Marina study lacks data

BY TIMOTHY O'HARA

Citizen Staff

More information still is needed before the Monroe County Planning Commission can make recommendations on changes to the county's comprehensive plan and land development regulations that impact working waterfronts.

The Planning Commission on Wednesday postponed making recommendations on modifications to zoning restrictions on commercial waterfront property after complaints about missing data. Commissioners, along with commercial fishermen and marina and fish house owners, cited a lack of information on the inventory of waterfront space, available boat slips, and commercial and sport fishermen who use Florida Keys marinas.

Critics also complained the plan lacked tax incentives to encourage marina owners to not sell to developers, but maintain their properties as working waterfronts.

Marathon Boat Yard owner Bruce Popham and his wife, Sherry, who serves on the Planning Board, also raised concerns about provisions that marina owners have to protect only 30 percent of the upland property and 50 percent of dockage.

"I think it offers nothing," Sherry Popham said of the proposed changes. "It accomplishes nothing and does not protect what it is supposed to."

She was extremely critical of what is being proposed and lambasted a group of consultants working on a survey for the county for not providing enough data on working waterfronts. The county hired the South Florida Regional Planning Council and Florida Atlantic University to conduct a survey of working waterfront properties and make recommendations on how to protect them from upscale residential development.

Popham, the first to ask for the vote to be postponed, called the comprehensive plan "The Bible" of county land-use laws.

The county currently has a moratorium on the redevelopment of waterfront property. The moratorium has been in place for nearly two years. The proposed land development regulations and comprehensive plan changes did not have enough backup documents about how many boat slips and marinas have been lost in recent years and how many could be created in the future.

The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the County Commission. County marine planners hoped to have the Planning Commission make a decision this month, as they want to bring the changes before the state Department of Community Affairs — which oversees growth in Monroe County — by the end of this year, Senior Marine Planner Rich Jones said. They hoped to have the County Commission vote on the changes in late August or September, Jones said. The changes will go back before the Planning Board on July 25.

Stock Island Lobster Co. fish house owner Peter Bacle told the Planning Commission the zoning regulations won't save the Keys' commercial fishing industry. Commercial fishermen are facing a variety of threats, including state trap-reduction mandates, expansion of no-take and no-fish zones and higher costs for fuel and supplies. Bacle lobbied against putting restrictions on marina owners.

"I am the last one who has not cashed in," Bacle said of fellow Stock Island fish house and marina owners selling to developers. "It is becoming less profitable every year. ... I do it because I like what I do. ... I am not going to close it no matter what you do with your comp plan."

tohara@keysnews.com