Franklin County Commissioners are continuing their efforts to get a boat ramp at Alligator Harbor to help out the clam and oyster aquaculture projects there.
There are currently about 60 active leases in the harbor, and the farmers are using whatever site they can find to get their boats in the water which sometimes puts them on private property or in locations where it is easy to get stuck or damage their boats.
And the problem is getting worse as the state continues to approve oyster leases for more people.
On Tuesday the County commission spoke with DEP Aquatic Preserve Manager - Jonathan Brucker about the issue.
Commissioners had hoped to use the The property that used to house the FSU marine lab at Alligator Point throughout the 1950’s and 60’s before FSU opened up a newer facility at Turkey Point in the late 1960’s.
Brucker said that is not a good option because of the state of Alligator Point road and he does not think many people would want to pull their boats down that road to access the ramp.
Brucker said there are no very good sites for a new boat ramp at this time so there will need to be some feasibility studies done to figure out the best way to move forward.
He added that the recent state purchase of the Bluffs of St. Theresa may help as it could allow for a boat ramp on the water side of Highway 98 and parking across the street.
Commissioner Smokey Parrish said he wishes the state had dealt with the ramp issue before it began approving aquaculture leases so the county wouldn't be facing the problem now.
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