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Today's Letters: Big boat slip no manatee threat
By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published October 10, 2007
Boat slip freeze The Army Corps of Engineers is trying to justify freezing boat slip development with manatee mortality numbers due to boat collisions. Consider this: Manatee numbers have increased significantly in the last 30 years. With more manatees, naturally, there are more collisions, more deaths. The slip shortage is for larger boats, not the fast movers that kill manatees. I doubt a manatee has ever been killed by a sailboat before, and they are alerted to get out of the way of larger, slower-moving boats. St. Petersburg is in a major cash crunch. This is a waterfront community that will sadly fall back into a ghost town half full of the homeless, retired folks, and empty buildings unless this economy is stimulated soon. There's no excuse for this! St. Petersburg's biggest asset is its waterfront. We need to intelligently develop our waterfront and encourage responsible boating, not stifle our growth, because of special interests and uninformed perception. More slips, please! Carl Revine, St. Petersburg Act I: texting perils Scene: Downtown St. Petersburg. Subjects: Late teen male and female crossing First Avenue N, probably rushing to class at St Petersburg College, heads down with both reading and punching keys on cell phones. In unison, young couple sidestep bicycle coming from opposite direction. Both walk head-on into a column of the Progress Energy building. Fade: Neither youngster looks up! She has small trickle of blood at the hairline; he was saved by backward ball cap. Moral: ??? Go to black with couple furiously texting. D.W. Stiles, St. Petersburg Share your views We invite readers to write to us. Letters for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.They can be faxed to (727) 893-8675or sent to www.sptimes.com/letters/. They should be brief and must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Please include a handwritten signature when possible. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be published.
[Last modified October 10, 2007, 08:39:57]
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by brook
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10/11/07 02:33 PM
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u know i always thought that manetees get killed by sailboats but you are exactly right they have to be aware if they have a brain wich duh everyone has thanks for expiring me to go sailboating again i was usally afraid cause of the manetees thanks!!
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by James
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10/11/07 09:06 AM
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Although there is no "ban" on new ramps, it is extremely difficult to create new boat ramps in the bay area, public or private. The greater threats are these new very large condo and commercial marinas which add tens and hundreds of boat slips.
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by Reggie
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10/10/07 02:56 PM
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There has been a small increase in manatees over the last few years and there has been a huge increase of boats. We need more manatees and less boats.
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by Dan
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10/10/07 02:35 PM
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Carl - I think you are overstating your case. Boat slips provide minimal revenue and occupy waterfront which should be available to ALL city residents - not just the yuppies and retirees with boats.
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by Don
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10/10/07 11:22 AM
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The manatee- boat slip connection is so weird since a boat slip supports 1 boat, where boat ramps support hundreds of boats- and yet there is no ban on creating new boat ramps.
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by Pete
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10/10/07 08:50 AM
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I think the modest increase in Manatee population pales in comparison to the exponential increase in human boaters on the water. Only Man is murdering these gentle creatures by boat.
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