BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - A toddler who wandered away from his Brooksville home on Thursday has been safely located approximately 24 hours after he disappeared.

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis says JJ Rowland, a 2-year-old boy who vanished Thursday morning while his mother was sleeping was found alive in the woods by a volunteer shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday.

"I was hoping and praying for a miracle. I certainly was not expecting one but, I think a lot of people were praying and prayer works," shared Sheriff Al Nienhuis.

'Hey, I found him!' Volunteer's 911 call after finding missing boy

A volunteer looking for little JJ called 911 as soon as he found him. You can hear Joshua Rowland calling for his momma as the volunteer talks with the dispatcher.

Sheriff Nienhuis said paramedics will be checking JJ out, but the child was smiling and seemed to be doing well when he was found in the woods near Parrot Middle School about half a mile north of his home.

"He’s definitely going to have something to tell his kids and grandkids about and I’m sure mom and dad are going to keep a closer eye on him from this point forward," the sheriff said.

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Sheriff Nienhuis thanked the more than 500 volunteers who turned up Friday morning to search for JJ. The child, who appeared to be a bit scratched up reportedly kept saying that he just wanted to be with his mom.

Missing Brooksville toddler found safe, Hernando sheriff says

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said it was like finding a needle in a haystack, but Joshua "JJ" Rowland was found alive and is safe.

JJ's mother told deputies that she and the boy were settled in for a nap around 9:30 a.m. and when she woke up he was gone. She spent about an hour searching for him before alerting the authorities.

Law enforcement officials began searching for the toddler around noon on Thursday and suspended the ground search when the sun set. However, the air search continued with infrared devices into the night.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a statewide Missing Child Alert for the toddler Friday evening.

The ground search began again when the sun rose on Fridy with hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials scouring the area on foot, on horses and on ATV's. K-9s and helicopters also assisted in the search for JJ.

Volunteer Heather Brandis traveled from St. Petersburg to help find JJ. She says her children are friends with JJ and were playing with him earlier this week.

"I couldn’t imagine ever in the world not looking, ever," she said.

Brandis began searching the area near JJ’s home around 9 p.m. on Thursday and didn’t stop until about 4 a.m. on Friday.

When she went back to the search area on Friday morning she learned that an overwhelming amount of volunteers turned up to search and was only on site a short while when she got word that JJ had been found alive.

"I’m thrilled!" she exclaimed.

The sheriff asked the community, who planned to search for the missing boy, to download the free app Map My Tracks to help them search for the toddler. Volunteers also handed out flyers to area businesses.

By 10 a.m. on Friday, HCSO announced that more than 500 volunteers showed up to help in the search and the agency indicated they did not need any additional people shortly before the child was found alive.

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — After a grueling evening, night and morning of searching, the search for a missing 2-year-old Florida boy is over. Joshua "JJ" Rowland has been found safe, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

"I got to admit, I'm a little emotional because I thought, surely, we were going to have bad news," Sheriff Al Nienhuis said. "It is a good day in Hernando County. Just a very good day."

Rowland had been at the center of a statewide Missing Child Alert after he was reported missing around noon Thursday from his north Brooksville home by his mother. By 6 p.m. Thursday, the statewide Missing Child Alert was activated and a full-blown search was underway.

"When a two-year-old is missing, everyone comes out [to search]," the sheriff said during a Friday morning news conference.

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

A map showing where Joshua "JJ" Rowland was reported missing Thursday and the approximate area where he was found Friday morning.

Nienhuis said Rowland was found by volunteers south of Parrott Middle School and east of Cobb Road. Roy Link, who said he was a former Marine and retired Hernando County parks department employee, was the man who found Rowland and carried him to safety.

Link said he crossed a field and came up to some woods, listening intently during his search for the toddler. He said he heard "whimpering" and just knew it had to be Rowland.

"I listened good and I heard like a whimpering kind of noise and at that point, I was like, there's no kids here, it's gotta be JJ," Link said. "And sure enough, I went in the woods, [about] 100 feet from where I was at.

"I think he was in some stickers, but he was happy to see me. He put his arms, his hands up...he was real happy and he wanted mom. He started hollering for mom."

The toddler appears to be doing fine, the sheriff said, but he is still being taken to the hospital by his parents out of an abundance of caution.

He added Rowland was "very resourceful" to get that far in that dense of woods. "It is very surprising that he made it that far in bare feet and pajamas."

Nienhuis earlier stated there were a lot of volunteers, and between 75-100 law enforcement officers joined to search the area — one that is full of high grass, bushes, thick woods, ponds and other bodies of water.

Ultimately, More than 500 volunteers ended up assisting in the search — so many that at 10 a.m. Friday, the sheriff's office said no more volunteers were necessary.

To help streamline the search, volunteers were asked to download the app "Map My Tracks" to record their paths and then email that to findjj@hernandosheriff.org.

Volunteers were also asked to distribute flyers of Rowland to local businesses to help widen awareness about the missing child.

It's believed the toddler left home Thursday in the area of Cheever and Yontz roads while the parent was asleep, according to the sheriff's office.

During a news conference Thursday evening, Nienhuis explained that Rowland was reported missing just before noon. A witness reportedly saw the toddler playing with dogs in his front yard at around 10:40 a.m.

Nienhuis says a relative dropped off the toddler, who was sleeping at the time, at the house around 9:45 a.m. His caregiver was still sleeping at the time, too.

When Rowland's mother woke up from a nap, he was already gone.

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Nienhuis said Rowland's family has been cooperative with the search and investigation. The boy's parents were not part of the search, he added, and instead were staying at a command center where they remained in constant contact with law enforcement.

Since the search began, authorities have used various techniques to assist — including drones and helicopters equipped with infrared tech. A dive team, K-9 and mounted units were also called to the scene starting Friday morning.

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) — Authorities on Friday found a 2-year-old boy who wandered away from his home in a rural area of Hernando County, Florida.

A Missing Child Alert was issued for Joshua “J.J.” Rowland shortly before sundown on Thursday, several hours after the search began.

Hernando County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to a home in North Brooksville about an hour after J.J.’s mother realized he was missing.

In a news conference Friday morning, Sheriff Al Nienhuis said the boy left the home while his mother was sleeping.

Nearly 100 law enforcement officials from neighboring counties and the U.S. Marshals traveled to the area to assist with the second day of the search, Nienhuis said. Volunteers also helped.

Just before 11 a.m. Friday, the sheriff’s office confirmed that a volunteer had found J.J. alive and safe. According to the sheriff, the 2-year-old was smiling and fine despite being out in the wild overnight.

“He’s definitely gonna have something to tell his kids and grandkids about,” Nienhuis said.

The sheriff praised the local community for volunteering to help find J.J., saying the vast majority of people in his county are good-hearted citizens.

“I think a lot of people were praying, and prayer works,” Nienhuis said to a cheering crowd.

The volunteer who found J.J., U.S. Marine Corps veteran Roy Link, said he originally planned on going on a fishing trip Friday morning, but something told him to join the search for the toddler instead.

According to Link, he heard J.J. making whimpering noises and found him in the woods in north Brooksville.

“He was real happy, and he wanted mom,” Link said. “Deputies showed up. I guess I made a friend real quick ’cause he hung onto me, and he didn’t want to go to anybody until his parents showed up.”

Aside from some scratches, J.J. was in pretty good shape and seemed happy to be found, according to Link.

Christina Sowers, one of J.J.’s cousins, said she was ecstatic that the little boy was found alive.

“I am so excited they found that baby,” she said.

Sowers said she had great respect for the volunteers who worked to find J.J.

“There was a mom I talked to here today who lost her son in a drowning 23 years ago, and she was here today looking for this baby,” she said. “It’s incredible.”

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - Cabot Citrus Farms will open a new 21-hole golf course concept this winter in the rural, rolling hills of Florida just north of Tampa.

The Cabot brand already has golf resort communities in various stages of development in Scotland, British Columbia and St. Lucia, but the Florida site may be its most innovative. A new course routing concept named "The 21" is being laid out by Mike Nuzzo to complement the renovated, more traditional 18-hole Cabot Barrens and Cabot Oaks courses that are scheduled to debut in December on the 1,200-acre property formerly known as World Woods Golf Club.

“We always want to keep the game fresh and exciting,” Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of The Cabot Collection, said in a statement. “While Mike Keiser and I were looking at the terrain and courses we have in play, the idea was born to shape our 10-hole course and the 11-hole-course into a new 21-hole concept. The 21’s layout beckons golf aficionados who just can’t get enough of the rolling terrain in the Floridian countryside."

Keiser, the game-changing founder of Bandon Dunes, and Cowan-Dewar challenged Nuzzo to fit as many interesting holes as possible into 100 acres. The 21 holes he's laid out feature a number of half-par holes. Golfers will discover a variety of hole lengths, strategies and styles. The contrasts are evident when golfers move from the 560-yard, par-5 fourth hole - created as a tribute to an Irish links - to the 355-yard fifth, where the shaping is reminiscent of Australia's Sandbelt.

The routing can be played as two separate short courses in between or after rounds on Cabot Barrens and Cabot Oaks or as a full 21-hole experience. The par-38, 10-hole routing called "10" will play 2,995 yards with a number of short par 4s. The 11-hole, par-33 routing is called "Aces". It's much shorter at 1,195 yards and will be lit at night.

Together, that's 4,160 yards playing as a par 71.

"We want everyone to argue about where they're going to play in the afternoon," Nuzzo said of the various ways to experience 'The 21'.

Building short courses with a quirky number of holes has been trending ever since the 13-hole Bandon Preserve debuted in 2012. The 17-hole Sandbox at Sand Valley, the 14-hole QuickSands at Gamble Sands and others have followed suit, but this is the first one with such a disparity between the distances of the holes. The shortest hole is 85 yards and the longest 560 yards. The green fee to play 'The 21" has yet to be announced.

Cabot Citrus Farms also announced that it will be launching sales for its first residential offerings, The Cottages, in February. The collection of 36 two- and four-bedroom residences will celebrate historic Florida architecture. Raised scissor-truss ceilings and expansive windows will draw in natural light. The units will be built in a 'Resort Village' either facing the golf course, the 'Main Street' or the natural, wooded landscape. For more, click here.

Kyle Franz is working on the redesign of both regulation courses that used to be Top-100-caliber Tom Fazio originals. All 57 holes on property will play firm and fast unlike most Florida courses. With a rugged look of sand scrapes, Cabot Barrens includes at least a dozen holes with split fairways. Cabot Oaks, which is a collaboration between co-designers Franz and Nuzzo and advisor Ran Morrissett, offers more elevation change, up to 50 feet. Golfers must clear a 40-foot-deep sink hole on the par-3 14th hole.

I loved playing the World Woods courses back when they were in their prime. The modernized versions will likely be even better, adding impressive new additions to a growing Cabot empire.

GolfPass Newstravel

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $144 million in grant awards for rural broadband projects across the state of Florida and made a stop in Milton to personally hand the check for a $2.3 million award for Santa Rosa County officials.

The $2.3 million award was the first of 58 projects in 41 counties that DeSantis and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced that won grants first round of funding the state's rural broadband program.

"This will benefit many, many under and unserved homes and businesses all throughout the state of Florida," DeSantis said, speaking to a crowd of supporters gathered at the Imogene Theatre in downtown Milton.

The $2.3 million award will go to Santa Rosa County and Charter Communications to build a fiber network that will connect up to 791 homes, DeSantis said.

The grant will fund the construction of 103.7 miles of new fiber optic cable in Jay, Berrydale, Cobbtown other areas of north Santa Rosa County that will provide residents with download speeds of 300 megabits per second and 10 Mbps uploads.

Included in the $144 million in grants announced Thursday was a $802,489 project for Escambia County to deploy 24.8 miles of new fiber optic cable that will provide the same speeds to 206 unserved locations.

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The $144 million is the first part of the $400 million the state plans to award for rural broadband projects with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

DeSantis did not mention the source of the funds until asked by a reporter but said the state is also committed to putting forward its own money as well.

DeSantis said the funds would help a lot of businesses and individuals access high-speed internet for the first time.

"It's not actually just rural — it's largely that — but there's very populated counties that also have gaps," DeSantis said. "It's making sure we're expanding access for broadband to make sure that all communities have access to high-speed internet to support the way our society functions."

DeSantis said while he supported improving broadband access, there is a downside to internet access.

"Now I must confess, even though we're doing this, and we understand it's important for modern society, just as a father of a 6-, a 4- and a 2-year-old, we don't want them mired on the internet or on these computers," DeSantis said.

DeSantis said he believes there's been a lot of negative impact from social media on young people, and he worries about what will happen in the future.

"It's not the best thought sometimes because I think social media and a lot of that, there's been a lot of negative impact on our youth," DeSantis said. "I think that's just the bottom line."

During his remarks, DeSantis also touted a new series of sales tax breaks he was proposing as part of the upcoming budget that he announced on Wednesday.

Joining DeSantis at the announcement was Marva Johnson, group vice president at Charter Communications.

"It's an incredible honor for her to be partnering with Santa Rosa County to receive the first infrastructure investment to make sure that we're connecting kids, not to TikTok, but to opportunities to extend the learning day," Johnson said. "We're connecting them not to Facebook, but to opportunities to make sure they have access to great telehealth and telemedicine."

Here's the full list of 58 grants announced Thursday: