- July 15, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Sarasota County is suspending its plans to implement a licensing program to control access for charter fishing and sightseeing boats to public parks with water access.
At its June 4 meeting, the Sarasota County Commission unanimously agreed when some of its boat launch and tie-up facilities have damage or out of commission, one for at least the next two years, now is not the time to place further restrictions on charter operators.
It's been a long-simmering issue of private charters using public county docks and launches to pick up and drop off customers. Not to mention filling up limited parking spaces at the parks.
In April 2024, the commission approved the creation of a task force to study the issue and recommend a licensing process for the use of public facilities.
In September 2024, the task force presented a plan for a bidding process, starting at $1,200 each, for a total of 124 permits across three “zones” with a limit of two permits per operator per zone.
The North Zone, which includes Turtle Beach Public Boat Ramp and Nora Patterson Bay Island Park, would issue 37 permits; the Mid-County Zone, including Nokomis Beach Public Boat Ramp, Nokomis Beach Park and Loreto Court Bay Access 48 permits; and the South Zone, comprised of Snook Haven Park, Indian Mound Park and Marina Park and Boat Ramp 39 permits.
The commission approved the plan by a 4-1 vote, instructing staff to craft an ordinance to be considered at a future public hearing. The program does not include municipally owned parks that provide water access for boats.
Then came one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton, leaving not only damage to many of the county-owned docks, bulkheads and ramps, but also temporarily leaving the charter fishing and sightseeing tour industry in shambles.
Fewer access points result from damage to or closure of several other city and privately owned facilities—including Harts Landing under the Ringling Bridge—which exacerbates the situation.
“I think we can delay the process a little bit for our fishermen, our charter captains in the community, and to allow your staff and your capital projects team to do what they do,” said commission Chairman Joe Neunder after receiving a status report on the docks and launches from Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler.
How long a “little bit” of a delay in implementing a licensing program is unclear. Commissioner Mark Smith suggested at least six months, but no time frame is in place on bringing the matter back to the commission.
Meanwhile, captains of larger charter boats and the so-called “six packs” — watercraft limited to six occupants — are finding increasingly crowded conditions at the city, county and private facilities that remain open, some not yet operating at prior capacity.
“Thousands of people a day are looking online in this area for charters,” said Danielle Nutten, who owns Osprey-based Salty Adventure Boat Tours and its four boats. “You have to understand what that need is because all of those businesses, all of these little six-pack charters, they need a place to pick up people. When I came through Big Pass (recently) there were no less than 10 boats sitting in the pass tarpon fishing.”
Already popular prior to 2020, the pandemic launched local charter boat tourism to greater heights, bringing more operators to take advantage of the spike in Florida visitors. That placed more strain on the public facilities and, most significantly, parking space. As more operators brought more customers to limited docks, residents visiting the parks or hoping to launch their personal boats there had nowhere to park their vehicles.
Thus the impetus to license — and therefore limit — charter operators.
The problem, Nutten said, is the community’s inability to meet the demand of the lifestyle it is selling to new residents.
“Some days, Tuesday through Friday, it's completely dead, but then on the weekends everyone wants to use their boats,” Nutten said. “We're selling this boating lifestyle here, and then there's no place for them to go. Where are you going to keep your boat? The marinas are all sold out. There are very few lots where you can store your boats, so you're going to have to keep it on a trailer, and then you're going to have to launch it. What's available for you?”
While charter captains remain in recovery mode after months of lost business following the 2024 hurricanes, the county works at the speed of government to regain its previous limited water access capacity.
“Most of our water access parks definitely took a beating last fall, and we are working diligently on how to get them up and operational,” Rissler told commissioners.
For example:
“It's time to now show grace to this industry that's such an important part of our economy and represents so many small businesses that put their food on the table by this very valuable industry,” Sherman Baldwin, a member of the advisory task force who also owns and operates Harts Landing, told commissioners. “Delay it for a moment. Give us a chance to breathe. Harts Landing is going to be three years on. Let's delay anything that would further hurt the industry.”
Navigating the post-hurricane charter boat challenges requires some patience and cooperation among the captains. AJ Grande, who owns Grande Charter Fishing, is a single-boat, six-pack operator who largely uses Nora Patterson Park off Siesta Key to pick up and return customers.
Even with reduced access, he said he finds Nora Patterson is manageable, but only if captains are sensitive to the needs of their colleagues.
“Everyone has gotten a little more respectful of the small pick-up dock as opposed to what it used to be with people tying up for 15 or 20 minutes while waiting on their customers or filleting fish there,” Grande said. “It seems like people are a little more mindful and filet their fish (elsewhere in the park) or idle around until customers are ready to be picked up instead of tying off and waiting.”
Grande doesn’t rely only on Nora Patterson Park, and once the county does implement the licensing program, he has an alternative plan.
“I've already figured out different places I can pick up, like New Pass Bait Shop (on City Island), for example,” he said. “I’ve already got that lined up so I can pick up my clients there.”
For Nutter, the access limitations run far beyond inconvenience of charter operators. In 2023, there were more than 23,000 registered boat owners in Sarasota County with even larger numbers in Manatee and Charlotte counties. A majority of them, she said, will trailer their boats not only from within the county, but from inland as well. Add to that the need for boat manufacturers and repair companies that need to float test watercraft, jet ski rental companies and others — all jockeying for limited launch access and trailer parking.
And now, with eventually a limit of 124 charter operator permits, a crucial component of the local tourism industry will face additional challenges.
“I’m a taxpaying citizen,” she said. “You’re telling me I can’t use my ramp? What does it matter whether I’m putting five of my friends on board or I’m putting a charter on board?”
