March 12, 2012
By David Conway
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is requesting public comment on proposed anchoring and mooring ordinances for the city of St. Petersburg and city of Stuart/Martin County.
Both areas were chosen as sites for a legislatively directed anchoring and mooring pilot program, as were the city of St. Augustine; Marathon and Key West partnering with Monroe County; and the city of Sarasota.
The goal of the program is to explore potential options for regulating the anchoring or mooring of non-live-aboard vessels outside the boundaries of public mooring fields. Among other things, the program should help promote public access to Florida's waters, enhance navigational safety and protect the marine environment.
The city and/or county government for each participant site is responsible for soliciting public input for the ordinance-development process. These participants have held public-input meetings to gather suggestions and information on local problems related to anchoring and mooring in the area.
The FWC's role is to provide consultation and technical assistance. St. Petersburg and Stuart/Martin ordinances have been posted at MyFWC.com/Boating (click on “Anchoring & Mooring”), where members of the public are asked to provide comments through March 18. For more information on the pilot program, call 850-488-5600.
