good news for so. Florida boaters

[Paul45c]

Nice to see that some entrepreneurs are still investing in the boating community down here; the county is still supporting those efforts, too. This is the kind of news we can use.

...............................................

Rejecting manatee advocates, Broward OKs nearly 7,000 spaces for boats

By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted September 27 2006

The boating industry defeated manatee advocates Tuesday when the Broward County Commission approved a dramatic increase in the number of docks and other marine facilities along the county's waterways.

The commission voted unanimously in favor of a manatee-protection plan that would allow the construction of 6,972 new docks, dry-stack storage units, boat-ramp parking spaces and other facilities, mostly along the Dania Cut-Off Canal and South Fork of the New River.

The decision came despite a letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calling the plan "flawed" and "ineffective" and warning that it would likely increase the number of manatees killed by boats.

Commissioners said they supported the proposal because the process had been dragging on for more than two years, at huge cost to the county's vital boating industry. A virtual moratorium on new marine construction has been in effect until the state approves a county boat-facility plan.

Even though commissioners said they expect the state and federal governments to reject the plan as written, they said submitting the plan would at least get the process moving.

"Those of us who are for the plan are not against the manatee," said Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin. "We tried very hard to strike a balance between these two issues. Every single marketing plan that we have shows the waterways, shows the Venice of America, shows the marine industry."

The boating industry accounts for 164,000 jobs in Broward and $10.8 billion in spending, according to the Marine Industry Association of South Florida.

Broward is one of 13 coastal counties required by the state to produce manatee-protection plans outlining where boat facilities could be built. The plan needs the approval of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which had asked the county to postpone the vote and reconsider the plan.

"I don't think we lose anything by transmitting the plan, with the understanding that we're expecting lots of comments," County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman said.

At the hearing Tuesday, boaters and boating industry representatives outnumbered wildlife advocates. During the public comment period before the vote, they noted that most manatees killed by watercraft were found around Port Everglades, suggesting that big ships rather than pleasure craft killed them.

They argued that an increase in slips was essential to keep the industry healthy and offer the average person -- who didn't have a private dock -- the chance to have a boat.

"I'm not here against the manatee," said Jack Loos, a developer who is trying to construct a dry-stack marina on the Dania Cut-Off Canal. "I've been a boater all my life. But I'm also here for people, the average guy or gal trying to have a boat on the water."

Broward County Audubon, Sierra Club and other opponents said the commission was ignoring the warnings of the state and federal wildlife agencies.

They noted the six manatees killed by watercraft so far this year, the highest number in at least 30 years. And they doubted that big ships were always to blame, since many manatee carcasses were too decayed to determine the cause of death and that those killed by pleasure craft in canals may have drifted into the port.

"The manatees are a unique resource here," said Sara Case, of Hollywood. "And we're not going to have them much longer if we put more motorized boats in the water."

Mary Truchelut, of Wilton Manors, said, "We need people in the county who respect the environment a little more than money."

After the vote, Kristina Hebert, vice president of Ward's Marine Electric of Fort Lauderdale, which employs 48 people, said the plan would allow the industry to stay healthy and continue to provide jobs.

"We are very excited," said Hebert, president of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. "We've been here 56 years, and we work on the boats. This development will allow us to keep those boats coming."

But Lisa Baumbach-Reardon, conservation chairwoman of Broward County Audubon, called the commissioners "cowards" for ignoring the concerns of environmentalists and submitting a plan they knew was likely to be rejected.

"I think that doesn't show leadership," she said.

David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535.

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

Too good to be true.

Am SURE the "Manatee People" will try and stop it like they do and and all marinas and boat ramps all over the state...

 

[thoward]

For those things to be so endangered I sure see a heck of a lot of them. This is going to end up like gators and jewfish...Way too many of them for our own good.

 

[Paul45c]

For those things to be so endangered I sure see a heck of a lot of them. This is going to end up like gators and jewfish...Way too many of them for our own good.

Anytime I run into the real granola manatee-protection-types, I can't resist pointing out that the old crackers that first settled Florida and neighboring gulf states imported them from Africa for their food value. They say they eat really well, too!

 

[trogers]

I'm not so sure there is such a thing as MANATEE PEOPLE. Rather there are people whom are sold to and marketed to by segments for the trial lawyers association whom use this as platform to tie up marina developers for big $$'s.

Sorry for the lawyer bashing. Just seems like this is a segment where they have created the demand as there's a small group who can factor the settlements/negotiations as a COB.



Net, net. We get stuck with the elevated dockage costs.

 

[Boss Lady]

Don't forget about the Black Bear that is now protected it Florida. It didn't need protecting, eventually "you" will need protection from them!

Here is a quote from a website on the manatee: "During the summer, the manatees can be found from the Louisiana coast around the gulf coast and up the east coast to as far north as Virginia. Chessie, a now-famous manatee tracked by the U.S. Geological Survey‘s Sirenia Project, has been spotted as far north as Rhode Island."

Their actual range goes all the way up and down the US eastern seaboard, around Florida, along the coast of Alabama, Missippi, Lousiana, Texas, Mexico, every Central American country along the way and the Eastern Coast of South America, so who is being duped about the manatee? I am sick of the tree huggers and their lies.

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

I read about "Chessie" a couple of years ago. It sounded entirely fabricated. having lived 8 years near the Cape Fear River (considerabley south of Rhode Island) I read that two manatees were spotted up the Norhteast Cape Fear River (unconfirmed) sometime in 1998. After 2 hurricanes nothing was ever reported about them again.

Point is, if they are spotted in New England, then the Chessapeak Bay has to be overrun with them - which is not the case.

In any event I remember (jokingly) commenting that someone ought to shoot those two up on the NC Cape Fear, or soon we will all have to cruise slowely all the time.

Can't say for sure if it was the hurricanes or good ole boys with deer guns, but whatever, I'm glad there were no more sitings.

Capt'n Bill

 

[Boss Lady]

If the tree huggers want to make a stink they should focus on the longliners who kill millions of pounds of fish as bycatch (Marlin, sea turtles, etc). They go around and count a few manatees and declare that they are going extinct. They don't even know how many there used to be in Florida. But Florida is not the only habitat for these animals. I guess other states are just not enlightened, because they are not suffering these idiots yet. I believe we should make reasonable attempts to preserve wildlife, but not get extreme. The turtle fanatics have gotten whole stretches of beach made off limits here in north carolina. I think they should pool their money and buy the land and then they can do what they want with it. Until then, shut up and let your neighbors enjoy their property. What gets me is that the same people who will tell you that we came from evolution and the whole survival of the fittest thing are the first ones to tell us we must protect the helpless, this is very hypocritical. If we are still evolving and it is survival of the fittest, then weaker species will go the way of the do do bird. No you can't have your cake and eat it too!

 

[MikeP]

creatures go extinct. It's the order of things. We have some stupid concept that we are trying to preserve the earth to be exactly as it is right now-same creatures, same temperature, etc. That has never happened before and it won't happen again. I recently saw where the earth's temp is the highest it's been for many thousands of years. Yeah? So what? It was higher than it is now during many climate cycles over it's history. There is an ice-age in our future as well. Wonder what we'll do about that? Legalize R-12 and Halon again?

It's like building houses on the dune areas like Fire Island in NY - these houses/islands WILL be destroyed by the ocean at some point. Yet we keep paying to have the dunes "rebuilt" to accomodate such foolishness. I have no problem with folks wanting to build wherever they wish but the fact that their house/property is destroyed at some point is not my problem or concern and the state/federal gov shouldn't be concerned either.

Oops - leaped right onto that soapbox...

 

[Capt K]

Come on, Mike. Not only are you on the soapbox again, but a politically INcorrect one at that. Relax, get a beer, and let's see if we can find some of those great filet-O-mantee steaks we Long Island Sound boaters all have in the freezer (haven't seen Chessie in a while, huh?).

For those of you with thin skin or tree-hugging tendencies, I'm only pulling your chain!

K

 

[67hat34c]

there is a sign in the marina bar/resteraunt. "I love Manatees, Taste like Chicken". The problem in FL is not killing manatees it is paving over the whole state.

 

[thoward]

They need to stop all the condo and beach front BS. While they are at I would like to get back my 20% homeowners surcharge that pays for their insurance. If you can not afford to loose it do not build it on the water. Where did all those old fish camps and marinas go? All these people come to Fla, like it and decide to stay. Well the price of land is getting out of hand so they buy condos on the water. That new condo stands on the sight where the 75 year old fish camp stood. Old Florida is all but gone, there are still a few places to go but for the most part the governments(local,state,Federal)have dropped the ball and over developed most of this great state . OK I'm done now carry on......

 

[Paul45c]

Yeah, old Florida is disappearing at a great rate. The cost of living in paradise, I guess. It's cool seeing the old 1930's & 40's pictures from around here. US 1 was just a 2-lane road, most of the land around was sugar sand and crabgrass, and yes, there were fishcamps all over the mainland and down into the Keys. And the fishing was supposed to be outstanding! You still see a few of the old school fishcamps. I just visited a friend up in Sebastian that had me trailer my small boat over to Honest John's Fish Camp on the river. That was as old school as you can get, complete with mangroves and mosquitoes . But it was a nice blast from the past where I didn't expect it.

 

[67hat34c]

I am a member of the Orange County Sportsman Assn. It is an old hunting and fishing camp on the Butler Chain of lakes. no longer hunting , not much fishing mostly rec boating now. the camp has been there since the 1920's they actualy are the ones that started the Fl Fish and game commission and still support it today. Butler chain of lakes had many small fish camps, some of the old boat houses are still there, but only a few. Now that lakes are covered with multi million dollar castles. Tiger woods, shaquile Oniel, and anyone else you can imagin has a house there. Shaq's house is one of the bigger ones, 50000 square feet or more. David Segal, time share king, is building one that is 100000 square feet plus. listed as the second largest home in US next to Biltmore. Anyhow it is all being developed. I grew up in Orlando, am 43 now and I can tell you it has realy changed. Lake in neighborhood was crystal clear and it was nothing to catch 5-10lb+bass but now if you are catching 1-2lb you are doing good and you cant see 12" below the water line. That ended in the early 80's.

 

[J's Dream]

I just visited a friend up in Sebastian that had me trailer my small boat over to Honest John's Fish Camp on the river. That was as old school as you can get, complete with mangroves and mosquitoes . But it was a nice blast from the past where I didn't expect it.

Paul...

It's a small world...I lived in Sunnyland Beach on the Honest John's canals for 10 great years. Too bad its too shallow in there for any Hatteras owner.

Jason

 

[MikeP]

Thanks K, I needed that.

I jumped heavily on a couple other soapboxes today - must be the weather!

Incidentally, I don't care much for manatee myself but I understand they make pretty good dog food, especially when mixed with chopped whale and some giant panda.

I may get a chance to find out about those manatee first hand - I will know by the end of the day whether Brigadoon's heading to a temporary new home in Charleston, SC within the next several weeks.