By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Osceola County commissioners unanimously voted Dec. 6 to approve an ordinance controlling how public boat ramps and docks are to be used by businesses.

The ordinance, aimed at commercial airboat operations, will limit commercial use of county-owned and operated public boat ramps or any other recreational area or facility to those businesses that have vendor agreements with the county. The ordinance does not cover commercial fishing guides who hold valid permits and licenses.

The restrictions include: picking up and dropping off passengers; soliciting or advertising commercial activity for hire at county-owned sites; using the county-owned sites as the physical address or meeting place for commercial business activity; and collecting or attempting to collect compensation at a county-owned site.

These restrictions will go into effect June 1. The commission will further discuss use of public facilities by businesses, such as the fishing guides, at the commission meeting Monday.

“There needs to be some foreseeability for the businesses on how they’re going to operate,” Commissioner John Quiñones said.

Additionally, the ordinance allows the county to collect fees from commercial airboat businesses that submit written proposals offering to pay to use a particular boat ramp or dock. The fees would be used to build public restrooms, improve parking lots and make capital improvements to the boat ramps and docks, if needed.

County Manager Don Fisher said the businesses that propose the best deal in terms of improvements and moorings would get exclusive rights to that ramp or dock.

Fees would be based on improvements needed at the particular ramp or dock the bidder wishes to use, and not all bidders would be successful. Smaller airboat companies could form partnerships to submit one bid for the group. Businesses would not be permitted to use more than two different locations.

Commissioner Michael Harford said he wants unlicensed and unregulated businesses, such as wakeboard instruction, to be addressed at a future meeting regarding their use of the boat ramps.

“I want to make sure there’s certain protection for residents if we’re opening this up to commercial entities,” he said at the meeting.