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Home My WebLink AboutR-1991-133 RESOLUTION NO. 133-91 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DANIA, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING THE POSITION OF THE DANIA MARINE ADVISORY BOARD RELATING TO THE PROPOSED MANATEE PROTECTION/BOATING SAFETY TASK FORCE DRAFT RULES AS SUBMITTED TO THE BROWARD COUNTY COMMISSION; PROVIDING FOR DISTRIBUTION AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DANIA, FLORIDA: Section 1 . That the City Commission of the City of Dania, Florida hereby endorses and supports the position of the Dania Marine Advisory Board relating to the Manatee Protection/Boating Safety Task Force Draft �j Rules as set forth in the Marine Advisory Board's letter dated October 28, 1991, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" . Section 2 . That the city commission is of the opinion that j imposition of the daytime and holiday speed limits as recommended by the K.. u � task force is an ineffective way to deal with the existing condition. in addition, the city commission is extrememly concerned about the economic impact that the suggested regulations would cause to the marine industry I as well as to the City of Dania. Section 3. That the city commission does hereby strongly urge Broward County to reject the recommendations of the task force, and that the county continue the study of this matter to find more realistic alternative ways to accomplish the desired results. Section 4 . That a copy of this resolution, with attachment, be furnished by mail to each member of the Broward County Commission and to such others as designated by the city manager. Resolution No. 133-91 t RESOLUTION NO. 133-91 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DANIA, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING THE POSITION OF THE DANIA MARINE ADVISORY BOARD RELATING TO THE PROPOSED MANATEE PROTECTION/BOATING SAFETY TASK FORCE DRAFT RULES AS SUBMITTED TO THE BROWARD COUNTY COMMISSION; PROVIDING FOR DISTRIBUTION AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DANIA, FLORIDA: Section 1. That the City Commission of the City of Dania, Florida hereby endorses and supports the position of the Dania Marine Advisory Board relating to the Manatee Protection/Boating Safety Task Force Draft -1 Rules as set forth in the Marine Advisory Board' s letter dated October .yj 28, 1991, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" . ;i 3 Section 2. That the city commission is of the opinion that imposition of the daytime and holiday speed limits as recommended by the task force is an ineffective way to deal with the existing condition. In addition, the city commission is extrememly concerned about the economic impact that the suggested regulations would cause to the marine industry as well as to the City of Dania. Section 3. That the city commission does hereby strongly urge Broward County to reject the recommendations of the task force, and that the county continue the study of this matter to find more realistic alternative ways to accomplish the desired results. Section 4 . That a copy of this resolution, with attachment, be furnished by mail to each member of the Broward County Commission and to such others as designated by the city manager. Resolution No. 133-91 L f t Section 5. That this resolution shall be in force and take effect immediately upon its passage and adoption. PASSED and ADOPTED on this 12th day of November 1991. 57 MAYOR ISSIONER ATTEST: CITY CLERK - AUDITOR APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS Mr, BY: (. • C4 --- 1' Frank C. Adler, City Attorney ri it k� I -2- 4: 1 y r . OfT�tECl� �`�✓ " 0 CITY OF DANIA Phone: 921-8700 E„ w P.O. BOX 1708 �~ DANIA,FLORIDA 33004 FLO RJph October 28, 1991 Honorable Robert Mikes, Mayor Dania City Hall ! Dania, Florida 33004 Re: Manatee Protection/Boating Safety Task Force Draft Rules Dear Mayor Mikes: On October 23, 1991, the City of Dania Marine Advisory Board met to review the draft rules prepared by the Broward County Manatee Protection/Boating Safety Task Force. This matter has been the subject of extensive discussions at previous meetings of our board and we have assembled a considerable amount of documentation covering ! the various facets of this� i problem. At this time, we are simply notifying you of our concerns regarding the imminent approval of the subject rules by the County Commission. There are several factors that we feel have NOT been sufficiently researched: 1) Although the manatee is listed as an endangered species, there is significant scientific data supporting the point that boat traffic has NOT contributed significantly to the annual death rate of manatees in Florida, especially Southern Florida. 2) Of those incidents where boat traffic has been a factor in manatee deaths, there were already sufficient laws in force limiting boat speed limits to idle or "no wake" speeds. 3) Boating is recognized as the second most significant industry in Broward County, with over 28 marinas and boat repair facilities within the city limits of Dania, alone. Indeed, the number one industry, tourism, has significant carry-over to the boating industry, where Broward County inouorder toketake point of advantage visiting of the boating facilities the County offers. One marina alone has an annual payroll approximating $61000, 000.00. Extensive research documenting boating' s contribution to the County's tax base and the amount of dollars distributed by the boating public is being assembled for presentation to the commission. EXHIBIT "A" page 2, Continued - Manatee protection/Boating Safety 4 ) The current draft proposes to limit boat speeds of ALL inland waterways to an unacceptable level. Such limits will severely restrict the capability of the boating public to traverse the extensive distances commonly required in a timely manner. 5 ) Alternative solutions have not been adequately researched. The potential of installing "closed loop,, cooling systems or "at sea" discharge of heated cooling water at the various FPL plants in the county would admittedly be expensive. But, this expense may pale in comparison to the long term lost income to the County's boating industry and the County itself should these rules be recommended for approval by the County Commission to the Governor and his cabinet. Scientific studies have demonstrated that manatees cannot find significant forage within Broward County waters, that the grass beds that comprise the primary portion of their diet currently exist only in limited areas in Palm Beach County and extensive areas of Biscayne Bay. a The only reason the manatees travel to the Broward waters adjacent to power plants is due to their being �# attracted by the warm discharge waters of these plants . It is reasonable to expect that, should the discharge of this heated water be eliminated, this would have q the greatest effect towards limiting the manatees ' j y exposure to boating traffic. We highly recommend that the FULL implications to the community at large resulting from the severe actions proposed by the Manatee Protection/Boating Safety Task Force be considered. The punishment not only does not fit the crime, but there are questions whether this solution will provide any significant aid to the manatees, themselves. Moreover, solutions that DO EXIST have not been fully considered, largely due to their expense. The bottom line is that the long term expense to the County will be much greater, with an industry that is holding its own when others are failing, even in these troubled times, may not be able to cope, much to the disadvantage of the County and the public at large. Sincerely, W. A. "Bill Hill, Chairman Marine Advisory Board WH/ns �. y i i i