Commission agrees to reconfigure Lighthouse Point docks

The owners of 15 of the 16 properties in Lighthouse Point want their boat moorings reconfigured. They recorded a video voicing their support and screened it for the Longboat Key Planning & Zoning Board and Longboat Key Town Commission.

The P&Z Board approved the Lighthouse Point Association’s request to amend the town’s codes, reconfiguring eight boat slips to place four on each dock in June.

And while the Longboat Key Town Commission agreed on first reading and public hearing to amend the code to reconfigure the moorings at its Sept. 12 meeting, the commission docked the request slightly. The commission voted on an amendment that would allow seven boat slips, voting to eliminate the left-most slip. The plan called for increasing the projection of the community’s two docks into the waterway by 59.6 feet, allowing for a total dock area of 1,891 square feet. The request would increase the dock space by 10 feet in length and 480 square feet.

Commissioner Lynn Larson suggested the compromise after hearing from Lighthouse Point homeowner Buzz Schaberg, who worried that the plan would block his view and increase activity outside his home.
“It affects not only our lifestyle but also our property value,” Schaberg said.

But many Lighthouse Point residents attended the meeting to voice their support, including Denise Saputo, who told the commission that she frequently has difficulty taking her boat out at low tide because of the current configuration.

Supporters of the amendment say that it will not only improve mooring access but also result in greater protection of surrounding seagrass.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].