• If you log in, the ads disappear in the forum and gallery. If you need help logging in or getting registered, send request to: webmaster@southernairboat.com

Citrus County - Airboat Noise Attack - March 10th Meeting

D

Daddy Dave

Well-known member
To all concerned and to those you can contact;

The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners will be conducting a workshop to introduce a proposed ordinance that will radically effect and possibly curtail most airboating in Citrus County. This is being done to appease a few disgruntled, don't have anything better to do, retirees and waterfront owners.

The proposed ordinance as written excludes any sound generators including the counties equipment. It is written to stop all airboating in Citrus County and includes the90db@50' statute. As most of you know thousands of dollars are being spent by the state through FWC to conduct sound tests in an effort to create resonable noise limits for airboats but an over zealous group wants this in effect first.

The workshop is Thursday, March 10, 05. @6:00 P.M. It will be held at the County Government Complex on County Road491 south of the intersection of State Road 44 in Lecanto, Fl.

Please tell everyone you can, and please attend. United we stand, Unconcerned we fall.

Ralph Hedgecoth ( a dyed in the wool airboater & believer in less government in my life)
 
Big Daddy - Will send a letter. Don't know if it would help coming from Texas, but it cannot hurt. I think the opinion of the no wake zone near residents should really be pushed. For the noise and erosion control as you stated, but also push it for a safety issue of the residents, their docks, etc.

How do you feel about the 96 db at 100 feet opinion?

P.S. - Is there an airboat defense fund and where is it located?
 
Big Daddy- I'll be there. I am Citrus county resident and have been confronted by those people at the Hernado public ramp. If anything needs a muffler it was the old mans mouth that was reaming me for having an airboat. Hope to see you there.
 
I will be there and am trying to gather a crowd from Tampa to come as well. 90 db @ 100 feet is likely what the state will determine is acceptable -No one knows for sure, yet. More study coming this spring I have been told. One FWC Commissioner is an avid airboater. We need a thoughtful, well spoken response.

We really need the cowboys among our ranks to put mufflers on their steeds.

We also need to support CCAA. Their leadership Bob Hoover, Ralph Hedgecoth and others is exceptional.

I hereby pledge $250.00 to the legal defense fund. Who'll match it? Let's see a Southernairboat.com effort begin.
 
Just so we all know what we are talking about:

90db at 100 feet is equivalent to 96 db at 50 feet.

96 db is 4 times as much noise as 90 db. Every 3 db the noise is doubled.

If anyone needs references for the above, I can dig them up.

Jim
 
Does anybody know if there is a way to find out how many registered airboats are in Florida? Can it be done through public records? It might help if the powers that be knew how many potential voters owned airboats in this state.
 
Big Daddy, Swampjet:

Letters sent to your commisioners! (all of them)!Haven't wrote that much in years! I hope this would be a wake-up call for them as Citrus County was on my list of stops this year with the boat.

I stressed in each letter the economic impact that such ordinance would take on Citrus County, (hope this helps with the fight)!

Keep up the fight!

Good luck,

Jeff
 
Big Daddy

Fired them all letters just a second ago. Hope it helps, good luck with the fight. Will send a second letter repeating my position the day before the meeting just to keep the email piling in.

pat
 
We're excited about all this support that's rallying around. It's great to see the airboating community pulling together like this.

One thing we may need special assistance with at the meeting: We must make the right impression -- the world will be watching. We've had a slight problem in the past, and want to make sure it doesn't happen this time. If anyone appears to have been drinking before they arrive at the Public Workshop, we need to make sure they DO NOT participate. Please help us keep a lookout for potential problems.

Also, due to the 50th Wedding Anniversary of my wife's parents, we will be away from the computer for the next three days. (We're gathering the family together at Orange Lake to celebrate -- and they don't have Internet at Sportsmen's Cove!)

If anyone needs to reach me, you can call me on my cell phone.

Thanks!
Bob Hoover (Swampjet)
 
Swampjet - You are correct about appearance. With this issue there is sure to be media on site. Just a few tips I have seen that works.

Leave the cut off jeans, t-shirts with logos (especially ones that might look bad to people not decided), and rubber boots home. Put on a nice shirt and pair of jeans at least. Why, a few years ago the county shut down a public launch over here that served part of the county.

Lots of support to keep the launch open, but who did the media show.

Two men, one drunk kid with a T-shirt with a silly statement about women and a half crazied acting old man in white boots, cut-offs, and riped up shirt on. Looking around the room there were lawyers in $100 pants, lots of duck hunters, but who does the media pick out to show in the hearing. The drunk kid and his buddies all acting like morons and then interviews the kid and the old man. Not one person was shown that looked like they were not just a bunch of rednecks (which most of us are).

Remember, appearance counts, there are more non-airboater out there than owners of airboats. Just a few that make the rest look like jerks and we all get labeled. All outdoorsmen have to get some support from those that don't use the outdoors, so make sure everyone has a good appearance.

Big Daddy - One of ya'll needs to call the local media and get a contact reporter's name, talk to them on the issues. If you become the contact person, there is a better chance that what needs to be said is said carefully and the media might not get someone saying something that can be edited and made to sound bad.

Good Luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top