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A dispute over cutting mangroves could threaten a lease with St. Petersburg.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG -- Raised 18 inches off the water by diesel-powered jets, a hovercraft is designed to glide on a cushion of air.
The vessel knows no obstacles. But the man determined to bring hovercraft service to Tampa Bay has clashed repeatedly with city and county officials over the past two years.
Bob Wagner, 45, is now fighting to win an important contract from Pinellas County for exclusive rights to ferry people from Fort De Soto Park. The County Commission is scheduled to make a decision April 1.
The ex-Marine Corps interrogator said the contract would already be his if it weren't for a disagreement over some mangroves he is accused of chopping down behind his Weedon Island home.
The incident prompted the county to slap a lien on his home. Officials don't deny the dispute was a factor when the contract was first considered.
"There was the thought, 'Do we really want to be doing business with someone we still have these issues with?' " said Jewel Cole, senior assistant county attorney.
The history of friction between the businessman and Pinellas County dates to 2000, when Wagner was cited on charges of working without a dredging permit and cutting down mangrove trees, which are protected by the county.
Rather than fight the accusations, Wagner paid a $3,500 fine. The county also required him to submit a plan for replanting the mangroves behind his sea wall.
Wagner said he submitted the necessary documents. But the county still filed the lien, which prevented him from refinancing his home this year.
Cole said the county had to be convinced the trees would be replanted before the lien could be released. County staff members are reviewing Wagner's plans and working to resolve the issue, she said.
Cole also recently notified Wagner that he needs a docking permit to keep his hovercraft at the Pier in St. Petersburg. If he fails to comply, it could threaten his one-year lease with the city.
That was the last straw for Wagner. In an angry e-mail to the county, he accused Cole of harassment.
"Jewel wants me in a cage indefinitely, and believes she can do with me as she pleases. If this is the case, it would indeed be a travesty," Wagner wrote.
The hovercraft, 36 feet long and bright yellow, is moored at a floating platform covered with canvas and tethered to the sea wall. Called a hoverport, the structure qualifies as a dock, Cole said. As such, Wagner needs to pay for a $250 permit.
Wagner contends the hoverport isn't a dock because it is completely mobile, which means it isn't a permanent structure.
He claims the cost for a dock permit will stretch far beyond $250. Wagner estimated he'll pay thousands of dollars for engineering drawings, then spend hours wading through paperwork.
He said he'll go to court before giving more money to the county.
"If there's any more money to be paid in the future, it's going to be money the county pays to me," Wagner said.
Under Wagner's leasing agreement with the city, he is allowed to keep his hoverport at the Pier for one year as long as he follows all permitting requirements.
While the city has oversight over Wagner's operation, the county is responsible for issuing dock permits. City officials said they would defer to the county's judgment.
"We're just waiting to see where this ends up and then we'll decide what action to take," said Joe Zeoli, the city's director of waterfront enterprise.
The hovercraft has provoked debate since it first started skimming over Tampa Bay in early 2001.
On Sept. 29, 2001, Wagner was pulled over by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for going too fast through a minimum-wake zone.
In a letter to the State Attorney's Office, Wagner argued he could not violate a minimum-wake zone because his vessel does not produce any wake. The judge found him not guilty.
He was stopped again on April 5, 2002, this time for "willful or wanton reckless operation" of a vessel. Wagner pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge and paid a $175 fine.
After service was established between St. Petersburg and Egmont Key, local residents began complaining about the hovercraft's distinctive noise, which sounds like a gigantic lawn mower.
Several Pinellas Point residents wrote letters to the city complaining about the din. City officials stepped in, and Wagner was required to stay farther from land.
Despite his many run-ins with the government, Wagner said he's determined to make his business work. He also refuses to tone down his rhetoric, which has been called abrasive by those on the receiving end.
"I've tried to be as nice and as cooperative as I can be," Wagner said. "But some people around here just want to stick their heads in the sand."
-- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com .