by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Waterways Commission Thursday approved a bill that will require all dockage fees paid by boaters be deposited into the newly-created Metropolitan Park Maintenance and Improvements Trust Fund rather than the Metro Park general fund.
In April, Waterways Chair and City Council member Lynette Self proposed the change and asked the City’s Office of General Counsel to draft legislation. At the time, $19,000 had been generated by dockage fees, yet none of it was going into the proper account; nor did the $58,700 generated last year.
“This bill takes those fees and puts them into the dock fund like we thought they would,” said Self of the bill that passed unanimously, 9-0, and will now need approval of the full Council. “Hopefully, this will go through Council next time (Tuesday).”
According to the legislation, all revenue generated by special events, rentals, dock slip rentals, equipment and services charges at the Metro Park marina will go into the fund. Also, the City’s director of Administration and Finance and director of Parks, Recreation, Entertainment and Conservation will be required to transfer all funds from previous activities at Metro Park into the new fund.
Other news from the Waterways Commission meeting:
• Three other pieces of legislation were deferred. One involves an amendment to the proposed marina on the Southbank near the Aetna Building. South Shore Group Partners of Florida, LLC plans to build a floating marina consisting of three docks at the site of the proposed 51-story The St. John residential tower. Another bill amends the City’s 2010 comprehensive plan as it applies to hurricane evacuation while the third bill deals with the taxation of waterfront properties. Self said the Commission should wait on the outcome of the proposed property tax changes.
• Ken Venables, the general services director for the City of Palatka, gave a presentation on the possibility of high-speed hovercraft transportation between Jacksonville and Palatka. Venables said the City of Palatka originally asked for a grant from the State to provide water taxi service from Palatka to Crescent City. However, that plan has changed.
“Our original vision did not fit within the parameters of the grant,” he said. “It had to be for water transit.”
Venables said a hovercraft is environmentally friendly, relatively safe for manatees and can travel upwards of 60 mph. He called the Palatka River a “diamond in the rough” and “very underused.” Venables said a group called the St. Johns River Water Transit Group has been formed to look into the idea. The Water Transit Group has met informally and with members of JTA including executive director Mike Blaylock and spokesman Mike Miller.
“It would be good for tourism both ways up and down the river,” said Venables, who added it would be at least two years before the hovercraft would be a viable form of river transportation.
• Dr. Quinton White of Jacksonville University gave the monthly manatee update. On May 21, 116 manatees were sighted in areas waterways. Wednesday, only 69 were spotted and White attributed this to the recent rains that caused what he called “turbidity” in the water. On a sad note, five manatee deaths have been reported since Jan. 1. According to White, three died from cold exposure, one death is undetermined and one died after being hit by a water craft of some sort.
• A ground breaking on the new restaurant at Palms Fish Camp is expected within the next month. Also, the City has closed on a 3.5-acre parcel of land adjacent to the restaurant that will be used for parking.
• Good line from Waterways Commission and City Council member Warren Alvarez who, along with Self and Council member Sharon Copeland sat in on their last Waterways Commission meeting: “We are lame ducks, but we can do some damage before the next (Council) meeting.”