FWC rejects its own staff's speed-zone plan

Palm Coast Observer
News

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, at a June 8 meeting, rejected its own staff's manatee speed-zone proposal revisions, sending officials back to work with Flagler County staff.

Flagler County’s Local Rule Review Committee and the FWC have been in zone negotiations since June 21, 2010, with manatee disputes tracing back more generally for about a decade.

From an initial FWC proposal zoning 6.7 miles of Flagler’s 18.6-mile waterway, the county has since negotiated down to 3.8 miles. Both parties have also agreed to shorten warm season from seven months to four, May through September.

According to the FWC’s proposal, the recommended zones were revised to eliminate impacts to Sea Ray operations. The revisions would increase transit time in zone areas by about 22 minutes.

The county offered modifications to FWC’s proposal.

In the middle zone — north and south of Lehigh Canal — a .75-mile extension was proposed. In the southern zone, a .96-mile decrease was proposed to the slow zone, by moving south the northern limit from about 20th Street South. in Flagler Beach, to 25th Street South.

According to County Administrator Craig Coffey, however, speed zones are only a part of manatee protection.

“I’m struggling a little bit to understand why zones are needed in our county,” he said. “(But) the county will honor its commitments, and come forth with something that might be a win-win for everybody.”

A win-win, from a county standpoint, is a plan more multi-faceted. Included in Coffey’s proposal letter to FWC was a Manatee Protection Plan, including up to $30,000 allocated from general revenue. The plan also includes a Boating Facility Siting Plan, which will guide development away from sensitive marine resources.

FWC identified Flagler for review due to the scope of its coastal development growth in the last 10 years, and the resultant increases in requests for construction of boat access facilities. Its study was based on data including sighting, telemetry, boat use and mortality rate.

But county officials, including Tim Telfer, environmental planner, feel FWC’s data can be misleading because Flagler waters serve only as a middle passage for manatees, not feeding or birthing grounds.

Coffey said that Flagler has been denied boating permits by the state because of inadequate zone systems.

“You have counties with twice our population, three times as many vessels … and they’re getting permits, and they’re killing manatees left and right,” Coffey said. “It’s a fairness issue that we really have a problem with.”

Flagler County averages fewer than one boat-related manatee death a year.

Contact Mike Cavaliere at mike@palm coastobserver.com.