Staff Writer

A decision on whether commercial airboats should be allowed to launch from the Kissimmee lakefront was delayed Tuesday by a City Commission divided on the controversial issue and minus a fifth commissioner to break the tie.

Airboat tour companies began operating from Kissimmee in 2007, much to the dismay of residents along Lake Tohopekaliga’s shoreline, who say the noise generated by the boats is unbearable.

The city has heard the complaints before, but couldn’t do anything about it. The boat ramps at Kissimmee Lakefront Park only recently came under control of the city after a 20-year lease agreement with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission expired in 2009.

City staff suggested the commission put out a request for qualification to seek vendors willing to obtain a license from the city in order to operate in Kissimmee, instead of simply allowing any commercial airboat tours to launch from park ramps.

During Tuesday’s commission meeting, several residents spoke in opposition of airboats in general, complaining mostly about the loud and frequent noise made by the watercraft.

“Why should we have to suffer because of a few?” Joe Suprino said, adding that the noise robs residents of the sanctuary they should be able to enjoy in their homes. “If they (tourists) want to have airboat rides and see Florida in its natural state, let them go to Southport, go down there at the other end of the lake.”

Bonnie Maness said she and her neighbors were prepared to take the issue to a higher level if they didn’t get any relief from the airboats.

“The number of boats and the number of trips would have to be significantly restricted for there to be any relief for us,” Maness said. “The noise travels easily over the lake and it’s still very loud half a mile away.”

Bill Seton, who said he has lived just south of where the airboats launch from Kissimmee lakeshore for 30 years, said he was speaking for anyone who has lost hearing and health due to the airboats, presenting the commission with research on how loud noises can have adverse effects on more than just hearing.

“They’ve moved into the area where we’ve lived,” Seton said of the commercial airboaters, adding that his wife has lost her hearing even though she’s 20 years younger than he is. “I’m dying everyday there, guys. Please, give us a break.”

Commissioner Art Otero motioned that no commercial airboats be allowed to launch from the Kissimmee lakefront. Commissioner Carlos Irizarry agreed, saying that he didn’t want to get the commercial airboaters’ hopes up by advertising a request for qualification when he would ultimately vote against any such deal.

“I will say ‘no’ tonight and I will say ‘no’ any time this comes before me,” Irizarry said.

Mayor Jim Swan and Commissioner Jerry Gemskie, however, voted against keeping commercial airboaters from Kissimmee entirely. Swan suggested that the commission allow the airboaters but limit the total number of launches to six per day. That motion also failed.

Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, absent from the meeting Tuesday, said Thursday that she would probably vote for the request for qualification, just so the commission could consider different proposals.

“I’m still not sold that it’s the right mix for our future redevelopment and the current activities we have on the lake,” she said.

Grieb herself lives in the lakeshore neighborhood and said she opposes the noise, but added that she would entertain creative ideas for a compromise between the commercial airboat tour groups and the residents. She also said if commissioners agreed to license out launching rights, the city could hold airboat companies to the terms of their agreement, creating a way to enforce tour paths that stay away from the shoreline where residents can hear them the loudest.

“I still believe if they say this is the path they’re going to take, (and they don’t), we would have a chance to cancel that contract,” Grieb said.

Jerry Sloan, co-owner of Big Toho Airboat Rides, which operates from downtown Kissimmee, said he would be interested in a license with the city and would be willing to work out an agreement that would allow the company to stay.

“We’re really trying to comply with anything they want us to do,” Sloan said. “We love the community; we would like to stay out at the lakefront. We feel like we bring a lot of people to the community.”

Sloan said his airboat tours were busiest now, during the tourist season, bringing 100 to 200 people to downtown Kissimmee a day. Recently, Sloan said he began rerouting boats away from developments to the east side of the lake as much as possible in response to increased residential complaints.

“We’ve spent several thousand dollars trying to quiet boats down as much as we can,” he said.

Sloan said he and his son started the airboat tour business about five years ago, deciding to launch from the Kissimmee lakefront, “not even thinking the city would have any problem with it.”

“Now it’s like the rug is being pulled out from under us,” Sloan said, adding that he wasn’t sure where his airboats could launch from if the city turned them away. “Right now, there doesn’t seem like there are any doors open.”

The issue will be discussed again Tuesday at the City Commission meeting.