Scuttlebutt: Boaters Under Seige Part 1

Last week a firestorm swept thru the Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island Community. One of the City
commissioners appeared to conspire with a former commissioner, now turned "journalist blogger", to imply that a Member of the Marina Advisory Board had suggested closing our only City boat ramp down at the Marina. Under that pretext, he's asked the Community Redevelopment Board to take up the subject and make a recommendation to the City. I wouldn't doubt that the CRAAB's recommendation is already pre-determined. Mentioned in the article is the use of a "study" where they may rely on a past count of boaters using the ramp. This is the same kind of thing that ousted ex City Manger Dale Martin used to try. These guys think we're stupid. The City has gradually squeezed the parking for the Marina. They close it completely for the annual Pentanque championship, and close it for other events like the Shrimp Fest. It will probably be closed for the upcoming dredging.  Of course the usage is down. The City is hampering usage of the ramp. This end game has always been to close the ramp.

Looking back a bit, you would think that the ex-Commissioner, now turned journalist wanna-be, would have gotten the message when he lost re-election. Stuff like this is one of reasons why he lost. Very sleazy the way they went about it. The present Commissioner is on his way out due to Term Limits, thankfully. Often seen as the Commissioner who promoted having Pentanque Courts down at the Marina, this guy seems bound and determined to eradicate the historical use and quaintness of our Marina. The City has for years been struggling with the need for parking spaces and this Commissioner sees the elimination of the boat ramp as a way to pick up parking spaces. Ironically, installation of his pet Pentanque Courts removed some of the parking! 

There's all kinds of theories as to what's behind this. The proposed two story restaurant to replace Atlantic Seafood will need parking and surely they view the boat ramp itself as an obstacle. But the bigger picture that long time residents  point to is the never ending push by past and present Commissioners is to build a "Waterfront Park" down at the Marina. It's like their legacy depends on the "Disneyfication" of our waterfront. Each time there is a new Commission, a study will come out. And in those study's the draftsmen will have a kids playground. A Music venue. A memorial to the Shrimpers. And Pentanque Courts. The only thing they've yet to add is a waterslide or Pickleball courts. These planners play the same game - they feel like they have to have enough recreational usages to get support for their plan.  And then the plan is presented and residents get up in arms (not literally) and protest against it. 

There's a reason why and Commissioners haven't figured it out why the public protests. THEY ARE BAD PLANS. As mentioned, they are trying to make the Marina Disney World 1.2  My gut tells me that either the Commissioners or planners or both are only talking to people close to them, or  they are listening to well meaning activists that go to the discussions sessions, and they get their input and think that is what the whole community wants. 

Just my opinion, but not having a City boat ramp is absurd.  For a coastal City, on an island, surrounded by water with hundreds if not thousands of boaters, to shirk their duty as Commissioners and not provide a boat ramp is a shameful thought. If they really think about it, they surely don't want to hang their political futures or (possibly) brief legacies on a decision to remove our only boat ramp. 

Here's what they need to do:   Clean up and beautify what's there. Maybe add some landscaping.  Keep the boat ramp where it is OR provide another City ramp nearby. Dedicate an area (north? where Shrimp boats can come in and unload their catch.. Have a viewing stand/dock where people could watch the process. Have a seafood market where people could purchase fresh shrimp, right off the boat.  Move the Pentanque Courts - they have no business down at the Marina. 

Say NO to a music venue. If it's not used weekly it's a waste and will be taken over by dust, cobwebs and dirt daubers. IF it's used weekly, then the ensuing traffic snarl will be reminiscent of the 4th of July fireworks -EVERY WEEKEND!

Say NO to a kids playground.  The City has numerous parks with kids playgrounds. We don't need another. There's grass there. Bring a Frisbee or a wiffleball, or a soccer ball if you want' 'em to play. That south, grassy area is a great place for small craft festivals, fishing tournaments or other quarterly events. Bam. Done.

Note, the present Commissioner who is pushing this has always appeared to be a vindictive dude. He does do his research, however. If he wants to dig dirt up on me he'll find that my wife and I are NOT City residents. Our homestead (and voting) is in Jacksonville. But we do own a home on south 5th Street and with that, pay some serious taxes. Carol and I were both born and raised in Fernandina Beach. We went to high school here, played sports, and were involved in service clubs here. I've operated my Charter Boat business (yes, sir, it is a Small Business) for 18 years out of Fernandina.. Before that, 23 years in another small business servicing Fernandina and Nassau County. I served on numerous non-profit Boards, coached in the local YMCA basketball leagues, and volunteered hours for the local swim team. We've got equity in this community even though our primary residence is in Jacksonville, we feel like we have some skin in the game. Hands Off our boat ramp.

Back To Back Flounder

 I wasn't really expecting a Flounder catch on the first drift this morning but that's what we got. I had met Matt Husa and his kids 9yo Divya and 5yo Kian down at the south end boat ramp early, and as the full moon disappeared over the trees, we headed up the intercoastal, cut thru Middle River and made it around to Pumpkin Hill with plans to drift live shrimp under floats on a tide that still had a couple of hours to hit high. 

Matt and Kian had taken the stern, drifting long, but Divya was on the bow and had a good drift going along the marsh grass on her first cast. When her float slowly went under she got her bail shut and began cranking - she had a hookup! Divya worked it to the boat and landed hungry 12" Flounder!  And just a drift or two later, in the same spot, she had another hookup. She brought this one to the boat, also, and it measured just a tad bit under 14". 

Matt and Kian had been working the stern and they teamed up to hookup and land a feisty Bluefish. We moved and fished the

point, then moved down another bank and fished some grassy islands and here Divya caught and landed a Seatrout.  Matt also hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. After fishing back around the corner, we made  the run down to Broward Island and fished jigs on the bottom on the very last of the high tide, not ideal. But we did get to see the Bald Eagles while were down there.

After a run back to Seymore's Pointe we set up at a grassy point and here the action picked up a bit. Both Divya and Matt/Kian team were getting bites and landing Seatrout. Then Matt had a strong bite and this one ripped some drag out-a bigger fish. Matt played it patiently and after a good battle landed a 17" keeper sized Seatrout. 

We ran thru Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff, turned into a creek, and fished a large outflow and again had few bites, then wrapped up pitching jigs along the bank in Jackstaff, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout Time?

 Jason Ash was able to get away and get in some backcountry fishing here at Amelia Island today. I methim down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp before the sun came up and we headed up the intercoastal, thru the Back River and around to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp. Jason drifted his rig close  to the grass on the very last of an incoming tide and got a bunch of nibbles but no takers and within a few minutes, the tide turned. We moved around the corner and that did the trick. Jason "went long" with a drift and it paid off with a keeper sized Seatrout catch. We worked along that bank and caught a few Trout, a feisty Jack Crevalle and two nasty Gar Fish!

We fished down at Broward Island, switching to jigs and minnows and caught a small Flounder then a Stingray.

After a short run back down the Nassau we made a stop at a marsh run out and continued with the jigs and  minnows and that was the ticket. We found that we could pitch up to the bank, let the outgoing current take our bait down the river bottom, wait for the "bump" and a short hookset would produce a Seatrout. We added a handful of keeper sized Trout to the catch. We added a Mangrove Snapper somewhere in there, too.

After moving up the  bank we fished a shell bed that dropped off deep. I thought we'd get the bite up close but it was out in deeper water where Jason hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish, this one with Seven Spots. We had an outstandingly beautiful morning and as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Go With Minnows

 We had a nice morning greet us when I met Glenn and Patty Langford up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park asthe sun came up.  There was still about an hour of tide going out so we made a quick run over to Lanceford Creek and fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp...and got pecked, pecked, and pecked - just baitstealers. After just a short time we moved back around to Soap Creek and fished an exposed oyster bed and here we had a bit of success - Glenn hooked up and landed a couple of feisty Redfish.

As the tide came to a standstill we ran back around Tyger Island and up in behind the trees and began pitching to the shore. Both anglers were making excellent casts but the "baitstealers" were ever present. Patty did hookup and land her first Flounder and later Glenn outsmarted a hungry Sheepshead and brought it to the net. 

We then ran back outside, up and around to the Jolley River and began fishing the "bank", back into the current. Again, a bunch of nibbles -luckily I had a handful of small mud minnows to supplement the shrimp- but Glenn did hookup and land a small Seatrout to round out a team Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Flounder, Sheepshead and Seatrout. At one time Glenn did catch a fish big enough to rip his drag. When it came out of the water I thought I saw "big Seatrout" but then it jumped again a time or two and we all knew it was a Ladyfish.

After fishing further up the Jolley with float rigs and minnows we hit our final stop around the corner in the upper Bell. Right off Glenn had a bump, set the hook, and caught and landed a Mangrove Snapper. We picked up a few more baitstealers before calling it a day. Tomorrow, if they got 'em, I'll be going with Minnows and maybe they'll stay on the hook longer! But we had some action, the weather was nice, so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be out on the water her at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First, Biggest and Most

Boy did the weather folks get today wrong! I looked at the forecast last night AND this morning and therewas only a slight chance of rain forecasted. NOT! I met Tim Carson, his daughter Monica and his grandson Mathew out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning and there were some serious clowds around us and we could see rain storms off in the distance. But this trio of anglers were here to fish so we jumped down the Broward Island to take advantage of a first of an incoming tide.

We were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and in only minutes Mathew had a good bite. He set the hook expertly and reeled in the first fish of the day, a hungry Seatrout. Then Grandpa Tim got in the action. He boated two, hard fighting, keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We then moved down the way, fished under a Bald Eagle, and here Monica got on the board with a feisty Redfish catch. Mathew went to the same spot and he too caught a feisty Redfish. Tim landed a Stingray that we hoped would be a Flounder and also put an ugly Toad fish in the boat. 

Our next stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Although we didn't get any big fish, Tim and Mathew both put a Croaker in the boat.  We moved down to Spanish Drop and fished a higher tide with float rigs and shrimp. Monica had managed her float to the mouth of a small creek and when it disappeared she was ready to strike and lifted her rod to set the circle hook and Big Fish On! Monica played it perfectly and after a long battle landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark.

After running back to Pumpkin Hill we set up again to fish the floats. I think

it was Mathew's first drift when his float disappeared and he set the hook. Mathew expertly worked it to the boat and landed a nice 18.5" Seatrout, giving him the Most Seatrout caught for the day, and the Biggest Seatrout caught for the day. We had a few more bites. picked up one more feisty Red, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Finally Got Some Trout

 We had a beautiful day this  morning when I met Chuck Lindholm and his brother-in-law Paul up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had a slight breeze as we headed down the river, up the Bell and hit our first spot at a flooded oyster bed on the last of an incoming tide.  Finally, we caught some Trout! It's been about 4 days since we had our last Trout but today we knocked that skunk off. Both Chuck and Paul had good hookups and landed Seatrout.

After running thru Tyger Basin and over to the outside of Tyger, we set up as the tide started out where Chuck picked up a Trout off the stern. We moved over to the other side of the creek, fished it a bit, but had no luck.

Our next stop was around at my neighbor Bill's spot and it paid off with another Trout catch. Next, on to Soap Creek, fishing the outflow then moving up to the "honey hole" where Paul put a high flying Ladyfish in the boat, then Chuck added a keeper sized Seatrout and then a keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today

were released). 

I had thought about fishing up Lanceford but it was crazy crowded so we made the long run up the Bell where we switched to jigs and live shrimp. Both anglers snagged some Mangrove Snapper and Paul put a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. The trout were back which helped make it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Run Away Train: Fernandina Beach Marina Waterfront Plans

 The City of Fernandina Beach has been pushing a redevelopment of the Marina waterfront. Evidently  some committee years ago got the train rolling when they did a "study" as to what Fernandina residents wanted. That train has been heading down the tracks for years, although it gets sidetracked each election, it appears that it's now got the support of the City Manager and at least one Commissioner.

The Marina waterfront has been studied, surveyed, and planned for years. Why hasn't it ever been implemented?  My theory is the City Managers, past and present, along with a Commissioner or two, listen to just a few sources - they take input from people that think like them and that's what they go with. Then they put together a committee who thinks like them and they order a study, and those folks talk to the same people. Then they come up with a "plan" and try to push it through - they even order more surveys designed to get the answers they want and then use them to try and prove the worth of the "plan". Then the general public rebels, voice their criticisms and and the development never gets done. Why?

Because they were all  BAD plans to begin with!

Here's an image of the current "train" with estimated costs,  that is a rolling down the tracks:

There is so much wrong with this plan with the first being that it should have never been contracted to be drawn. I could get down in the mud and hit on the dirty details like, why in the world would you put Pentanque Courts at a.....wait for it.....wait for it....MARINA!?!?   I know, what does Pentanque have to do with boating or fishing? Well the answer is, those that are pushing this plan know that there are some voting Pentanque folks out there that will support this just to get the courts. Not only do Federal and State politicians try to divide us, here's an example of Local bureaucrats doing the same.

An "Event Lawn?  There's already a lawn located there now and it shouldn't take much to beautify that. Heck, I'd bet local garden and service clubs would help out, if asked. But why "Events" anyway?  It's a Marina for god's sake!  There's a huge Central Park right down Atlantic with plenty of lawn space and....Do we really need a Bandshell at $1.1 Million?  If we don't need the bandshell, we really don't need the Restrooms - there's public restrooms right across the RR tracks behind the Visitor Center (train depot). But again, what's the push to have "Events" at the Marina?  The downtown area is already packed with people during the "season" it's almost like St. Augustine (yuk). Are the powers that be going to plan "Events" every weekend at the Marina?  Imagine the traffic and congestion when, in the past, they have the Chili Cookoff downtown, or the Shrimp Festival. Is that going to be every weekend?  Do you really want to deal with that?  And if not, how do you justify it just sitting there, empty and unused?

Scroll back up and look at the "Observation Deck". Guestimated to be built for $540,000 of your tax dollars.  Is it for you or the tourist and yacht owners? Will you get your money's worth from this Observation deck?  We all could just take advantage of WHAT'S ALREADY THERE! The next time you're downtown, take a ride south of Atlantic Seafood, park and walk over to the EXISTING boardwalk. There's some nice benches and gazebo's. They're already there. They're paid for. And they are rarely used. 

All of these features are meant to get you to support this train wreck.  Music Lover? Here's a Bandshell. Photographer/Nature Lover?  Here's an Observation Deck?  And the big one: Don't you just love kids? We'll throw in an "Informal Play Area".   Have you happened to visit some of our City Parks? Eagans Creek? Great place for kids. The playgrounds behind the Recreation Center? Great place for kids. So why a playground at ....wait for it....wait for it....the MARINA? Because they want the support of those of you that have kids. 

Given all of this, and if you are a City resident, here's why you should be pissed, I mean really PISSED about this plan:  We're a City of approximately 12,000 people. The Marina is home to the ONLY actual City boat ramp, a City that happens to be on an island and islands are typically surrounded by water and people tend to use boats when surrounded by water. You'll note on the far left (south) of the plan is the boat trailer parking. It looks like there are about 8-9 spaces, again, for a City of  12,000 people.  The plan calls for boaters to park their trailers as far away from the boat ramp as possible.  Take a look at the plan again.  How in the heck are you going to pull your vehicle in at a 90 degree angle?  I launch and load my boat over 200 times a year - I'm a pretty good trailer backer, but I wouldn't relish the challenge of parking here. Even if you can get in at 90 degrees, how are you going to get out?  For the recreational boater, it's going to be a nightmare.

Why did they draw it this way?  The City really doesn't want it's residents to use the Marina ramp! A few years ago I was paying $70.00/year to launch my boat at the Marina and pick up customers for a Charter trip. Then we had a couple of hurricanes, docks were damaged and there was a shortage of dock space. Fishing Guides that trailer were launching their boats and jamming up the dock by the boat ramp, and pulling over to Marina docks that were available to wait on customers. There was some animosity from boaters and Charter Captains who were paying slip rent. So the City raised the fee to launch and pick up customers to $1200/year.  Now it's $1500/year.  I would wonder where in the heck they came up with that pricing? Who knows.  I've got my thoughts on it. But I bet a search of Email records between the City Manager and previous Marina Manager might tell the story. At any rate, what they were really saying was,  "we don't want you".  So most of us left and use other County and State ramps now.  But what are they saying to you, the general public, the Fernandina Beach residents that have boats?  They give you 8-9 unusable parking spaces a good hike from the ramp. What they're saying is, "we don't want you".  You better believe that the parking situation will curtail use of the ramp, so you heard it here first: The existing boat ramp is going to need repairs sooner or later. They're already limiting usage to smaller boats due to its condition. There will be a survey sent out: Do We Want to Spend Money On a Boat Ramp That is Not Used?  

What's happened is the City invited some group to come in and survey residents about what they wanted at the Marina. They tried to touch all the bases to make everyone happy. And now that that train is on the track, they're pushing it as hard as they can.   But what they forgot is that it is a MARINA.  What you have as drawn is Disney World. The City will be asking us to stomach a tax increase to pay for such a travesty. Yes, it will be pretty. Yes, listening to a good band while your kids run around within eye sight will be such a pleasant outing.

But here's what they're not telling you:

As mentioned above, boat trailer parking for the everyday boater will be severely limited. Are "Events" going to be every weekend (yuk)?  Where are THOSE folks going to park? IF you launch and park, are you going to want to navigate the Event folks? Notice how the Pentanque Courts are adjacent to the trailer parking? Who's going to enforce the "no parking but trailers" if the Pentanque folks park there?  They don't enforce  it now. They won't do it once this park is built. 

Did you know there are over 50 Charter Fishing Captains working in this area? The next time you're down a the Marina, take a count of how many are docked.  Why aren't there more? Why aren't there more of us that trailer our boats launching? The City has made it more and more difficult to justify using the Marina. We have been in effect, "run off".  You could probably ask the same of the Shrimpers of years ago. Why did they leave? Gas prices? Ice prices? Insurance and labor costs? I wonder if docking issues played a part in it? I betcha.

So the Marina will become Disney World on the water, a pretty place to visit once in a while and take your family, and a Marina for yacht owners and boat owners who have the money to afford docking there. A high priced RV park on the water. The Shrimpers are gone and the Charter Captains are right behind them.  And we Fernandina tax payers will be asked to foot the bill.

What Could Have Been:

I'd bet many of you don't remember being able to walk down to the City docks, walk up to a shrimp boat  and purchase fresh shrimp right off the boat. Some of them had fish, too!  Fernandina Beach has always billed itself as the "Birthplace of the Modern Shrimping Industry".  But now we treat that industry as something that is gone and should be forgotten.  But the shrimp are out there! There are a handful of "river shrimpers" operating in our rivers as  you read this. Big commercial shrimpers are coming in and docking north and south of the Marina. Shrimpers are using Mayport to unload their catch. What if some of those shrimpers were to bring there fresh catch in to the Marina for the public to buy? What if there was a viewing area where school children, families and visitors could watch that catch being offloaded?  What if the City had pushed their train down that track as a plan?

As mentioned, there are over 50 Charter boat Captains operating in the area. In addition to the handful that you see at the Marina, some of us have spread out to the Amelia Island Marina, to Tiger Pointe Marina and the rest of us trailer our boats to various boat ramps. More of us could be at the City Marina if the pricing and rules weren't so restrictive. If they would accommodate us rather than run us off. When I used to use the Marina I remember cleaning some fish one day and looking up and a crowd of about 12 people had gathered to watch. I did the same thing when I visited Maine and got to watch the lobster boats come in. It 's part of the culture that you want to see when you visit an new area. It's real, not fake, like Disney World.  What if the City and Marina encouraged Charter Boat Captains to rent slips with more attractive pricing? What if they had a more reasonable fee for launching a boat to pick up a customer? What if they had more dock space for those Charter boats with a viewing area for those that won't to see the catch cleaned. You know, a REAL experience. Not Disney World. What if the City had pushed their train down that track as a plan?

The City Manager likes to point out that his "Studies" and "Surveys" show that space at a waterfront Marina is too valuable to have parking there. I'd beg to differ with he and his professionals. To valuable to who?  So what if most of the property is parking! The downtown area needs the parking.  Embrace the parking! Adding more "Events" and taking out parking is only going to make it worse.  IF the City had set their train on the track to revitalize the Marina with some landscaping and then re-do the traffic flow and parking for boat trailers, and then embrace City residents who like the convenience of a centrally located boat ramp, then we wouldn't be looking at multi-million dollar price tag when this train reaches the station. A price tag that that they are now trying to sell to all of us. 

And now, someone please tell us just how much money these new assets are going to cost us to maintain each year?

Contact your City officials and tell them to STOP the train!

Mac sent Today at 5:47 PM

Commissioner Bradley Beanbbean@fbfl.org

Commissioner David Sturges dsturges@fbfl.org

Mayor Mike Lednovich mlednovich@fbfl.org

Commissioner Kreger lkreger@fbfl.org

Commissioner Chip Ross cross@fbfl.org

City Manager Dale Martin dmartin@fbfl.org