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03/14/2018 Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2018 City of Clearwater City Hall 112 S. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 ap m Meeting Minutes Wednesday, March 14, 2018 8:00 AM Council Chambers Marine Advisory Board Page 1 City of Clearwater Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2018 Roll Call Present 7 - Chair Edward O'Brien Jr., Vice Chair Letitia Wold, Board Member Michael Grohman, Board Member Kevin Laughlin, Board Member Ken Marlow, Board Member Wade Carlisle, and Board Member Michael Mack Also Present: Ed Chesney, P.E. — Marine & Aviation Department Director, Michael MacDonald - Marine & Aviation Operations Manager, Patricia O. Sullivan — Board Reporter 1. Call To Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve December 13, 2017 Marine Advisory Board Minutes Member Wold moved to approve the minutes of the December 13, 2017 Marine Advisory Board meeting as submitted in written summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None. 4. New Business Items 4.1 Welcome Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Representatives FWC Officers Kristin Cason & Laura Dewald have accepted our invitation to discuss FWC's role in Anchoring, Derelict Vessels and Enforcement, as well as answer questions from the Board. FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission) representatives Vessel Officer Kristin Cason and Captain Laura DeWald addressed the MAB (Marine Advisory Board). It was commented that the City could not store derelict boats and concern was expressed that the number of derelict and sinking boats seemed to be getting out of hand. Officer Cason said she was assigned to address derelict vessels in this area. She discussed her efforts before the storm, damage caused by Hurricane Irma, FWC procedures to remove derelict vessels, and recent removal Page 2 City of Clearwater Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2018 delays due to litigation. She said the FWC budget was limited and would apply for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) reimbursement for hurricane related costs. Officer Cason said abandoning a boat was a 1st degree misdemeanor. She said the biggest challenge was to identify ownership of at risk vessels. FWC worked closely with the Sheriff to start the process to remove derelict vessels: 1) take photos of vessels at risk for sinking, 2) attempt to obtain responsible party's phone number, and 3) issue citations requiring compliance within 30 days. She said a salvage company was contracted to remove a houseboat off Edgewater Drive and later, the 2 sailboats by the causeway and Brightwater Drive that were at risk of sinking In response to a question, Officer Cason said FWC and the Coast Guard recently removed 36 derelict boats from local waters and located about 72% of the owners. She said once strict enforcement of boating rules began in an area, many boats migrated elsewhere. She said vessels were checked annually for white navigation lights and proper sanitation. Captain De Wald said the pilot Mooring Fields in St. Petersburg and Sarasota were successful. Discussion ensued re significant opposition to a mooring field proposed for Mandalay Channel. Marine &Aviation Department Director Ed Chesney said the City was awaiting the State's final report on the Mooring Field Pilot Program that ended in June 2017. Officer Cason encouraged boaters to provide coordinates when calling dispatch to report hazardous spills or derelict vessels. She docked her FWC boat at the Clearwater Police substation on Clearwater Beach. She said FWC often received multiple reports on a single derelict vessel. Mr. Chesney said the FWC website tracked derelict boats in Pinellas County, vessel colors changed on the website as boats progressed through the system. Not all derelict boats were unmanned, some people living on anchored boats kayaked to the beach for work. Officer Cason said liveaboards were permitted if they adhered to the rules and their vessels were anchored in State water. In response to a question, she said boats that were wrecked, substantially dismantled, or at risk for sinking were considered derelict. Mr. Chesney said waterfront homeowners often complained when liveaboards anchored in State water off their property. The State revoked all municipal rules limiting how long boats could anchor. It was commented that some liveaboards requested Marina staff to accept mail and package delivery on their behalf and to look out for them if they had health challenges. Page 3 City of Clearwater Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2018 Mr. Chesney said some liveaboards left their kayaks tied to marina docks during their work shifts and some who obtained transient guest keys regularly accessed marina showers and laundry facilities, staff was in the process of changing that key system. 4.2 Provide direction and strategies for future dock rental rates and increases. On March 1, 2018 we implemented the first rate increases on marina tenants since 2015. Hurricane Irma challenged our facilities and our planning outlook for the future. Rate increase help provide revenues for the hardening and rebuilding needs at the Downtown and Beach Marinas. Mr. Chesney said a board member had agendaed this item. A market study of area marina rates was done every few years. The 2016 study indicated commercial marina rates were under market value while recreation rates were on par with other marinas, recreational slips were waitlisted. If justified, the City Manager was empowered to increase rates up to 10% annually. He said a 3% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) increase would be expected for recreational tenants and not unreasonable. Commercial tenant rates were increased by 10%. Mr. Chesney said the preliminary design to repair the north wave attenuator at the Harbor Marina destroyed during the hurricane would be completed in late March. FEMA and insurance will cover a portion of the $700,000 cost. The aging Clearwater Beach Marina's location protected it from the storm. While upgrades to the Beach Marina were planned for FY(Fiscal Year) 2022123, repairs needed to be addressed this year. The City's marinas were self-supporting, revenues covered operating costs and reserves necessary to rebuild utilities, upland support facilities, fueling operations, and seawalls. Mr. Chesney said all dock rental rates included water, trash, sewer lift station, and sewer pump out services, many tenants had multiple leaking hoses and used large quantities of water. Water and trash rates had increased substantially to more than $100,000 annually. He estimated utility costs for each of the 45 commercial docks were $300 1month. Utility costs burdened marina revenues, which were flat, and hindered the marinas' ability to set aside required reserves. The City would be unable to justify the costs to construct a new marina without sufficient revenues to support it. Mr. Chesney said the average slip rental at John's Pass, a comparable commercial marina, was $3,000 to $5,000 a month. Clearwater Beach Marina commercial rates were $500 to $1,000 a month. Beach Marina tenants were required to provide proof of registration and insurance, anchored boat owners often could not afford slip rental rates, insurance, or proper maintenance. Page 4 City of Clearwater Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2018 It was noted each commercial tenant's ice machine used a significant amount of water. It was recommended the marina assess a 90-day surcharge for new tenant leases to cover upfront trash removal. Concerns were expressed the Beach Marina's business model was outdated, its rates were below market, and a onetime assessment may be advisable. It was felt the MAB should have a member representing commercial tenants. Mr. Chesney said the origin of the commercial slip rate formula was unknown, assessments were based on a vessel's occupancy, not its linear footage or size. The next rate study would be done in conjunction with the new marina redesign that will feature larger slips and meet modern day power requirements for large modern boats. Slip rental rates at the marina at John's Pass were based on linear square-feet, staff could not locate another marina with a rate formula similar to the Beach Marina. Concern was expressed that rental jet ski users were insufficiently trained and lacked knowledge of navigation rules. Discussion ensued regarding recent jet ski deaths. Mr. Chesney said City Council approval was necessary to amend commercial vessel license agreements, change how dock rents were assessed, or to add new services. It was requested that this item be revisited in June. The Marine Advisory Board recessed from 8:58 to 9:02 a.m. 4.3 Annual Election of Chair and Vice Chair Member Wold moved to reappoint Ted O'Brien as Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Member Laughlin moved to reappoint Tish Wold as Vice Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 5. Old Business Item In response to a concern, Mr. Chesney said the Clearwater Point channel filled quickly, the City was not responsible for dredging and did not budget for it. Since 1960, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged federal channels and access to the Beach Marina from the Intracoastal. The Army Corps reviewed channel conditions every 2 years and dredged every 7 to 10 years as necessary. The Corps would not move channels. Mr. Chesney said the City once was permitted to dredge the Clearwater Point channel, but that may not happen again. He discussed the maintenance project which would have cost almost $1 million had the Page 5 City of Clearwater Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 14, 2018 sand not been beach quality and had a beneficial reuse. New jetties along Clearwater Pass should have begun to capture gulf sands before they accrete to Clearwater Point. 6. Director's Report: None. 7. Board Members to be Heard 8. Adjourn Chair O'Brien said many people at the Beach Marina complimented Mr. Chesney. He asked the City Attorney to assign legal counsel to MAB meetings for input re legal issues. Member Laughlin expressed concem the ferry did not carry bicycles and recommended the ferry enhance its service so passengers, especially workers, could access all parts of Clearwater Beach via bicycle; ferry landings were quite distant from some work locations. Mr. Chesney discussed the pilot ferry program. The ferry sometimes had long waiting lines and other times no passengers. The Coast Guard would need to recertify the ferry as a cargo vessel before it could legally transport bicycles. He agreed ferries around the world carried bicycles but the City was not part of the ferry's Coast Guard certification. Ferry stops were limited to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible City property. Ferry landing improvements were being considered. He reviewed beach hotel efforts to encourage employees to use ferry services. Member Wold expressed concern the bell buoy outside Clearwater Pass needed replacement and the remaining metal stake posed a navigation hazard. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 a.m. City of Clearwater Page 6 Chair - Marine Advisory