ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — St. Pete Beach is trying to figure out what to do about a public boat ramp next to the Don CeSar Hotel.
Many in the community believe it contributes to neighborhood flooding, while others say it's their only way to get onto the water.
Steve Sloan is talking about two proposals from the city to address flooding at the public boat launch right off the Pinellas Bayway on Cabrillo Avenue and West Maritana Drive.
“Can we improve what we have here, or do we need to relocate this elsewhere?” Sloan asked about the proposals. “I don't think either one of those is a good solution or money spent wisely.”
The current options are to renovate the ramp and build a five-foot seawall, or move the ramp down the street.
“What's good for the environment?” he asks. “What's good for our, you know, future generations?”
President of the Don CeSar Property Owners Corporation Ed Chima says the majority if its members want to see the ramp moved out of that neighborhood, citing an online survey it conducted.
“It's a special interest group of people who own boats,” he says of those opposed to shutting down the ramp. “It may be an inconvenience to travel another couple of miles to launch your boat, whereas on the other side of the fence are a bunch of people who are suffering from water invasion that's costing them money, it's hurting their quality of life.”
“I've been using it since I was 11 years old,” says Eric Watters, who lives about a hundred yards from the ramp.
Watters' yard and garage flood periodically, but at Wednesday's community meeting with the city, he said he wants the ramp to stay.
“It's just something that, as change occurs, we need to modify it and change it,” he says.
A little more than half of the people in the room agreed with Watters and wanted the ramp to stay in the immediate area. The public works director said he'll take that feedback to the city commission who will take up issue later this year.
Others in the audience brought up the increase in commercial boating traffic, from kayaking excursions to dock-building contractors, that use the boat launch as they please. The city said they are starting more proactive enforcement of illegal parking and launching after hours.
The city has looked at other places outside that area for a boat launch but says no good location is out there. Each proposal would cost the city around a million dollars.