Manatee has a plan for repairing ‘ancient’ boat ramps. It involves charging user fees
When it comes to boat ramps, Manatee County officials all agree that there aren’t enough launch lanes to accommodate a booming population.
What they can’t agree on is the proper funding source for a series of expansions and maintenance activities. At a recent workshop, county staff floated the idea of charging a user fee for anyone looking to take advantage of county boat ramps.
The Parks and Natural Resources Department made their case in a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners, suggesting a fee of about $5 a day. It could easily generate about $150,000 a year, according to a staff report.
“Each space could reasonably be expected to generate $500 a year,” said Alan Lai Hipp, an environmental manager with Parks and Natural Resources. “That would turn into $147,000 a year, and that’s only counting 100 days of use out of the year.”
Commissioners did not vote to implement the fee, but the majority of the board said the costs would make sense. Charlie Hunsicker, director of the parks department, said it would be a “reasonable fee,” and his staff are open to implementing a cheaper annual pass for residents.
Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties all charge daily fees ranging from $5 to $6 to access their boat ramps. With only four boat ramps, Hillsborough was able to generate $250,000 in 2017, staff said.
In Manatee, those funds would be used for “anything that would benefit boaters,” according to Lai Hipp. That includes artificial reef construction, routine dredging and facility expansions. In the past decade, six Manatee boat ramps have been completely renovated, costing the county millions.
Fixing the structurally compromised and “ancient” Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach alone will cost at least $4.5 million alone, Lai Hipp said.
At least four of the seven commissioners said they would be OK with charging boaters to use the ramps.
“I’m a big user fee person. $5 a day isn’t even two gallons of gas,” said Commissioner Stephen Jonsson, who suggested either giving Manatee residents a discount on the fee or charging out-of-county visitors a higher rate.
Others said the fee makes sense, given that the Manatee County boat ramps are a popular attraction, even for visitors who don’t live in the area. Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace shared her own experience with the ramps — pointing out that boaters in her district have to leave home around 5 a.m. if they want to secure a space.
“We just are not providing for our people in the north part of the county,” said Trace. “Every fisherman I’ve talked to, they’ll pay the parking if they can get a boat ramp.”
Not every commissioner wants to see boaters get charged to use the facilities. Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she was disappointed that her fellow board members were in support of the fee, predicting an onslaught of public backlash.
“To me, we nickel and dime our citizens. I just don’t support charging to park our boats,” Whitmore said. “The public outcry versus the income isn’t worth it. When you look at the amount of money you got, that’s nothing compared to what our budget is.”
The county operates just nine boat ramps and a total of 18 lanes. There are 293 trailer spaces at these facilities, but in Manatee County, nearly 21,000 boats are registered. Even without a fee, staff said it was imperative to look for opportunities to build additional launch lanes in the area.
One of those opportunities could come in the form of a public-private partnership. The developers of Peninsula Bay, a 359-acre mixed use development, have been in talks with the county to allow a public boat ramp within their project, which sits on the south side of Palma Sola Bay, near the 11500 block of Cortez Road.
Lai Hipp explained that the county could enter an agreement to help pay for the public boat ramp. Preliminary design plans show that it would add 80 parking spaces and four launch lanes to the county’s overall stock.
Another opportunity for facility upgrades may come before later this year. A homeowner adjacent to the Highland Shores Boat Ramp in Ellenton told the county that they would be willing to sell their property to the county. Staff would demolish the home to increase parking at one of the few ramps north of the Manatee River.
This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 4:58 AM.
