Boat Handling Jacks

Pasco dredge permit OK'd; boaters to have more access to Gulf

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet unanimously approved a dredge permit Tuesday for a canal that will give Pasco County boaters more access to the Gulf of Mexico and clear the way for construction of SunWest Harbourtowne resort.

"It feels fantastic," said Commissioner Jack Mariano, who has spent the last five years working to make SunWest a reality.

The multimillion-dollar project would transform the former limestone mine in northwest Pasco County by converting one of the lakes into a marina. The developers have approval to build 2,500 residences, 250,000 square feet of retail, 250 hotel rooms and 500 boat slips. The canal will include a seven-lane boat launch and a boat lift capable of handling 45 boats a day.

Pasco County plans to build a freshwater beach park on the second lake.

"I want us to get rolling immediately on the park," Mariano said. "We need to get in there and start shaping the beaches and put in the parking."

The canal would separate the private development from the 313-acre park. The county has paid $500,000 to design the park and has another $2.5 million set aside for its construction. Preliminary plans include parking for 250 boat trailers and cars, picnic shelters, a walking trail and a manatee observation tower. A swim area and a dive area also are under consideration.

Assistant County Administrator Michele Baker said the county has a desperate need for more boat access to the Gulf. "We have over 25,000 registered boats in Pasco," she said. "It's not uncommon on a beautiful Saturday for boaters to have to wait 2 or 3 hours to have to launch boat."

County commissioners have a workshop scheduled in June to discuss the park.

Local officials were accompanied by more than 40 Fivay High School students who boarded a school bus at 4 a.m. to attend the meeting. "I think when they see the youth get involved in an issue like this, it makes a big impact," Mariano said.

But environmental groups have opposed the dredge project. Julie Brashears Wraithmell, conservation director for the Florida Audubon Society, said the project would impact nearly twice the amount of environmentally sensitive lands as the Port of Manatee.

"This is not just a local issue," she said. "This application is unprecedented in Florida history. It's something that your predecessors never moved forward with. Keep in mind that our natural resources are finite."

Several officers with the Gulf Coast Conservancy voiced concerns about the project's impact on native plants and wildlife. "We think the park is a wonderful idea," president Mac Davis said. "We do not think the dredge is necessary.

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