By Mary Hladky
Nearly one month after the closure of beaches, parks, natural areas and golf courses, some stir-crazy Palm Beach County residents are pushing back against COVID-19 emergency orders that keep them from enjoying the outdoors.
The unrest flared in Boca Raton on April 13 and 14, when residents asked the City Council to open the Silver Palm Park public boat ramp so they can get out on the water.
This issue, which council member Monica Mayotte called “the elephant in the room,” dominated the council’s discussions during a series of “virtual” meetings over the two days — the first ones held online to spare residents and council members from crowding into the cramped council chambers and violating social distancing rules.
“I want to be able to launch the boat with my wife, with social distancing,” one resident told council members.
Eric Finn, a commercial fisherman who owns Finn-Atic Fish Co. in Boca Raton, which supplies local restaurants and sells directly to consumers, said fishermen should be able to use the boat ramp. City workers would not need to monitor them, he told council members.
He also communicated directly with Mayor Scott Singer on Facebook.
“I understand commercial fishing isn’t your priority right now, nor should it be. But people still need to eat,” he wrote. “Again I’ll ask, why can’t Silver Palm Park be open to those of us who have commercial fishing licenses?”
Council members were sympathetic to both boat owners who want to escape their homes and commercial fishermen.
But as with everything else related to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision on opening the boat ramp is complicated.
Palm Beach County closed boat ramps, docks and marinas on March 22. The next day, the county clarified that they were closed to boats used for recreational purposes but open to commercial fishermen.
The county acted immediately after people posted photos on social media of boat parties at sandbars in the waters near Tequesta and Jupiter.
Boca Raton warned people on social media not to congregate on Lake Boca, a popular spot for boat parties and the alcohol-fueled Boca Bash held annually on the last Sunday in April, after photos showed the lake crowded with vessels.
The city does not control Lake Boca, which falls under state jurisdiction. But Singer issued a sharp rebuke nonetheless.
“Let me put it bluntly,” he posted on Facebook on March 21. “This is not the right time to invite a bunch of friends on your boat for a big party.
“Right now, there’s a deadly virus that’s circling the globe and can seriously affect (or even kill) you, your family and anyone you might contact for weeks.”
While council members understood that residents would love to launch their boats from the boat ramp for recreation, City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser said the county directive applied to all cities and towns, effectively tying the council’s hands.
The boat ramp could be opened to commercial fishermen, if in fact they were actually intending to fish and not using their license to evade restrictions on recreational use, she said.
Mayotte noted that she had seen an April 10 report on WPTV-Channel 5 that there has been a recent surge in people applying for commercial fishing licenses.
Council member Andy Thomson said he had looked into that, and found that before the boat ramp closure, 25 boaters in Boca Raton and 400 in the county had a commercial license. In the past few weeks, an additional 400 people have applied for the licenses, with 40 of them in the city.
Council member Andrea O’Rourke asked how the city could determine which of those actually fish for a living.
“I am in favor of opening the boat ramp to existing commercial fishermen,” Thomson said. A majority of council members agreed.
City Manager Leif Ahnell said municipal employees would have to monitor the ramp’s use, putting them at risk of not being able to socially distance themselves from the boaters.
Frieser also said that if the ramp is opened to commercial use, commercial fishermen from throughout the county and other counties who also have a city permit to use the ramp would be able to use it.
But it may be possible to restrict access only to city residents, she said.
The council reached no decision on April 14, opting instead to have Ahnell and Frieser provide options and recommendations at the next virtual council meeting on April 28.
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