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Fight Brews Over Clubhouse

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jdotson

jdotson

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Here is an excerpt from Highlands Today mentioning airboats. This is kind of an odd spin on handling airboat complaints.


LAKE PLACID - Highlands Park Estates subdivision resident Joe Gartley said he “never liked politicians to begin with.� Stoking his anger over politicians now are recent actions by Highlands County staff who changed the locks on a clubhouse long used by members of his homeowners association.....

.....County officials said their act was the result of numerous complaints of airboat noise, complaints that county officials said originated from the special benefit district’s clubhouse.......

Entire article can be found here:

http://highlands.tbo.com/news/MGB8PO7HXOE.html
 
The inspection was done under the reasoning that airboats were endangering people and children. It was also done to curtail the airboat noise complaints.
Click to expand...

Heh... like children aren't people.

That's the key RIGHT THERE. That statement says much about the people who this is coming from. They hate children, in fact, they don't even consider them people. Do you think it gives a clue to how they think about airboaters... [sarchasm] out there with the wind in their hair, having fun.... living free... It's got to stop! [/sarchasm]


Which is it? They gave two "valid" reasons to do what they did... but because they can't decide on one reason, it sort of weakens their position on both of them. In my opinion.

matt.
 
If the "endangering" part were true then I think the county would have taken more drastic steps such as banning airboats from the immediate area. It seems to me that the county took what steps were necessary to fix whatever the real problem may be and the reporter more than likely took a reply out of context to provoke a reaction from the readers regarding airboats. If you were an average non airboating county tax payer and you read this article, wouldn't it make you feel like you just had something taken from you? My question is what other reasons were stated but not printed? I live in this county and I know what activities go on at these county owned clubhouses. Alcohol is prohibited at any county facility and that is usually their biggest problem when people use the clubhouses. I'm sure there is more to this story than just airboats, if not then I wish more counties take the same action as Highlands for resolving airboat complaints!
 
I had to read it again as it seems confusing. The man griping in the article is also an airboater or is he saying the airboat reason isn't plausible?
 
I think it is the local media trying to stir controversy in a relatively quiet community. The county government locking up a county owned parked/building is no big deal but add a growing public awareness topic in with the mix and you have "headlines". The airboat complaints on lake Istokpoga have been going on for years with the county historically favoring on the side of the airboaters. I believe the current local ordinance mandates that an airboat cannot produce 50db of sound at the property owners property. This is easily achieved by staying away from the shoreline with development especially since Lake Istokpoga is a large lake with sparsely developed shorelines. Unfortunately, there have been and probably will be, some airboaters will still run close to the houses. My guess is that the reporter is attempting to bring attention to old issues as a result of recent legislative action to create media interest in an old debate. You can bet there will be more airboat articles to come. I've seen more articles about airboats in Highlands Today in the last few months than I have seen in 14 years and I do not hear people complaining locally in the community. I know the FAA tries hard to promote positive media coverage for airboats but I have learned, in the power company business, it is best to stay out of the media all together except when addressing issues directly pertaining to a particular incident.
 
That's what I was trying to figure out but the article isn't very clear. I did talk to a few people and found out that is exactly the case. Highlands Airboat Association have used the facility for years and now they are being shut out. It is my understanding they can still use the grounds but not the building. Second hand talk is that the surrounding houses are complaining about the boats running dry ground around the clubhouse during cookouts but I have no idea if this is true or not. I'm sure this issue is far from over.
 
I for one don't appreciate guys runnin dry around a bunch of people as well. I've never seen the place but I think common sense needs to take over in situations like this. NOT meant at all as a personal attack, but the less of that the more we'll be able to keep.
 
I couldn't agree more Rich.
"We have met the enemy, and they are us." They're called airBOATS for a reason. Runnin dry is for when you need to. It is not an entertainment option around heavily populated areas.
 
I agree with you there Rich. I'm not sure if anybody is a member here that is involved with issue but if there is I sure would like to hear more facts. I am going out on a limb and speculating but if a person has owned lakeside property for years as well as an airboat, there could be a tendency to view themselves as a native airboater to the lake and not the complaint generating airboaters that visit. I'm sure there will be more articles as this problem is resolved.
 
JD that PM I sent to you a few weeks ago that man is a airboater and I do beleave that he is a member of that home owners association
 
It looks like a case where growth is overtaking the well established recreation on that part of the lake.
 
jdotson":2ihkqu9o said:
It looks like a case where growth is overtaking the well established recreation on that part of the lake.
Click to expand...

Time to find a way to interrupt or put a stop to the growth there before it gets out of hand.

Scotty
 
There are several ways to slow or interrupt the growth process, show up at the advertised meetings about proposed developments, approve tax increases so the governemnt can buy all the waterfront parcels and then hope we don't get excluded from using them. Both of these are very effective but they require effort and money.
 
The state did buy quite a bit of property around this particular lake a few years ago. They actually bought quite a bit of land that was originally part of this development, both lakeside and scrub lands. The dense area is on the southwest corner of the lake. The problem is there is a nice BIG boat ramp and parking area right in the middle the dense area. This particular boat ramp is between two houses (one has an airboat) and I can see where an airboat could generate a legitimate complaint if common sense isn't used. Most homeowners associations bicker back and forth and this one is no different except airboats are now thrown in the mix and that allows local governments to get involved. There are other boat ramps on this lake though.

Lake Istokpoga is a nice lake to airboat on and is about the only lake where airboats run in Highlands county. I have ran Arbuckle creek from Istokpoga all the way to Lake Arbuckle on my airboat and that was one wild trip! We couldn't get under the bridge at Lake Arbuckle so we had to jump the road to get to the lake.
 
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