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Boaters, fishermen angry with county proposal

Photo by FRED EVERSON

This heavily used boat ramp at E.G. Simmons Park may be idle two days a week with county budget cutbacks.

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By LOIS KINDLE

lkindle@tampatrib.com

Published: July 15, 2009

RUSKIN - For many recreational and commercial fishermen, closing regional parks like E.G. Simmons in Ruskin would have a major impact on their activities.

About 80 people packed the monthly meeting of the South Shore Anglers Club on July 2 to talk about the county's plan to reduce daily access to regional parks.

"There is a proposed budget recommendation that would mean our 10 regional parks would have to close two days a week," said John Brill, spokesman for Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation & Conservation. "We don't know what days, but it obviously won't be the weekend."

Brill said the parks on the hit list are all heavily used: Simmons, Alderman's Ford, Lithia Springs, Medard, Eureka Springs, Wilderness Park, Lettuce Lake, Lake Park, Lake Rogers and Upper Tampa Bay.

"We're considering a number of things to keep this from happening," he said. "We're looking at forming a volunteer base to help at the parks and host campgrounds, raising camp fees, initiating parking and boat ramp fees, having groups adopt the parks and charging admission."

Brill said unless the county commission says no or the parks department finds more money, it's pretty much a done deal. The cuts will mean a loss of 54 park ranger positions. "It's a matter of money," he said.

Commissioner Al Higginbotham was at the meeting and spoke about 15 minutes on the county budget. He then opened for questions, which lasted for a couple of hours.

"I don't support closing the parks, and it's reflected in the items I've flagged for consolidation in the proposed budget," he said. "There are 12 behind-the-scenes, intergovernmental departments that offer duplicated services, where large savings could be made.

"I'd rather have parks and counselors for the kids."

"It's not just the charter boat captains who will be affected," said Danny Guarino of Ruskin, who meets and picks up clients at E.G. Simmons. "It has one of only two viable boat ramps in all of South Shore - the other is at Williams Park in Riverview. Where are boaters and recreational fishermen going to put in?"

"It's a shame," said Larry Malinoski, a Ruskin captain who uses Shell Point Marina, which is private. "There's a lot of income generated by boaters and fishermen in this area, and the county benefits from the revenue."

Although there is a ramp at Cockroach Bay, it's a small, single ramp at the end of a county road, Malinoski said, with little parking and "it's at your own risk."

Tom Reinhart, an Apollo Beach charter captain, said the county has already shut down seven boat ramps in the area. He said it was the parks that brought him to Florida in the first place.

"Others will be affected if the proposal goes through," he said. "People stop to buy ice, supplies, bait, food and gas in the area. It'll hurt the economy around here, too."

HAVE YOUR SAY

The Hillsborough County budget hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday downtown has been moved to the All People's Life Center, 6105 E. Sligh Ave., Tampa.

If you can't make it to the meeting, you can watch it on Hillsborough Television, which is Channel 622 on Bright House or Channel 22 on Verizon and Comcast. The county also streams video on its Web site, www.hillsboroughcounty.org/budgetmatters.

Residents also can submit questions or comments to hcbudget@hillsboroughcounty.org; by using an online budget e-mail form on the county's Web site, www.hillsboroughcounty.org; or by phone, (813) 307-8337.

All comments and questions will be relayed to county commissioners during the hearing, and some will be read out loud, as time allows.

The county's budget is to be adopted Sept. 17.

Reporter Lois Kindle can be reached at (813) 627-4760.

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