A LOT MORE BOOMS SOON TO BE HEARD...BUT NOT BOOM BOXES OR JULY 4 FIREWORKS

The U.S. Navy officially announced Wednesday that it has chosen the Avon Park Air Force Range as the replacement target range for it's operations in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

The range is a 106,000 acre area located in Polk and Highlands counties and is the largest military range in the eastern U.S. In addition to it's use for bombing practice by Navy and Air Force aircraft, the facility also hosts ground military and special operations training.

Avon Park has a bit of a history. It served as an Army Air Force training base during World War II for B-17 air crews for air-to-ground bombing.

The Navy abandoned Vieques, an island-municipality just off the main Puerto Rico island, following a series of protests over several years beginning in 1999 following the death of Vieques native and Navy civilian employee David Sanes. He was on duty at an observation post when two bombs fell very near his position and 1.5 miles from where they were intended.

The Navy plans to use the range for high explosive bombing practice three to six times a year in 20 day blocks each. The number of runs (single aircraft) would increase from the present 6,900 to nearly 10,000.