Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/273295
patrons would be told to take the equip- ment down to Beach Access 11 and launch from there. Lifeguards already instruct anyone who brings a standup paddleboard or other type of water- craft to the beach to launch "at the very outer edge of the swim zone," the memo notes. Section 130 of the county code prohibits air sports, watercraft, surfing and sailboarding within a swimming or bathing area "clearly marked by duly authorized buoys or other distinguishing devices" or within 500 feet of any public beach on the Gulf of Mexico, the memo also points out. An alternative, Brown explained, would be to reduce the designated swim area, which is about 2,400 feet in length, to allow space for paddleboarders. The memo suggests carving out 130 feet for paddleboarders. The county's lifeguards are not in favor of amending the county ordinance that governs activities at the beach to allow paddleboard- ers in the swim zone, the memo explains. One major concern is that a paddleboarder could strike and injure a swimmer. A second person who addressed the commis- sion during the public comments portion of the meeting, Laurel Kaiser, pointed out that a paddleboard has a leash 10 to 12 feet long that attaches to one of the user's feet; the boards themselves are 8 or 9 feet long. Therefore, if a user falls off the board, she said, swimmers within a 20-foot radius could be vulnerable to strikes. R e g a r d i n g u s e o f B e a c h A c c e s s 1 1 , Commissioner Nora Patterson asked, "I'm assuming paddleboarders would have to go straight out perpendicular to the beach" until they get beyond the swim zone. "That is correct," Montgomery told her. "Now how in the world are you going to enforce that?" she responded. The area could be cordoned off, Montgomery told her. "We would have to work with the vendor on specific rules of the road, or rules of the water, for lack of a better term." Montgomery added that a number of years ago, when jet ski rentals were allowed on Lido Beach, the vendor told customers they had to stay clear of the buoys marking the swim zone or they would lose their deposits. Paddleboarders enjoy a sunny sojourn on the Atlantic Ocean at Cocoa Beach. Photo by Rusty Clark via Flickr and Wikimedia Commons Sarasota News Leader March 7, 2014 Page 63