway at Riverwalk – condominiums on Lake Monroe.
Gen. Hutchison Parkway – in Longwood.
Georgetown – area on the east side of Sanford.
Goldsboro – area on the west side of Sanford.
Grace ’n’ Grits – food-sharing organization for those in need.
Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce
Harrell & Beverly Transmissions & Auto Repair
Harvest Time International – nonprofit organization that provides aid to victims of disaster and hunger.
Heathrow – unincorporated area west of Lake Mary.
Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium
Historic Sanford Welcome Center
History groups
• Sanford Historic District – The city has two historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places. The commercial district was created in 1976 with 26 buildings; the residential district was created in 1989 with 434 houses.
• Sanford Historic Preservation Board – a city-appointed board that oversees the historic districts and ensures that any changes comply with governing regulations. Can use HPB on second reference.
• Sanford Historical Society – a volunteer, nonprofit organization that fosters interest in the history of the Sanford community. Members support the efforts of the Sanford Museum to accomplish these goals.
• Sanford Historic Trust – a volunteer, nonprofit organization that works to protect and improve the city’s historic heritage.
• Sanford Museum – 520 E. 1st Street.
• Museum of Seminole County History – 300 Bush Blvd.
Histrict – informal term for Sanford's "historic district."
Holiday Tour of Homes – annual event sponsored by the Sanford Historic Trust.
Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café – in Sanford.
Hoooowl for the Arts – annual fund-raiser for the Seminole Cultural Arts Council.
Horstmeyer Farm & Garden
Hotchkiss Building – at the southwest corner of 1st Street and Palmetto Avenue (site of The Sanford Herald).
Hot Pots
IDignity – an organization that helps the disadvantaged obtain personal identiication, such as a drivers license, Social Security card, birth certificates, etc.
Interiors by Lawrence David
Interstate 4 – use I-4 on second reference.
Jazzed in Sanford – Sanford-sponsored concert series in Magnolia Square.
Jeanine Taylor Art Gallery
Jonny Rotton’s Bar Out Back – in Sanford.
Lake Carolla – pond behind the Sanford Museum, named after the daughter of city founder Henry Sanford.
Lake Forest – community along State Road 46 west of Interstate 4.
Lake Jesup
Lake Mary (lake) – Officially, there is no longer a lake called Lake Mary. Big Lake Mary is immediately south of Lake Mary Boulevard, and Little Lake Mary is farther south. The bodies of water previously were joined as Lake Mary before Evansdale Road was built and divided the lake.
Lake Mary City Commission – as of 1/1/10
• Mayor David Mealor
• Gary L. Brender
• George F. Duryea
• Shirley Gray
• Jo Ann Lucarelli
Lake Mary Woman’s Club
Lake Monroe Old South Motel – formerly The Palms Island Resort and Marina in Sanford.
Larry A. Dale Aquatic Center
Lil’ Sammy’s – gas stations and convenience stores in Sanford.
little fish HUGE pond – bar in Sanford. Capitalize the first letter if it starts a sentence.
Lynx – Central Florida’s regional transit system; not LYNX.
Marina Island
Masquerade Celery Ball
MaxWest Environmental Systems – builder and operator of Sanford’s gasification plant. Use MaxWest on second reference.
Maya Books & Music
Mellonville – area on the east side of Sanford; originally an incorporated city.
MetroPlan – should describe in story that this is the transportation-planning agency for Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties.
midge – a type of small fly that swarms several times a year around Seminole County lakes. Do not refer to it as a "blind mosquito."
Midway – an area southeast of Sanford.
Monroe Harbour Marina
Moon's Subs
Mount Dora – city in Lake County.
Museum of Seminole County History
Naval Air Station Sanford – former Navy base that closed in 1968, now is the site of the Orlando Sanford International Airport.
New Tribes Mission – an evangelism group based in Sanford. Can use NTM on second reference.
Noles – acceptable as nickname of Seminole High School’s Fighting Seminoles sports teams.
Northland, A Church Distributed – Can use Northland on second reference.
Orlando Jai-Alai – a pari-mutuel wagering fronton in Casselberry.
Orlando Sanford International Airport – Sanford airport served by airlines Allegiant Air, Direct Air, and Icelandair; and international charters Monarch, Thomas Cook Airlines, and Thomson Airways.
Osceola – a former leader of the Seminole tribe; do not refer to him as a chief.
Paola – unincorporated area in northwest Seminole County.
PAPER TRAIL – the Herald’s Q&A series is all capitals.
Park on Park – at Park Avenue and 9th Street in Sanford.
Parti Gras – Alive After 5 event in February.
Paw Park – dog park at French Avenue and 4th Street in Sanford. Paw Park Place is the dog-grooming and supply business across 4th Street.
Pebble Junction – retail and wholesale business for natural stone products.
Pet Rescue By Judy – animal-adoption service.
PICO Building – named after the Plant Investment Co.
Public Safety Complex – office on 13th Street that will house the Sanford police and fire departments. (Under construction and expected to open in late 2010.)
Rand Yard – railroad yard in west Sanford.
Red, Hot & Boom – patriotic celebration in Altamonte Springs.
ReStore – resale outlet of Habitat for Humanity
Riverhouse Pottery
Rivership Romance – cruise ship based at the Monroe Harbour Marina.
RiverWalk – walking path along Lake Monroe in downtown Sanford. Check capitalizations for other specific uses, such as Gateway at Riverwalk and Riverwalk Pizzeria.
Route 46 Entertainment District – restaurants and entertainment venue in Sanford. Use Route 46 on second reference.
SafeHouse of Seminole – a domestic-violence shelter in Sanford. Use SafeHouse on second reference.
Sailpointe at Lake Monroe – formerly Sailpointe Apartments.
Sanford – founded in 1877 by Connecticut lawyer, diplomat and businessman Henry S. Sanford. The city serves as the Seminole County seat.
Sanford Airport Authority – board appointed by the city commission to oversee the Orlando Sanford International Airport.
Sanford City Commission – as of 1/1/10
• Mayor Linda Kuhn
• District 1, Art Woodruff
• District 2, Velma H. Williams
• District 3, Randy Jones
• District 4, Jack T. Bridges
Sanford Herald, The – Italicize this and other newspaper names when used in stories. Can use Herald on second reference.
The Herald's contact style:
• The Sanford Herald (“The” is part of the newspaper’s name.)
• 217 E. 1st St. (Use abbreviations for East and Street; use numeral 1 for 1st.)
• Sanford, FL 32771 (Use FL for state in postal address.)
• MySanfordHerald.com
• 407-322-2611
Sanford Housing Authority – board appointed by the city commission to oversee public-housing projects.
Sanford Museum
Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club – dog-racing track in Longwood.
Sanford/Seminole County YouthBuild – an education and job-training program for at-risk youth.
Sanford Wine Company
Schuhplattler Gruppe Alpenrose – German dancing group
S codes – don’t use this term unless in a direct quote. Instead, use “preservation codes” when referring to Sanford’s preservation ordinances.
Seminole Action Coalition Serving Our Needy – Can use SACSON on second reference.
Seminole County Commission – as of 1/1/10
• District 1, Bob Dallari
• District 2, Michael McLean
• District 3, Dick Van Der Weide
• District 4, Carlton D. Henley
• District 5, Brenda Carey
Seminole County courthouses
• Seminole County Courthouse (civil cases, 301 N. Park Ave., Sanford)
• Criminal Justice Center (criminal cases, 101 Bush Blvd., Sanford)
• Seminole County Juvenile Justice Center (190 Bush Blvd., Sanford)
Seminole County jail – Use this generic name instead of the official John E. Polk Correctional Center, unless it is a story specifically about the center.
Seminole County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Seminole County School Board – as of 1/1/10
• Sandy Robinson, chairman
• Jeanne Morris
• Diane Bauer
• Sylvia Pond
• Dede Shaffner
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Seminole County deputy sheriffs
Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District
Seminole State College of Florida – Seminole State is acceptable on all references; don’t use SSC. (There is another Seminole State College in Seminole, Okla.)
Seminole Towne Center
SeminoleWAY – an economic-development initiative to attract businesses to the State Road 417 corridor.
Seminole Wekiva Trail
splash pad – in Sanford’s Fort Mellon Park
St. Johns/St. John’s – Check whether to use apostrophe for specific uses. For example, it is the St. Johns River and St. Johns River Water Management District, but St. John’s Cycle.
Star Spangled Sanford – patriotic celebration in Sanford.
Steale-Arm Sports Pub – in Sanford.
Streets
• Use numerals for numbered streets, such as 1st Street, 25th Street, etc.
• Use French Avenue (instead of U.S. 17-92) in Sanford city limits.
• Use 1st Street (instead of State Road 46) in Sanford city limits.
• Use county, state and federal designations and numbers outside of city limits (such as State Road 46. Second reference is S.R. 46).
Student Museum – acceptable for the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, in Sanford.
Sunniland Corp. – originally called Chase & Company.
SunPass – prepaid toll program offered by the Florida Department of Transportation.
SunRail – commuter-rail system.
TableScapes – holiday-decorated tables on display at Sanford’s Holiday Tour of Homes.
Tailgator – mobile cooking trailer at Alive After 5 and other community events.
telephone numbers – Use hyphens, not periods; always include area code; toll-free and out-of-area numbers should start with 1; if an extension number is needed, use a comma. Examples:
• 407-322-2611
• 1-800-555-1234
• 407-322-2611, ext. 2
Timacuan Golf Club – in Lake Mary
Timucua – Native American tribe formerly in Florida.
Touhy Park – acceptable for George W. Touhy Park in Sanford.
Tuscawilla/Tuskawilla – check spelling for specific uses in Winter Springs. For example, it is the Tuscawilla Country Club and Tuscawilla Road, but Tuskawilla Middle School and Tuskawilla Town Center.
Two Blondes & a Shrimp – restaurant in Sanford.
UCF – Can use initials on first reference for University of Central Florida. Do not use the term Central Florida.
UCF Business Incubator – one of the university’s new-business projects, in Sanford.
Veterans Memorial Park – along Sanford’s RiverWalk.
Wayne Densch Inc.
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center – formerly the Ritz Theatre and the Helen Stairs Theatre.
website
Wekiva /Wekiwa – Check for specific spellings, but generally use Wekiva for the river and falls. Use Wekiwa for most everything else, such as Wekiwa Springs, Wekiwa Springs State Park, Wekiwa Springs Road, etc.
Westside Community Center – civic center in Sanford’s Goldsboro area.
Wolfys Waterfront Bar ‘n Grill – use Wolfys on second reference.
Woman’s Club of Sanford
ZOOm Air Adventures – aerial challenge course at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
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SanPaper column (Aug. 2, 2009)
There’s no apostrophe in St. Johns River
By Gene Kruckemyer
Herald publisher
After reading through a handful of fliers and brochures this week promoting some local businesses and services, I saw that many of them contained inconsistencies, misspelled words, confusing maps and other problems.
As a result of what I read, I thought I’d pass along some (hopefully) helpful tips.
Please don’t think that I’m offering these only because The Sanford Herald is free of typos or missing words. That’s hardly the case.
Nary a week goes by that there isn’t something I cringe at after seeing it in print. We try to make the paper as clean as possible, but things sometimes get by us. (Coincidentally, just as I was writing this, someone came into our office and mentioned that we had a recent photo showing students receiving a “plague” instead of a “plaque.”)
We move on and try not to stub our toes on the same thing next time. Hey, there’s likely to be an oversight someplace in this column today that someone will point out!
Some of those local fliers mentioned the “St. John’s River” (there is not supposed to be an apostrophe in the St. Johns River), touted connections to the “Sanford Airport” (should be the Orlando Sanford International Airport), talked about parts of downtown Sanford “rebuilt at the turn of the century” (which century?), and listed hours as “9-2pm” (come again?) and “12-5pm” (is that midnight or noon?).
Why would you need the “th” as in “Aug. 24th” or “:00” as in “2:00” (you wouldn’t).
Most newspapers follow the writing-style rules standardized in The Associated Press Stylebook, and many papers have a local addendum for their own purposes.
We started assembling entries for our own local stylebook at the Herald a few months ago. Here are some of the more common local examples I see around town that you may want to remember when creating a pamphlet, advertising in the Herald or even writing your daily correspondence:
* Altamonte Springs (the city name is not “Altamonte”).
* Auto Train (two words, Amtrak’s line that runs from Sanford to Lorton, Va.).
* Central Florida GreeneWay (The state DOT designation is State Road 417).
* Lake Jesup (one “s”).
* Midges are not “blind mosquitoes.”
* RiverWalk (one word with a capital “W” for the city’s waterfront walking path).
* Seminole Towne Center (“Mall” is not part of the name).
* Streets – Use numerals for numbered streets, such as 1st Street, 6th Street, etc.
* Two Blondes & a Shrimp (restaurant).
* Wekiva/Wekiwa – Wekiva for the Wekiva River. Wekiwa for most everything else (Wekiwa Springs, Wekiwa Springs State Park, Wekiwa Springs Road, etc.)
Go figure on that Wekiva/Wekiwa entry.
Back to my first sentence about fliers…
Just in case you’re creating a flier, you might want to make sure you spell it that way. As the AP Stylebook says: “Flier is the preferred term for an aviator or a handbill. Flyer is the proper name of some trains and buses: The Western Flyer.”
The English language can be a minefield.
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SanPaper column (Feb. 20, 2010)
We’re going in style – and you can, too
By Gene Kruckemyer
Herald publisher
Which is correct: Lake Jesup or Lake Jessup? Fort Mellon Park or Ft. Melon Park?
How about the name of the springs: Wekiva or Wekiwa?
What is the proper name of the zoo in Sanford?
These and other local tidbits have been collected in The Sanford Herald’s new local style guide, a reference manual for our staff to help bring accuracy and consistency to things in print.
Most newspapers adhere to the style established by the Associated Press. In addition, many papers create their own local stylebooks to cover people, places and things in the community not mentioned in the AP book.
In a time when people generally use shortcuts for e-mails, and use a lot of abbreviations for texting, some may say that proper language style, punctuation, capitalization and spelling is not so important – as long as the message is conveyed.
That may be the evolving case in casual conversation, but style is important when you’re trying to project a serious or thoughtful impression about something.
How often have you seen a misprint on a restaurant menu and thought: Can’t they even spell “broccoli” correctly?
I saw one local eatery recently offering to serve “Chile.” And on 95 percent of the menus I see, Dr Pepper is spelled incorrectly with a period.
Lighten up, you say?
That’s hard to do in the newspaper business when we at least strive to get it right.
(OK…here’s the lighter side of “style.” There is a FakeAPStylebook on Twitter that lists bogus style entries such as: “Catwoman” is the Batman villain. “Cat Woman” is your neighbor whose apartment smells funny.)
A few months ago I wrote that we were creating our own stylebook at the Herald. I mentioned some of the more commonly seen local mistakes, such as improperly writing RiverWalk, Seminole Towne Center and Auto Train.
At the time, one reader even suggested that we put the stylebook on our website when it was complete.
Thanks, Margie Chusmir. We’re now ready to do that.
We compiled the guide for our own use, but we’re also putting it on online for anyone who may want to use it as a reliable source for writing business reports, term papers, news releases or other compositions. If you’re looking for a proper spelling of something, I would recommend not relying on the first hit you may find on the Internet. If you’ve ever looked for anything online, you have seen how words can be mangled.
Starting this weekend, our guide can be found at www.MySanfordHerald.com. When you go to our website, scroll down near the bottom of the left column and look for “Stylebook.” Click on that link. (If you haven’t already done so, you will need to register to access the website.)
This will be an ever-evolving guide. Entries will be added, altered and deleted as needed.
Steve Harmon, a colleague of mine when we both worked at the Orlando Sentinel, used to say: “Style is like a river – It’s always changing.”
When I recently told him that I was compiling the Herald’s own stylebook, he advised: “Do it in pencil, because it's likely to change.”
I call it a book, but it is just 10 pages long at the moment. It includes names, companies, government agencies, geography, word usage and other things, some that are common and others that may be a little different, unusual or confusing, such as “Two Blondes & a Shrimp” restaurant in Sanford; “Bonefish Grill” in Longwood and “FishBones” in Lake Mary; not using SSC in reference to Seminole State College, and when to use Tuscawilla or Tuskawilla.
As I mentioned, these are generally local entries, not the type of thing you would find in the AP Stylebook, such as:
• Do not use the term “first annual.” An event cannot be described as annual until it has been held at least two successive years.
• Jell-O – A trademark for a brand of gelatin dessert.
• On ships and naval stations ashore, flags are flown at half-mast. Elsewhere ashore, flags are flown at half-staff.
• bull’s-eye
• squinting modifier – A misplaced adverb that can be interpreted as modifying either of two words: Those who lie often are found out. Place the adverb where there can be no confusion, even if a compound verb must be split: Those who often lie are found out. Or if that was not the sense: Those who lie are often found out.
Anyway, after you read through our guide, please let us know if you can think of anything local that should be added to our guide.
One thing we wanted to add, but didn’t have a definitive source for, was the word “bokey,” an occasional nickname of Sanford. Where did it come from? Is it capitalized? What does it mean? If you have some documentation about the word, send me a note.
In the meantime, check out our stylebook – and find out whether it is Lake Jesup or Jessup.
Comments can be sent to Herald publisher Gene Kruckemyer at GKruckemyer@MySanfordHerald.com.
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(The Herald stylebook was started Feb. 20, 2010, and was most recently updated June 4, 2010. – GK)