Islamorada sandbar, new rules?
 

Sandbar rules go to County

By David Goodhue [email protected]
Posted-Friday, February 23, 2007 6:51 PM EST
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Party spot called an ‘embarrassment'

The free-for-all party on the Whale Harbor Channel Sandbar, which has recently gained national attention, including on television police reality shows, may soon get toned down.

The five-member Islamorada Village Council unanimously approved an advisory panel's recommendations that will affect revelers on popular party weekends at the sandbar. The recommendations have the support of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Coast Guard and the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Monroe County Sheriff's Office Capt. Joe Leiter, at a Feb. 22 Village Council meeting.

On busy weekends, such as the July 4 weekend, Memorial Day and the Hospitality Expo in May, the new rules would ban boats longer than 26 feet from anchoring on the sandbar during peak times. Leiter said boats this size tend to have cabins that make it difficult to see what's going on inside and determining how many people are onboard.

The panel also recommended no more than three vessels be allowed to raft together on the sandbar. This will make it easier for marine law enforcement officers to maneuver between vessels and control situations without officers leaving the safety of their vessels, Leiter said.

The Near Shores Water Citizens Support Committee has been working on these recommendations for six years, said member Bay Neal. The kind of events on the sandbar and the attention they receive lately have become somewhat of an embarrassment to the Upper Keys, Leiter said, and have consumed too many law enforcement resources.

Last year's Hospitality Expo was the largest marine law enforcement operation in the Keys, Leiter said. “If you had a cop on a boat, he was probably in Whale Harbor Channel,” he said. This left many other areas of the Keys “unprotected and unpatrolled,” said Leiter.

The sandbar is outside of the Village of Islamorada's city limits, so the recommendations must be voted on by the Monroe County Commission before becoming law, Leiter said.

damn do-gooders :mad:

That is a ridiculous idea. Banning over 26' boats or rafts greater than 3 boats won't do anything to control the crowds or the partying. Here's yet another example of stupid legislation simply for the sake of doing something about a problem. Then the officials can sit around and pat themselves on the back, while nothing changes.

Damn Anti-Overtwentysixfooterites

You Cant Have A Good Time Anymore ,,,,,,

Man when PC reaches the Keys and falls on the side against a good party, the world is truly a f@#$ed up place:mad:

It'll never happen.

Maybe this will cause my 25' Outlaw (with cabin) to appreciate in value:D

I am still safe with my 29' Fountain.:evilb: :D

Lmao

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!

I get the same feeling when I flush my 1.6 Gallon toilette twice to get ride of my bs...

Me too...sweet. I knew the beak would be helpful for some things.

I am just curious where the fvck they get off saying what I do in MY cabin, in private, is any of their damn business?

I thought Georgia was an uptight place to live.

It's the TV azzholes that always need to ruin a good party by telling the world about it.

The'll not be any stabn in that cabn.

somebody needs to remind them of the $$$ these people spend in the local community on such events, gass, food and beverages etc...bigger boats use more gas, hold more hungry thirsty people etc bigger = more $$, $$ usually beats a couple unhappy people trying to outlaw fun.

No boat size limit or rules at cocktail cove on Lanier - Welcome Back!

there closing the tiki bar and bulding condos

LMAO :D

Yep, communisim at its finest

No boat noise. Speed limits. Hell now they are telling me when I can get laid? Good god why are do we fight any of these wars anyway? Our own people are taking away all of our freedoms.

My thoughts exactly! No different than what goes on in your house. ON the sunpad is 1 thing, but inside the cabin? Sheesh:rolleyes:

Stepping up sandbar regulations on tap
BY ROBERT SILK

Free Press Staff



ISLAMORADA — Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are still several months away, but on Thursday, Feb. 22 the Village Council will consider recommending stronger regulations to control the parties that traditionally play out during those weekends at the Whale Harbor sandbar.

The proposed regulations are limited in scope. Vessels plying the sandbar during Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July holiday period and special events, such as the former Bartender's Week at Holiday Isle, would be restricted to a maximum length of 26 feet — an effort to halt large and difficult to control boat parties.

In addition, no more than three boats would be allowed to moor together, a rule designed to make it easier for law enforcement officials to maneuver between vessels in order to control crowds.

Since the sandbar sits in waters under the jurisdiction of Monroe County, a council resolution supporting new regulations would not be binding.:drink:

But with Islamorada being the entity that is most affected by the public safety issues and noise wrought by the sandbar's rowdiest weekends, such a statement could make a strong impression on the Monroe County Commission.

In past years, parties at the sandbar have made headlines for fights and nudity, in addition to the requisite drug use and excessive drinking. In a particularly bizarre 2004 incident, a handful of young adults made the sandbar the setting for impaling and hoisting themselves on meat hooks.

The proposed regulations were generated by Islamorada's nearshore water regulations committee and refined at a public workshop held last summer.

"While this committee does not view this as a morality issue, many citizens do," committee chairman Jim Trice wrote in a letter to numerous local officials. "We view our recommendation strictly as a safety, environment and image issue."

Nice job morons for ruining it for everybody! I saw the TV Show and those idiots were outta control!

Since the sandbar sits in waters under the jurisdiction of Monroe County, a council resolution supporting new regulations would not be binding

Haha to Sea-Dated. It turned out that these rules didn't really matter and people still did it. They can't really turn down tourists to Islamorada because it will only hurt the economy.

Ben
Hotel in Islamorada Fl