Should bonfires be allowed on the beach?
The Briny Breezes Town Council will wrestle with the issue once again, this time in a workshop set for 4 p.m. Aug. 15.
Alderman Bill Birch and Alderwoman Kathy Gross had missed the council’s May 23 discussion, so the topic was postponed so they could participate.
“We’ve spent a lot of time on this already, so if we do a workshop, can we pretty much finalize it at that workshop?” Birch asked during the council’s July 25 meeting.
The answer was no, that the council cannot vote on legislation in a workshop, so a vote on proposed changes to the town’s code on fires and lighting restrictions near the beach will wait even longer for a regular council meeting.
Town Attorney Keith Davis originally proposed updating the ordinance partly to correct the start of sea turtle nesting season in March. The ordinance says nesting starts in April.
But aldermen do not yet agree on whether bonfires should be allowed outside of nesting season and if so, exactly how to regulate them. Police Chief Scott McClure has said the existing contract for police services would have to be changed if Briny Breezes wants his Ocean Ridge officers to enforce fire regulations as well.
Separately, the council scheduled a single regular meeting for 4 p.m. Dec. 12 in place of its Nov. 28 and Dec. 26 meetings to avoid conflicts with the holidays.
— Steve Plunkett
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