By Patricia Lee
This month in our Destinites Facebook group (www.Destinites.com/groups/Destinites) we had a member to place the post below regarding 15 public dedicated boat slips. Please be aware and attend the next city council meeting (TBA) to make your voice heard.
Post placed by a Destinites member….
DESTIN TAXPAYERS—IT’S TIME TO SPEAK UP!
In 2019, a landowner dedicated 15 transient boat slips for public use on the Destin Harbor in exchange for being excused from over $119,000.00 in fees that would have been otherwise owed to the City of Destin —this agreement approved by the City of Destin to allow residents and visitors to dock at all 15 transient boat slips and enjoy local restaurants and businesses (including several located on the landowner’s property).
But today? Only four of those transient slips remain available to the public. The rest are being rented out for commercial use, directly violating the intent of the original agreement.
Worse yet, those of us who try to use the public slips are being confronted and told we can’t park there. I was personally approached just a few weeks ago in a rude and aggressive manner by someone “policing” the slips—despite them being designated for public access. I attempted to use the public slip for the exact purpose for which it was intended, that is for City of Destin residents to be able to dock on the harbor and patronize the businesses on the harbor. I have heard other similar stories from our fellow Destinites.
As a City of Destin landowner and taxpayer, I’m not getting what my money is paying for…that is to say, the money the City of Destin gave up to allow us to have some water public access to the harbor businesses—and I know I’m not alone. This is not just about boat slips—it’s about fairness, accountability and protecting public access on the Destin Harbor. Join me at the City Council Meeting (date TBD) and make your voice heard. Let’s urge the city to enforce the agreement and restore full public access to these transient slips.
End of member’s group post.
If you are a Destin resident or in the close surrounding area, I invite you to join our private, targeted group for locals and property owners at Facebook.com/groups/Destinites with 11,700+ members (Est. Oct. 2018). Check out our local business directory at Destinites.com where 400+ local businesses are already listed and enjoy advertising in our targeted group.
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