STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
sreid@lbknews.com
Some ingredients simply don’t mix into a successful cocktail. Nowhere is this truer than on the very northern tip of Longboat Key on the spit of sand that sprawls under Longboat Pass Bridge known as Beer Can Island.
The beautiful and pictoral location has been the scene of partying boaters, swimmers next to strong currents, manatees and sea grass in the lagoon nearby, and a small residential enclave that is particularly impacted by all the activity.
Long time real estate broker Michael Saunders owns a family home and compound at Land’s End on Longboat’s northern tip and a small dock that juts out toward Beer Can Island. Saunders told the Town Commission last week that it should consider extending the existing swim-only zone to protect the shoreline that extends on Beer Can Island from Longboat Pass Bridge and curls toward her dock and the Greer Island inlet.
“It’s a small move that would make life better for everyone; for the people who live on Greer Bay as well as the manatees that breed there,” said Saunders.
Saunders opened her remarks by saying she felt a little ridiculous talking about recreating after the hurricanes, but the item was on the agenda. She said the problem with boaters congregating on the east side of Longboat Pass Bridge is that they tend to get closer and closer and eventually invade the swim area. She said that the boaters continue to block the channel so that people can’t get into the bay and Greer Island. She also said that boaters rev their engines and tear up the sea grass when they leave the beach.
“The manatees breed in Greer Bay and it’s kind of a private place. The older people who come often drink, bring their dogs and jump off the bridge. And their dogs run loose. She added that her family could call the police every time, but they know the police have better things to do so “we only call when it gets really outrageous.”
Town staff in a presentation made the same day as Saunders’ remarks, said that the current arrangement has been effective in creating a protected boundary and that there have been no arrests or incidents or upticks in police activity. The town also explained that extending a swim zone closer to Longboat Pass Bridge to keep boaters away could prove a difficult argument since the Coast Guard and Manatee County originally did not want a swim zone in the vicinity due to the strong currents emanating from the pass and under the bridge. So the idea of extending the zone closer to the bridge would be a counter-intuitive reach.
Saunders suggested that the lifestyle of people recreating with kayaks and walking and bathing while protecting the environment was a direction worth pursuing. Town staff will continue monitoring the situation.
