Boat mooring in Longbeach Village questioned

Two St. Petersburg residents that enjoy boating around Longboat Key have lodged a boat docking complaint at Town Hall.

St. Petersburg residents Paul Tournier and Aleth Voarick sent an April 29 email to Mayor Jack Duncan, informing him they are having trouble docking between Moore’s Stonecrab Restaurant and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub in Longbeach Village.

“Over the last 25 years, we and our boating friends have had the pleasure of sailing down and anchoring in a small cove opposite Mar Vista and Moore’s, experiencing the pleasure of a nice trip from St. Pete and good meals and drinks at these restaurants,” Tournier wrote in the email. “But this past week is the third time we and two other boats had to pass up stopping because there isn’t any space to anchor to allow for proper swing room for boats over 35-feet.”

Tournier cited the approximately 12 sailboats anchored off the shore of Longboat Key in the area that they call “permanent residents of that anchorage.”

Tournier also questions whether the boats are safe.

“I’m sure the loss of our business to the two restaurants is a minor point and we now go to Marina Jacks,” Tournier wrote. “But it really is a shame to see a beautiful anchorage become a floating slum.”

Police have received complaints about boaters docking their boats in the area overnight for years.

Vessels are generally allowed to stay overnight in the town’s waterways as long as they have sufficient lighting. But a town code prohibits a person from mooring a boat for more than 72 hours in a 30-day period unless he moors at a commercial marina or yacht club.

The Longboat Key Police Department's code enforcement officer will likely review the complaint.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].