"So what's the best strategy to fight it?
What are our talking points?"
Some ideas follow, there is a good deal more that could be brought to bear on this.
Fighting it behind the scenes makes the most sense to me. Contacting people with influence rapidly and having them express their displeasure to the Vice-Mayor and Commissioners. This needs to happen today and tomorrow. Perhaps setup an email campaign to the City Commission. Draft a short email and post it to be sent out by people from all over to the Commission. The media and those present will pick up on our comments and numbers tomorrow but I suspect the best effect will be achieved behind the scenes.
Who is impacted by this?
All surfers, kiters, SUPer, technically boogie boarders too for that matter. Retailers, distributors, manufacturers, hotels, restaurant, bars, etc. who receive business from folks vacationing and just visiting here. I figure the City stands to collect less than $20,000. per year out of the almost $700,000 annual concession fees for trading off our ability to use boards off most of Miami Beach. Considering the major curtailing of resident and vacationer access this seems inequitable in the extreme. They are not serving public interest in pursuing this course of action.
The ordinance claims:
"WHEREAS, the City Commission has received complaints about persons
docking at public seawalls in single family neighborhoods causing problems and
concerns in such neighborhoods; and"
What actual, documented incidents including police reports are there supporting these complaints? What specific cases this year and last involved, surfers, SUPer, windsurfers and kiters, individually? What numbers, locations and circumstances exist to support this vague claim? How do these numbers compare to that of other activities, like bike riding, walking dogs, throwing footballs? Is there a documented problem or is this just a semi-plausible excuse to force this measure through?
Surfing, windsurfing have existed along Miami Beach for many decades, kiting for over ten years, SUP is newer on the scene. These activities are pursued by numerous residents and visitors, this is a large interest block whose privileges are being proposed to be curtailed for vague complaints and in favor of a profitable concession but with very little cost consideration for the City, perhaps less than $20k per year?
p.s. - beach concessions have been around longer than I have been in Florida or alive for that matter. They have been a fixture at beaches throughout the country almost since there have been people at beaches. This concessioner has been in place here for a long time already. This is just a case of expanding the concession for minimal income for the City, while taking access away from countless residents and visitors through ill considered public policy. It doesn't make sense from the projected revenues to the City alone, so why do it?
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