County commissioners have approved a new rule that they hope will keep people from blocking public boat ramps.
The ordinance was approved so the sheriff’s department and Fish and wildlife officers can ticket boaters who tie up their boats or park their trucks and trailers in a way that keeps other people from launching their boats. The new ordinance also bars people from mooring their boats overnight at a public boat ramp.
The rule sets a 50 foot buffer between public ramps and where people can legally tie their boats. That was actually the only portion of the rule that was questioned by the public. Carrabelle resident Ron Gasche said it would be difficult to prove a violation of the 50 foot rule since law enforcement will have no good way of measuring whether a boat is 50 feet from a ramp or not.
Violating the new rule will earn you a fine initially but has stricter punishments for constant offenders. A first offense is a 25 dollar fine which increases to 50 dollars for a second offense and 75 for a third. Beyond that violations become 1st degree misdemeanors.
County commissioners say they hope it never comes to that – they say they did not create the rule to punish people or to get fines, they just felt it was necessary because a portion of local boaters were not following the signs that have already been placed at local boat ramps.
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