by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Waterways Commission Thursday approved an ordinance that would make it easier for boaters — both pleasure and commercial — to dock at all City-owned or leased marinas or bulkheads. The ordinance, which still requires the approval of City Council, would allow boats to dock as such places as the Landing, Metropolitan Park and all City-owned or leased bulkheads, floating docks, fixed docks or piers free of charge for no longer than 10 minutes for the sole purpose of loading or unloading passengers.
City Council member Lynette Self — who also chairs the Waterways Commission — is sponsoring the bill that would also require the mandatory rafting of vessels when the demand for dock space exceeds the available dockage. Boat captains will bear the responsibility of rafting their vessels properly or, if deemed, could be asked to remove their vessels for improper dockage or rafting.
Any vessels found in violation of the 10-minute limit are subject to immediate seizure and impoundment by the sheriff or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In other news from the meeting:
• The Waterways Commission agreed to hold a special meeting in the near future to discuss an amendment to City ordinance that deals with a tax deferral program for recreational and commercial working waterfront properties such as hotels, marinas, boat yards, docks, boat hauling and repair businesses and related commercial businesses. The deferral would apply only to taxes levied by the City and would not affect the taxes those business pay towards the Duval County School Board, the Florida Inland Navigational District, the St. Johns River Water Management District, non-ad valorem special assessments or taxes levied to make payments pledged to bond service debt.
“This is a lifesaver for businesses looking to sell in the near future,” said Property Appraiser Jim Overton. “When they sell the business, they can pay off the taxes.”
The working waterfront tax deferral program was authorized by a law passed by the Florida Legislature last year as a way to help waterfront businesses stay open and provide the public access to the waterfront.
“It was an attempt to save the shrimpers from being taxed off their property,” explained Overton of the origination of the legislation, adding the original bill essentially covered every type of business then allowed local governments to establish their own subsections of the law.
Waterways Commissioner John Lowe worries the program would allow too much funding to be lost.
“Everyone of them could apply (for the program) and what would that do to the tax base?” he said.
Any deferred taxes would be subject to interest payments and the next assessment on the property would include the current fiscal year’s taxes as well as back taxes plus interest.
Peggy Sidman, an attorney with the Office of General Counsel, said Self is looking to schedule a meeting with Mayor John Peyton, Tax Collector Mike Hogan, Overton and Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Executive Director Ron Barton to discuss the bill.
• Charlie Mann was on hand representing the ownership of the Ribault Lions Club on the Northside. The club sits on riverfront property, but Mann explained the ownership’s plans for the club won’t affect the waterway. He said he current building will be used as a medical facility until a new facility can be built. Then, the old building will be remodeled and used a community center for parties, weddings and receptions.
“There are no plans to build any kind of docking facility,” said Mann.
• Waterways Commissioner Jim Bailey said the Goodby’s Creek dredging project is complete and the canal is “wonderful and working extremely well.” However, during the dredging process, silt was pushed towards to banks and several property owners in the area can’t navigate to the channel. Bailey said a survey was conducted April 17 and the City is waiting to hear back from the contractor to discuss a remedy for the problem.
• Dr. Quinton White of Jacksonville University provided a manatee count update. As of April 23, 171 manatees were spotted in locals waters, a record for this early in the year, he said.
“Normally, we would get that number in late June,” said White, adding 40 were spotted in the Intracoastal Waterway, up from previous numbers that are usually in the high 30s.
White said he passes the manatee counts along to meteorologist Tim Deegan of Ch. 12/25 who uses them in his weather reports every few days as a method of warning boaters as the manatee’s whereabouts. White said he also gets calls from residents who have spotted the docile creatures.
“Occasionally, I get calls from people who say, ‘There are manatees fighting in my backyard.’ I have to explain to them that they are not fighting,” said White, referring to the manatees who are actually mating.
• Two bills were withdrawn. One concerned an application for a grant to remove derelict vessels from the Trout River and the Intracoastal Waterway while the other would have funded a study of boating patterns in Duval County.
• The next Waterways Commission meeting is June 7 at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers.