Crossing the line!!!!

Not trying to be a nuisance. Is that a broken law, a kiter riding in the SZ? I know there are laws against jetskis in the swim zones.

Is the cop enforcing a rule about kiters being in the swim zone (I don't think one exists)? Or a feeling of "recklessness"?
What if a non-kiter calls a cop out and says "that guy looks reckless", what does that look like?

Again, not trying to be a jerk, just fleshing this out more. I don't know how this stuff works.

No, it's called reckless endangerment.

It doesn't matter if he is on the beach, in the swimzone or in the parking lot. You need not even bring up vessels, swim zones, or anything else.

Gather witnesses for his reckless behavior and he is out of there, period.

Interesting. I am gonna have to just sit on the sidelines if that ever happens.

[Danimal8199]

Problem at IRB is there are no "Swim Zones" there are just bouys that read "not wake" or "no boats"...the bouys have nothing to do with swimming.

I however agree with the reckless endangerment, you might be onto something there Tom.

I also think what Steve-O did was ok. If you don't bring up these issues and make them known, then how does anyone take action?

Its one this to see someone do something once or twice and address it with them in person, its another to have a repeat offender who refuses to listen, then I don't have a problem with calling them out on the forum.

Whitey posted a message about the whole swim zone thing before and what the law considers kiteboarders to be. At Honeymoon island you can't even have a kayak in the swim zone...The rules are weird.

Danny

[Kitespear813]

Reckless and Careless Operation

Anyone who operates a vessel with willful disregard for the safety of persons or property will be cited for reckless operation (a first-degree misdemeanor).

All operators are responsible for operating their vessel in a reasonable and prudent manner with regard for other vessel traffic, posted restrictions, the presence of a divers-down flag, and other circumstances so as not to endanger people or property. Failure to do so is considered careless operation (a non-criminal infraction).

A violation of the Federal Navigation Rules is also a violation of Florida law.

Law Enforcement Authority

Law enforcement officers of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Sheriff's deputies of the various counties, and any other authorized enforcement officer, shall have the authority to order the removal of vessels deemed to be an interference or hazard to public safety, enforce all boating safety laws, or cause any inspection to be made of all vessels in accordance to state law.

Interperate how wevr you want but arn't kiteboards simply really small wind powered vessels?

I don't see a problem with Steve's post either, Danny.
Also, I think we are all calling the swim zone that area that boats aren't allowed in. In other words, it's safe to swim in there without getting drilled by a Formula 1 boat.

Tom, for the most part, I haven't been on the sidelines in 8 years in terms of confronting problems out at the beach.
But in terms of calling cops, I will be watching that to see how it turns out. I have bias concerning police.

Sean, you would think that kiteboards are vessels. Seems like a no brainer, right?
To my knowledge, they have no classification yet.
I have asked several marine officers, coasties, you name it. They all said to me "I am not sure how a kiteboard is classified".
Do you have any idea how a surfer is classified, especially SUP? I don't.

It seems logical that if a kiteboarder is classified as a vessel, that we aren't allowed in the swim zones.
I think this stuff will become more clear in the next year or so.
At some point, someone is going to have to classify kiteboarders as something.

If anyone knows, it would be RickI.

[toby wilson]

Drama.

Pussy

[ricki]

Do you guys know of any kiters in your area in law enforcement, i.e. police, sheriff's deputy, marine patrol, maybe even USCG, etc.? If so, having a good discussion with them about this and similar problems would be in order. After explanation of the issues, consider effective ideas of what they think could be done to help the situation and motivate responsible kiteboarding.

Government, interpretation and enforcement of laws and rules can be a complex and sometimes confusing thing. Throw in Admiralty Law and it becomes potentially more complex. In many jurisdictions kiteboarding is not looked on with the same level of concern or enforcement as is the case for numbered vessels. If we can keep things going, I believe it would be in our interest to work to keep things that way.

It comes down to what enforcement the authorities are willing to do. An authority engaged in kiting is already way ahead in the learning curve on many important issues. In the selective interpretation and enforcement of rules they may be able to interface with colleagues and other agencies in working out an effective response.

Authorities aside, Tom's idea or others about having a call list and group involvement when such incidents occur is worth looking into. Working to avoid the frequent "random indifference" problem kiters experience from larger groups of other kiters is a good goal. Physical altercations can lead to bigger messes and should be avoided. You need to bring pressure and valid concerns to the problem kiters in a way they can see and appreciate. No one likes major negative peer pressure. "Creative" application of valid pressure may help more so. There seems to be a practice in some cases of problem kiters confusing things saying "it wasn't me" "you misunderstand" etc. Having a few fair witnesses that are kiters with solid evidence can help to avoid confusion, intentional or otherwise. In bringing pressure to the problem kiter you want to take prudent steps to avoid bringing harmful excessive and overt pressure against the general practice kiting in general in the public's or authorities' perception, "i.e. out of control constructive nuisances" which we are not.

Talk on a forum can be a good constructive thing, if it leads to reasonable, prudent and in this case, group action. I would recommend continuing to resolve a realistic plan and doing it, as a group.

[Kiteboarding Tampa Bay]

That guy (or another one like him) was at IRB yesterday(green Switch 14,Flight Deck board) as was the "handrail jumper" kid, flying a 6m foil with handles.(blonde, about 12 or 13 years old)
The majority of us are safe kiters and very tired of inconsiderate and/or uneducated kiters risking our right to kite.The groundwork is being laid for something simple, effective and fair by Kite-4-Life, which promotes safe kiting and personal responsibility for one's actions.
www.TBKA.org is where local issues are discussed and decided (voted on).
*The north county guys will soon begin laying out guidelines for Sunset Beach, and Ft. Desoto is on the top of the list for south county, so let's lay out some basic and site specific guidelines and vote on them.
No more wasting time, let's get it done.