by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Local water taxi service has come under increased, and potentially expensive scrutiny, say local operators.
According to Greg Samuel, owner of S.S. Marine Taxi, the Coast Guard recently sent him notice that boats in his fleet — four in total, plus one more under contract for larger events — must be certified to meet minimum safety standards.
Otherwise, the number of people allowed on board will be capped at 49, less than half of the 100 some of his vessels accommodate.
The problem in becoming certified, said Samuel, is that a naval engineer would have to administer the test — it measures the rate at which a boat sinks — to the tune of $10,000.
Samuel said the Cost Guard notice was likely a “knee jerk” response to the Baltimore water taxi that capsized recently, leaving four dead.
“I know they’re trying to make sure that the passengers will be safe while they’re on board,” he said, “but $10,000 just seems like a lot of money for a small business to have to pay.”
Samuel added the required test did not apply to pontoon boats.
He said because individual pontoons contain several airtight bulkheads, tremendous and repeated trauma would be required before the boat would sink.
Adding urgency to Samuel’s dilemma is the fact that S.S. Marine Taxi is currently the sole service provider of water taxi service in downtown.
In 2002, a Jacksonville Waterways Commission subcommittee determined it was necessary to provide safe, reliable service on a consistent time schedule.
Greg Radlinski, an attorney in the General Counsel’s Office, explained the recommendation.
“What I believe they found was that with two or three different companies operating water taxis locally, it created a lot of confusion and poor and unreliable service,” he said.
With City Council approval, a Request For Proposals was issued and Samuel won the bid.
“And since then we’ve been able to maintain a very successful system,” said Waterways chair Lynette Self. “It’s disappointing to hear that Mr. Samuel is having this issue because he has done a good job for the City, especially during football games and special events.”
If Samuel’s maximum occupancy is reduced, some on the Commission speculated a reduction in satisfied customers would likely follow.
“The City entered into a contract with this man with the understanding that he could service a required number of customers,” said Commission member Jim Bailey, who also chaired the water taxi subcommittee. At the time Samuel received the contract, he had Coast Guard approval.
“It becomes an issue, especially during football games and special events, if he is unable to do that,” he said.
Per the terms of the original RFP, Samuel must provide a minimum of 400 seats during football games at Alltel Stadium.
“I can’t imagine he’d be able to do that based on only being able to transport a maximum of 49 people at a time per boat,” said Bailey.
Though no action has been taken by the Commission, Self said she was “hopeful” Samuel and the Coast Guard could reach a common ground before large events such as Sail Jacksonville and the Super Bowl take place.
“The Coast Guard has always been a very reliable partner of ours,” said Self. “I have every reason to believe that this can be solved.”
Self requested both parties return before the Commission next month with an update.
“We’ll do whatever we can to make this happen,” said Samuel.