By Marvin G. Cortner
Editor

Osceola County commissioners Monday delayed until Dec. 6 the vote on a new ordinance controlling how commercial airboat businesses use public boat ramps and docks.

The ordinance would require commercial airboat operations to submit written proposals offering to pay a fee to use a particular public boat ramp or dock. The fees would be used to build public restrooms, improve parking lots and make other capital improvements at the boat ramps, if needed.

Fees would be based on the improvements needed at a particular ramp, and not all bidders would be successful. Smaller airboat operators could form partnerships in order to be more competitive in bidding. Operations would not be allowed to use more than two different facilities.

The delay, commissioners said, would allow staff to deal with the issue of commercial fishing guides using public boat ramps and whether they too might need to submit proposals; this business group would have been exempt from the ordinance. The delay also would allow staff to deal with the potential loophole of commercial airboaters bringing along fishing rods and claiming they are fishing guides.

Ric Keller, an attorney representing Boggy Creek Airboats, said approval of the ordinance would put in place an easy-to-enforce regulation and would put all commercial airboaters on equal footing in that they either have to pay a fee to the county to use a public facility or pay rent at a private dock.

Commissioner John Quiñones questioned why consideration of the ordinance should be delayed and that it was clear that the county wanted to go to a proposal process.

“Uncertainty isn’t helping anyone; we should move forward with the RFP (request for proposals),” Quiñones said, adding that the effective date for the ordinance should be six months after it is approved, giving time for the county to move through the proposal process.

Commissioners looked at but did not choose to consider two other options dealing with use of public boat ramps or docks:

• Require operating permits for airboat activities involving four or more people per airboat, with an application similar to a vehicle-for-hire business. This option would allow commercial operations from any public boat ramp. This option is similar to the process the county more or less now uses.

• Prohibit all commercial uses of public boat ramps.