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Cuda
10-29-2005, 10:19 AM
Boating speed limit considered for North Sarasota Bay
Mayor calls poker run ‘galling – toys of wealthy’ as cigarette boats issue blooms

By: Bob Ardren
Frustrated with what she called inaction by city staff, Mayor Mary Anne Servian grabbed a camera and started a little action herself two weeks ago as dozens of cigarette boats roared up and down Sarasota Bay as part of an event called a poker run.

At least one charity lawn party was drowned out by the noise of the poker run that Sunday, the mayor later told fellow city commissioners. And many members of the Sapphire Shores/Indian Beach Association complained of the noise – as they have been doing for years.

Meanwhile, the boaters left their trailers in the Van Wezel parking lot overnight – after first filling up the Centennial Park boat ramp parking lot – and leaving many of their trailers overnight there, too.

And they climbed the fence into the nearby lawn bowling courts to run hoses out to wash down their boats – draining their wash water into Sarasota Bay.

The mayor’s pictures documenting all this were later passed around to city staff.

“How do we get these folks to act neighborly?” the mayor asked.

Yvonne Lacey thinks she has an idea. A longtime waterfront homeowner on the North Bay, Lacey has enlisted the help of County Commissioner Nora Patterson in hopes of putting “a reasonable” speed limit of 50 miles an hour on boats in North Bay.

Lacy says she and the Sapphire Shores/Indian Beach Association – of which she is a member – have been complaining for more than two years about the noise and damage high-speed cigarette boats make as they run up and down the bay. Association President Dick Clapp confirmed, “It’s been at least two years; I remember discussing it at a semi-annual meeting in 2003.”

“It’s horrific noise,” Lacey explained. “But let’s be clear, our beef is not the once-a-year offshore race, but the testing the rest of the year that goes on so many afternoons on the bay.

“The racers come to Sarasota and use our bay to set up their props and then go race somewhere else. The reason they do it here is because most communities won’t allow it.” She added that many of the cigarette boats are running well over 100 miles an hour during their testing.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” Lacey said.

Asked what he thought about a 50-mile-an-hour speed limit, City Manager Mike McNees said, “The only way my boat will ever go 50 miles an hour is on a trailer being pulled by a truck. Fifty miles an hour sounds like a reasonable request to me.”

McNees said the city is asking its parks board to take a look at the possible environmental damage being done by high-speed boats running in the North Bay. “We have three possible regulatory tracks,” McNees said, “environmental, noise and speed – and we’re exploring them all.”

One approach is having legislation passed on the state level to regulate speeds in the North Bay, but Lacey said her research shows it can be accomplished on the county level, and County Commissioner Nora Patterson has offered to champion it there – but only if officially requested by the city.

Servian made the same point in a recent memorandum to city staff: “Rather than wait for a change to state legislation to regulate noise on the water, why not take control and regulate this ourselves?”

That’s exactly what Commissioner Lou Ann Palmer is planning. She said Tuesday that, “We’ll pass a resolution or motion on the matter – whatever staff recommends.”

However, Palmer pointed out she doesn’t want to elminate special events such as the offshore races. “We’ll exempt special events such as the offshore races,” she said. “But we’ll eliminate what’s been going on and on and on for years now.”

The city commission plans to receive Lacey’s and the neighborhood’s request at its Nov. 7 meeting, and if approved along with its staff report, it will go on to the county commission, which has the legal authority to set a North Bay speed limit.

onesubdrvr
10-29-2005, 10:40 AM
Joe,

I have to tell you, that woman done pissed me off. I just don't get it, you have community park concerts that are louder than our boats - and very few people complain about those. I do respect people (basically sunrise to sunset as it wouldn't be my favorite way to wake up to a bunch of our boats gunning the throttles). I guess more that anything, it was the tone it which it was written, like we are all a bunch of inconsidderate, dangerous a-holes when although that holds true for some groups, I dare say it doesn't hold true for the majority. And the fact, they don't own the water anymore than you or I. I sware some people need to let go of that piece of coal between their ass cheeks!! I wonder how that woman would feel if we banned shuffleboard tournaments due to the eyesore of the clothing of it's competitors!! I mean black socks up to the knees and sandles please! I don't let me get into the danger of that group on our highways!

Wayne

ChromeGorilla
10-29-2005, 11:04 AM
Hmmmm..... these would be the same waters Donzi tests on...... I would bet they have an opinion on this....... it's a shame..... the few will once again afect the many.......

MOP
10-29-2005, 01:39 PM
A thought to try to calm the fray a little may be to suggest a marked area set aside for testing a speed lane. The noise thing is hard to fight I hear rumbling/grumbling from many places, only those associated with the sport/hobby like it. The general public really does not like the distraction, just watch the flaming stares a loud boat gets when it passes a group of non/regular boating people. I hang out at Claudio's which has a big draw for hot boats usually most every dock space has a 1000HP boat sitting in it, it is rare not to hear someone bitch about the noise while having their lunch/diner. True all heads turn but many in disgust, we will loose our rights sooner or later. Just a few weeks ago I found out they passed a 50MPH speed on our bays, what pissed me off is I am in the marine business and had not heard one word about it. I started asking marina owners and the like, no joke only 1 out of about 15 knew anything. To me that is like a trap the officials not publicly posting the adopted speed limit, in speaking to legal beagle friend they may have in fact broken a law or two with no public notification he said he would look into it. He said try to get a ticket so he could make an issue of it, maybe next spring the Beast is going to sleep for now.

Phil

TuxedoPk
10-29-2005, 04:06 PM
I believe that our boats are a form of noise pollution and to a degree support efforts to restrict their sound (not speed). It seems to me that if a town has a decibal level for noise pollution on land, that should be the same decibal level for noises heard on the shoreline originating on the boats on the water- be it engine noise or music.

Powerboaters would have the choice to muffle their noise, run at slower speeds, or run further from land.

Woodsy
10-31-2005, 07:21 AM
Welcome to our world..... it sux!


Woodsy

mattyboy
10-31-2005, 07:47 AM
I think Lawn parties were buffy and miffy eat quiche and drink french vodka and wear their lil tennis outfits with the alligators crest or the guy riding a polo pony should be outlawed as an insult to good taste and human decency or atleast exposed for their hypocracy to uphold their rights and take away others rights those people don't deserve the air around them.


You live near train tracks you got to expect a train to come by every so often??

I never understood people by a house on a lake or body of water then try and change the laws to make it a personal private lake
Hey the guy pulling out at 6am with the truhulls going deserves a beating from everyone including us loud donzi owners, or the guy pulling a skier at 6am 20 feet from shore

Make being an idiot illegal first

and the allure of a Donzi is not only speed and styling it is also the way they sound, the three can't be seperated.

"so go sell crazy somewhere else we all stocked up here"

mattyboy
10-31-2005, 07:53 AM
thanks got me all fired up on a Monday morning where the hell are my blood pressure pills,,,

a charity lawn party perhaps these people should look up all the charity donations by poker runs and cigarette type boaters!!!!!

mattyboy
10-31-2005, 07:59 AM
these are the same people who hire illegal aliens to run leaf blowers 8am on a sunday

TuxedoPk
10-31-2005, 09:27 AM
I think Lawn parties were buffy and miffy eat quiche and drink french vodka and wear their lil tennis outfits with the alligators crest or the guy riding a polo pony should be outlawed as an insult to good taste and human decency or atleast exposed for their hypocracy to uphold their rights and take away others rights those people don't deserve the air around them.

Make being an idiot illegal first


Matty- ROFL. Great description of the Park.


The jails are full enough already

joseph m. hahnl
10-31-2005, 08:08 PM
Oh those poor baby's.!!!! That mean old boat is to loud and oh my goodness it is too fast. LAKE WINNI HUH!!!!!!!! they are passing a speed limit of 45 mph on all lakes and rivers in New Hampshire. Speed is irelivent seeing is how the speed limit is 6 mph within 150 feet of anything. I would agree that it is the sound not the speed that is driving these proposterous laws. But if your boat is complience "thats their tough f'n sht". What I find to be funny is most run abouts don't go over 35 to 40 mph. The people making these laws have never been in a boat that goes over 45mph. They act like it is so dangerous to go 60mph. Us who have been there' know it is not a big deal. Unless the rope wasn't the only thing you tied on. what really irritates me the most is that these people who own water front property have for years been dumping their sewerage in our lakes and ponds, not to mention the structures inhibit the natural beauty of the lake. So here's What I think. It should be illegal to build any structure within a mile of any water body. That way the crying little babys wont here our boats and I don't have to look at there crappy house on our lakes "Notice how I said OUR" Doesn't matter if your from Florida or Texas my lake is your lake. joe

TuxedoPk
10-31-2005, 09:05 PM
"Speed is irelivent seeing is how the speed limit is 6 mph within 150 feet of anything."

This really stinks for blow boaters.... It takes a lot more physical work to change sail shape to drop speed than just pushing up on the throttle Theoretically this could mean having to drop your spinnaker on a run :cistineb:

joseph m. hahnl
11-01-2005, 05:39 PM
"Speed is irelivent seeing is how the speed limit is 6 mph within 150 feet of anything."

This really stinks for blow boaters....

Sorry Tux: I guess you got to drop the sheet! The law doesn't state it as a power boat but a "vessel" which means sail boats are'nt exempt. Nor row boats for that matter:rlol:

If your sail boat can go 45 mph you should put a muffler on that too:confused:


joe

Speed-Racer
11-02-2005, 03:41 PM
Mattyboy I'm with you on that one. They are trying to make it their own private water way...might as well make it a no-wake zone. Like other properties it comes with it's responsibilities and drawbacks of living there.... such as living near an airport, train tracks or on a beach. In the Sarasota Bay you don't ever run close to shore anyways except for a very short stretch on the north end about 2 miles.....so it wouldn't be an ear piercing loudness anyways....:mad:

....And why can't they understand it's not the speed it's the exhaust....the slower you go the longer it lasts...

Cuda
11-02-2005, 04:34 PM
I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine from Sarasota, who is an avid powerboater. He had a fifteen minute conversation with Commisioner Palmer. She told him she found out that a lot of things that were reported to her were untrue; for instance; she found the day the poker run was held wasn't even the same day the charitable cook out was held. He said she was pissed about being lied to, and made her look like a fool. She canceled the vote that was supposed to take place Monday, and instead, the President of our boat club, a representative of the racers, and another boater have been invited to discuss it on Wednesday. She says she wants answers to why she was deceived at that meeting.

She also attended a poker run my buddy put on a couple years ago. Here she is with my buddy Russ.

smokediver
11-02-2005, 04:56 PM
all florida waterways already have a speed limit ... i hope they do raise the current 30 mph to 50 mph .... that would be great !

Cuda
11-02-2005, 05:20 PM
all florida waterways already have a speed limit ... i hope they do raise the current 30 mph to 50 mph .... that would be great !
Actually, here's a fact I just recently found out. There is a prop company that does it's testing in Boca Ciega Bay, which has speed limits. I asked how they did it without being ticketed. They said because the speed limit only applies to the channel. I didn't know that, and apparently, neither did the Grouper Trooper who pulled them over. He found they were right, and didn't issue the ticket.

chip w
11-10-2005, 04:20 PM
Glad to hear that someone talked to Palmer and that she's open minded.

I love living in Florida. These same poeple that b*tch and complain are the ones that drive three miles with a pedestrian through their windshield and claim that they must have fallen out of the sky, or drive down the sidewalk someplace like Naples, or broadside my buddy whose in the hospital with a dozen broken bones including a broken neck.

Sorry, this crap gets me wound up! :kaioken: Hope they get defeated!:fire:

smokediver
11-11-2005, 05:28 AM
Out of the channel speed is no wake . there was a time when fishing charter captains could run faster than the channel speed but that has since gone away . It all boils down to how they enforce the present rules . It kinda makes me laugh when politicians try to apease certain people at the expense of the masses . Here in Naples there is a push to make all of naples bay a no wake zone . The city council has approved that concept but they are going to have to prove a reason why ... Not from a human point but they have to show a need as to put new signage in the bay ! The trade association here is poised to take the city to court over the matter . It is a fact that there hasn't been an accident in Naples bay with serious injuries for 9 years . Manatees don't come up into the bay as the city hasn't gotten a hold on run off polution . bottom line .... the rich folks don't want to hear boats ... I would like to see what would happen if a group of people on a golf course tried to have golfing banned .... or putters only holes !

need for speed
11-11-2005, 07:20 AM
Yeah..!! they need to leave Naples bay alone with the rest of them... Naples is already bad with it's weekend rules.. and 10-5 BS... all because the people with the big $ have the last say!! More deaths on US 41 with all the old farts maybe we should make 41 15 mph so grand Dad can make it to Perkins in his Crown Vic... :fire: Boats are here to saty they can move if they don;t like it. Just like My G.F / Laurie's apartment can't have a pick up truck over night rules... o boy.... let just say it satys anyways and they really don't like me:>) people need to 'leave things alone that don;t hurt anyone!.. Naples bay is very safe, been boating on the bay since i was 6 years old in a 13 boston whaler!!

Manatees /chicken.