Today, July 9, 2015 there appeared in the Gainesville Sun an editorial on speed limits on the Santa Fe River, appropriate since on this day there is a meeting called by the FWC in Fort White Community center at 6 pm to help determine the rules.
The issue at stake is at what point of flood stage the river must reach before the no-wake law goes into effect. Current thinking of the FWC is to raise it one foot from the current level, while popular opinion up to now has been the opposite, that it should be lowered.
The Sun editorial advocates a lower flood level and tighter regulations than what we have now. The Sun mentions OSFR and our position regarding the issue but the editorial omits an important point when they say the FWC is limited only to safety issues.
OSFR has pointed our several times that since the river is designated an Outstanding Florida Water, it merits special protection from the water management districts and the DEP, and that the FWC must consider this when establishing speed limits. If they are the authority who decides the rules, they must acknowledge and respect the Florida laws.
The editorial in the Gainesville Sun can be read at this link