Dunedin moves forward with Causeway motorized watercraft launch ban
Battle over watercraft on Dunedin Causeway
The City of Dunedin is close to banning motorized watercraft from launching at the Dunedin Causeway. The first vote passed Thursday night and another one is on the way. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports.
DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Dunedin City Commission voted on Thursday to move forward with a ban on launching motorized watercraft from the south side of the Dunedin Causeway.
Dunedin Causeway watercraft ban
The backstory:
In a unanimous vote, four commissioners voted for the ban. Vice Mayor Robert Walker did not attend the meeting in person and did not vote.
The meeting drew a lot of people to speak; 40 or more people came out to share their opinion.
Feedback was mixed, but slightly more people at the meeting were against the change.
The commissioners said they heard from residents leading up to this first vote, and they overwhelmingly favored the ban.
It is important to note that Dunedin allows people outside of the city to speak during public comment, so some who spoke at the meeting were not residents of the city.
The Dunedin Causeway has been closed to watercraft since it was damaged by Hurricane Milton.
The city said the coastline has improved during the closure and banning motorized watercraft like jet skis will continue to protect the seagrass and coastline.
The city also said this is a public safety concern.
Pinellas jet ski incidents
By the numbers:
Dunedin Fire Chief Michael Handoga reports that there have been two jet ski fatalities since 2020.
Plus, Pinellas County said there have been 80 jet ski-related incidents between 2022 and the end of April this year.
People against this move say it has a serious impact on people in the area.
Dunedin public reaction
What they're saying:
Adelle Carpenter is a Clearwater resident who is against the ordinance.
"It's always been there. It's been there 40 years," Carpenter said. "I feel that you know, just banning it simply because of whatever safety and security reasons they're discussing is an invalid excuse. I feel that it was, it's based on, you know, based on the commentary from the commission that they are basically saying that that's with the Dunedin residents, I believe people don't come out and communicate."
Megan Colby came to represent herself as a Dunedin resident and a member of the Suncoast Sierra Club. She was for the ban.
"I'm not surprised, but I'm glad that it did. I'm glad that they were taking it to consideration all the information and comments they received from the restaurants. That's very important," Colby said. "I'm also glad that there was a lot of pushback. There was a lot of kind of other opinions and ideas that I think gave them a lot to think about, so maybe there's other options."
The city provided a list of public and private launch points as alternatives ranging in price from $6 to $20 a day. The Dunedin Causeway was a free launch site.
Final Dunedin Commission vote
What's next:
This is just the beginning; this ordinance faces another vote on Sept 3.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the City of Dunedin and interviews done by Fox 13's Danielle Zulkosky.