Everglades City
by Dr. Chrissann Ruehle, DBA, MBA, CPM
AI Consultant and Strategist, & Management Faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University
In the Everglades, where romance often blossoms on airboat rides and first dates include sharing stone crabs at City Seafood, expressing love has always had a unique charm. Now, with artificial intelligence (AI) permeating every aspect of our lives, even love letters are receiving a high-tech upgrade. In this community, where tradition runs as deep as the waterways, residents are discovering how to blend modern technology with the area’s distinctive coastal allure.
Romance in the Everglades area has always been communicated in its own language. It’s in the way the setting sun paints the mangroves gold at Rod & Gun Club, and how the moonlight dances across the Ten Thousand Islands. It’s in those quiet moments when couples share a thermos of coffee on an early morning fishing trip, or when they spot a family of manatees gliding beneath their boat. These moments have inspired love letters and wedding vows for generations.
Created with ChatGPT and DallE-3
Enter AI writing assistants – modern-day Cupids with keyboards. These tools can help even the most tongue-tied individuals find the right words to express their feelings. What makes them particularly intriguing is their ability to understand and incorporate the unique way of life for residents. By providing these AI tools with specific details about the town, its traditions, and its natural surroundings, people can prepare messages that feel authentically our community.
Looking to write something special for your valentine? Instead of generic “roses-are-red” poetry, imagine messages that reflect the local culture. Here’s how AI transformed a simple “I love you” into something that could only come from this special corner of Florida: “Like the tide that faithfully returns to the shores, my love for you is constant. Whether we are chasing sunsets in the backcountry, or sharing laughs over grouper sandwiches at Camellia Street Grill, every moment with you makes this small town feel like the whole world.”
Or consider this AI-assisted love note that captures a perfect date night: “Remember that evening when we took the boat through the mangrove tunnels? The way your eyes lit up when we spotted that family of dolphins, and how we stayed out until the stars turned the water to silver – that’s when I knew our love was as vast as the Everglades itself.”
The key to using AI effectively is treating it like a fishing guide – it can point you in the right direction, but the catch is still yours to make. Start by listing specific details about your relationship: favorite fishing spots, memorable boat trips, that special booth at Triad Seafood where you always sit, or attending the Seafood Festival. The more local activities you provide, the more authentic the message becomes.
Here are some tips for keeping it real: Use AI suggestions as a starting point, then add your personal memories and even inside jokes. Perhaps mention that time you both got caught in a summer storm, or the day you taught them how to crack stone crab claws and they accidentally flipped the crab across the room. These personal touches transform AI-assisted writing from generic to genuinely meaningful.
Created with ChatGPT and DallE-3
As we celebrate Valentine’s Day in our community soon, it’s worth remembering that while technology can help us find the words, the feelings behind them remain as timeless as the Everglades themselves. Whether written by hand on a paper napkin at a local restaurant, or prepared with the help of AI, the best love letters will always speak the language of the community – a dialect of salt air, mangrove forests, and endless water horizons.
So this Valentine’s Day, don’t hesitate to let technology help you express your feelings. After all, even the most modern love letter still carries the heart of our community when it’s written with the town’s special charm in mind.
