PLACEMENT: Departmental
TITLE:
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COMMERCIAL USE OF MARTIN COUNTY OWNED BOAT RAMPS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
executive summary
On February 12, 2019 the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) directed staff to return with an agenda item regarding the commercial use of County owned boat ramps.
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DEPARTMENT: Administration
PREPARED BY: Name: George M. Stokus
Title: Assistant County Administrator
REQUESTED BY: Martin County Board of County Commissioners
PRESET:
PROCEDURES: None
BACKGROUND/RELATED STRATEGIC GOAL:
Recently, it has come to the BOCC's attention that commercial activities are taking place at County docks and boat ramps. In particular, dock builders are using County boat ramps to load large building materials off of a supply truck and onto a barge, including the use of a crane. It has been represented that there are numerous commercial ventures that utilize these County facilities. Awareness of these activities has been raised by some of the commercial users as a result of enforcement action by the Martin County Sheriff's Office. This item provides historical background on the regulation of commercial activities at County docks and boat ramps and identifies issues for consideration if the BOCC desires to make amendments to the regulations.
The BOCC, through its Code of Ordinances (Code), has restricted commercial activities at County parks at least since the initial adoption of the Code in 1974. The language originally adopted deemed it unlawful "to sell, or to offer for sale to any person, any product" with a detailed exception for mobile food vendors. This restriction still exists in the Code as to all County parks, without the exception for mobile food vendors.
In 2003, pursuant to Ordinance 631, the regulations for Parks were moved from Chapter 5 to Chapter 17 of the Code and were essentially re-written. At that time, a provision was added that it is unlawful "to use County boat ramps for any other purpose than lau...
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