Survey to evaluate effectiveness of city mooring pilot program

In 2009, Historic City News reported that St Augustine was one-of-five sites in Florida accepted into a pilot program granting temporary authority to regulate mooring in their jurisdictional waters through local ordinances.

In addition to St Augustine; St Petersburg, Sarasota, Martin County, and Monroe County were also given the opportunity to explore potential options for regulating the anchoring or mooring of non-live-aboard vessels outside the marked boundaries of public mooring fields.

“The authority given by the Florida Legislature under the pilot program will expire on July 1, 2014,” a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told Historic City News this morning. “All ordinances enacted under that temporary authority will be inoperative and unenforceable thereafter, unless re-enacted by the Legislature.”

The question that the Fish and Wildlife Commission needs to answer is, how effective has the anchoring and mooring pilot program been since the city put it into effect? Historic City News readers have the opportunity to respond, now through October 7th, through a brief online survey that should take approximately five to 10 minutes to complete.

“Your readers can help improve boating in Florida by providing their experiences as cruising boaters, local boaters or other residents who have experience with the state’s anchoring and mooring pilot program and related ordinances,” Historic City News was told. “Any input is greatly appreciated and your participation in the survey will help determine the effectiveness of the program and developed ordinances.”

To access the survey and for more information, follow this link.