Town manager docks Village boat issue

Village resident Joe Mazza presented a petition of 111 signatures in March to Town Manager Dave Bullock. The petition urged the town to monitor a sliver of town-owned property along Sarasota Bay to the south of the Linley Street boat ramp off of Bayside Drive that’s been used as a place to store and launch small boats, canoes and kayaks for years. 

Mazza and others believe the vessels, some of which are tied or locked up, are unsightly and create a parking problem. 

Although Bullock agreed to look into the issue, he told the Longboat Key Town Commission at its May 4 regular meeting he doesn’t want to hold a workshop item on the matter until more Villagers can participate in the discussion in the fall.

“I think we’re reaching the point in the year when we lose residents for the summer,” he said. “I would like to hold on this action until the fall so I get better input from residents.”

Bullock said it’s important for public participation because boats have been allowed to be stored on the public property for years, even though an ordinance prohibits boat storage at other parks and public property throughout the Key. 

“What makes this area unique is it (boat storage) has been in practice for years before an ordinance was in place,” Bullock said. “We should move cautiously because of the decades of open public use of this property that was previously never questioned.”

The petition urges the town to enforce a town ordinance that prohibits any items left secured or stored on public property.

“This has not been strictly enforced in the Village,” the petition states. “In the past few years this area has now accumulated dozens of kayaks, dinghies and personal effects on the beach. Many residents would like this ordinance enforced, clearing the beach of all permanent and temporary boat storage to return it to its natural beauty and ensure there is an unencumbered area for residents, visitors, children and their dogs to safely enjoy.”

Another reason it’s important for an extensive public debate next season is because some Villagers have questioned the petition. 

Village resident Fred Kagi sent an email to Mayor Jack Duncan last month explaining that many residents in the Village support the boat area on town property as it exists. 

 “I feel very strongly that this is a bad move for this Village and know that there are many others who feel the same way,” Kagi wrote. “The number of signatures on the petition represents only a small fraction of the Village population, and I would appreciate it if you took this into consideration when making any decision concerning this matter. I feel the kayaks add to the ambience of the Village and are a real convenience for the residents.”

Kagi also says the petition was signed by some people more than once and by some people who aren’t Village residents. Kagi says others thought they were only signing for the removal of what’s perceived as derelict boats moored off the shore.

“Why now after 20-plus years is this area all the sudden a problem?” Kagi wrote in an April 13 follow-up letter to Bullock. 

Kagi suggests that if the boats are an issue, the town should consider allowing boat owners to pay a fee for a boat sticker that allows them to store boats there or purchase kayak bins that could be placed in more obscure locations on the property. 

Duncan said the issue is contentious and needs to be addressed at the proper time. 

“We have to make a formal lasting decision so we don’t hear about this again three years or so down the line like we do with the peacock issue,” Duncan said.