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Gulfport hopes to see safer, cleaner bay on the horizon

Grappling with disgusting and dangerous problems from boats, the city seeks a broader mooring field.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published March 13, 2005

GULFPORT - As the city grows in popularity and the waterfront district shifts from funky to chic, Gulfport is looking to alter the way boats are allowed to anchor offshore.

"It seems like affordable housing out there," Denis Frain, the city's harbor master, said of a scattering of dilapidated and potentially unsafe boats just outside the city's jurisdictional waters in Boca Ciega Bay.

"There's some real characters out there."

Frain says that most days, 20 to 30 boats are anchored more than 300 feet offshore, in state waters.

Some boats are fine - seaworthy craft properly tied to firm buoys. A few, however, are barely afloat. Some sink. From time to time some break from their moorings and drift into the city pier or nearby private docks, causing damage. And some boats are being used as homes but are not being kept in sanitary order, he said.

Residents have reported finding human waste floating near the beach numerous times, suggesting that offshore liveaboards are dumping sewage into the bay.

"We offer a free pumpout for the boats," Frain said of the city marina's facilities, "but some of these boats never use it, even though people are living on them."

The city's jurisdiction extends into the bay only to the end of the city pier. It is legal for boats to anchor beyond that point, but if their owners are polluting the bay or the boats are unsafe, the city can't do anything about it.

The Florida Marine Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies with proper authority haven't the time or resources to police the area and punish violators, Frain said. Because of this, the city is seeking to take over a broader area of the water to keep it safe and clean for all.

Last year, the City Council approved a contract with Challenger Enterprises, an engineering firm, to explore leasing an area from the state and turning the area into a mooring field with safe, solid anchors, a dinghy dock, and onshore showers and laundry facilities.

If the plan succeeds, boaters who want to anchor for more than 24 hours would have to pay a fee and would be limited to a stay of less than 30 days at a time. Others could anchor to visit for less than a day, eliminating the unsafe conditions the city faces now.

The City Council will hear a report from Challenger on April 5 to learn about the preliminary design of the mooring field, the permit application status and other details.

If the council continues to support the plan, it will budget for leasing of state property and for construction of the mooring field to start next year. Early estimates are that each mooring would cost $1,200 and that the city would initially install about 50 of them.

The lease would also require that the city provide a management plan, which would include facilities as well as an ordinance specifying how they would operate.

"We haven't defined the rules yet," said Don Sopak, the city's director of public works. He said the ordinance would be enforced with citations and possibly court actions.

Sopak echoed Frain on the safety issue, noting that some of the boats that have caused damage, particularly during last year's hurricanes, were not insured.

Even without the presence of storms, some of the poorly anchored boats lose their footing - dragging their anchor as they drift across the bay, tearing up sea grass, other anchors, even docks, he said.

Frain said the mooring field would be the first of its kind in Pinellas County, though there are plenty of them around the state. Some, like those in Key West and Miami, have been around for years, so he said a lease from the state should not be a problem.

The mooring field is aimed at providing a safe, clean environment, and is not expected to turn a profit, Frain said.

"We're not trying to expand the marina, just trying to help environmentally," he said.

"It's a shame that a few ruin it for everybody."

[Last modified March 13, 2005, 00:22:15]