Anchorage Ordinance Setting Sail

Sarasota’s City Commissioners aren’t dropping their own anchors yet on a proposed anchoring ordinance and have directed staff to set sail on the ordinance language.

City Attorney Robert Fournier and other city staff will now prepare an ordinance to present to the commission based on Monday night’s testimony by six people and city staff at the commission’s meeting.

The city elected in 2009 to take place in a state pilot program to regulate where boats and ships can drop anchor in city waters outside a designated mooring field, but to have the program, the city must have a mooring field, and if it chooses to participate, an ordinance must be approved to regulate anchoring, Fournier explained.

These are the parameters that the city are starting with:

• Boats cannot drop anchor closer than 150 feet to the mooring field

• Boats cannot remain stationary for 90 days, and would have to prove they can operate on their own or else would be tagged for removal. An anchoring light is being considered to help show what boats are active.

Another city law on the books that will also be addressed is regulating that boats cannot anchor within 500 feet of residential property, Fournier said. That law isn’t being enforced, partially because of the state law that stripped municipalities from regulating anchoring and mooring in their own waters.

That’s proposed to change to 150 feet, he said, and a 12-hour time limit.

However, Achim Ginsberg-Klemmt, author of “The Complete Anchoring Handbook,” asked the city to clarify that for properties, such as his, that have submerged land. Does the distance go from the property line, which is not visible, or by the shore?

“This isn’t interfering with anyone’s navigation,” Commissioner Shannon Snyder said. “This is strictly about anchoring and common decency. I think 150 feet is a reasonable distance.”

That part is key because “the only valid anchorage we had wasn’t eligible to be anchored,” said Tony Russo, the city’s project manager for the mooring fields and anchoring ordinance. That area is in Sarasota Bay by Otter Key, he said, going north diagonally to New College.

The city doesn’t want to discourage visitors from cruising into the city and use amenities at Marina Jack, Fournier said.

Ronald Ward, president of Golden Gate Condominium Association, said his residents push for regulations to protect the health of Sarasota Bay, remove derelict boats and to encourage people to use the mooring fields so they can properly dispose tier trash.

“We have 15 to 20 boaters who just don’t give a damn, and I resent that, and I resent that because it’s polluting our waters,” he said.

The mooring field is like a floating parking lot for boats where anchored balls are rented for boats to tie themselves to. The city is working on building that field, which will be managed by Marina Jack.

Boater Harmon Heed doesn’t see why the ordinance is needed when police are patrolling waters and removing derelict boats.

“If we have to have an ordinance, I would hope the ordinance is as benign as possible,” he said.

Bayfront Harbor Community Association President Ken DeLacy outlined to the commissioners a list of city codes that could be enforceable to solve the anchoring issue, and also suggested a speed limit for the bayfront.

He has seen boats come into the bay at 60 mph and it’s not safe for people on stand-up paddle boards, and there’s no way a manatee could get out of the way.

The ordinance would be presented to the commission in a future meeting and be up for public hearing, and probably the same for a second reading, after the state reviews the ordinance, Fournier said.

The commissioners can continue to make changes to the ordinance, he said.