Cigarette disposal containers are located at beach accesses in Indian Rocks Beach.
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH – What began several weeks ago as a discussion to limit the littering of cigarette butts on Indian Rocks Beach ended up as a heavy fine for any types of litter.
The City Commission unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that would impose a $500 fine for anyone caught littering anywhere in the city. It equally punishes the smoker who discards a butt in the sand on the beach, and a child who drops a candy bar wrapper outside the corner store.
It was that part of the ordinance that irked Commissioner Terry Hamilton-Wollin.
She had previously spoken out against the cigarette litter on the beach and was hoping the new fine would apply only to people who dropped their butts.
“They are public enemy number one,” she said. “They just don’t get it. No matter what we try to get people to stop leaving cigarette butts in the sand, they continue to do it.”
As for the child with the candy bar wrapper she felt the fine was a little harsh.
“It isn’t the same kind of offense,” Hamilton-Wollin said, hoping the ordinance would target only the smokers. “I’m not afraid of hurting someone’s feeling with this fine. My feelings are hurt every time a child, building a sand castle, picks up a chemically laden cigarette butt. My feelings are hurt every time a bird or a fish dies because they ingest a cigarette butt.”
Other commissioners felt all types of litter should be included.
“Litter is litter,” said Vice Mayor Phil Hanna. “Granted, cigarettes precipitated the issue, but there is litter everywhere and not just on the beach.
Commissioner Cookie Kennedy agreed.
“I walked through the city the other day and saw all types of litter, especially broken glass and beer bottles. Even a bourbon bottle.”
Hamilton-Wollin was relentless however.
“The greatest offenders are the smokers. I don’t think the fine will matter, but we have to get their attention,” she said.
Mayor R.B. Johnson weighed in on both sides of the argument.
“There are all kinds of litter, the cans and bottles,” he said. “But they are not as noticeable because people walking the beach or on the sidewalk stop and pick up those items. I do it myself. A lot of the stuff that gets tossed out gets picked up by local residents.”
But not cigarette butts.
“They are so inherently disgusting that no one wants to pick them up,” he said. “The fact that they have been in somebody’s mouth and contain all those chemicals, and they take decades to disintegrate,” he said.
The mayor said the only time people pick up discarded butts is on special clean-up days and then they are outfitted with gloves so they don’t actually have to touch them.
Commissioner-elect Jim Labadie implored the commission to get more aggressive in policing the issue.
“I don’t see the Sheriff’s office out writing citations for cigarette butts. The harder we are in the beginning the better it will be,” he said.
As the debate wound down, Hamilton-Wollin said, “We have an opportunity to take a bold step here and make a statement.”
Then the commission passed the resolution imposing a $500 fine for any type of littering anywhere in the city. Signs, which will be erected indicating the penalty, will likely stress smoking material as litter. In fact cigarette butts and other smoking-related items are specifically mentioned in the new ordinance.
The second and final reading of the ordinance will be at the next regular meeting of the commission on Feb. 28.
Keegan Clair Park improvements
The commission unanimously approved two items relating to the improvements to Keegan Clair Park. They are items that City Manager Chuck Coward said would finally get construction under way. The first is a $309,000 contract with Steve’s Excavating for the shoreline stabilization of the park and the First Street boardwalk areas. And the second was approval of a $13,930 contract with CivilSurv Design Group Inc. for engineering services associated with the actual work on the project.
Coward said that work will begin right away and although no one will see anything happening at the park immediately, “the project has begun,” he said.
In addition to the land work being done in the park a number of floating docks are being installed and Coward said the contracts for that project are, “Signed, sealed and delivered and are in hand.”
Completion of the project is sometime in late spring.
Dune walkover to be built
Several years ago when the Westwind condominiums were built on Gulf Boulevard, the developers were required to put aside $10,000 for the building of a dune walkover from the complex to the beach. The job, for whatever reason, did not get done.
Now the city is taking that money, which had been held in escrow, and will build a walkover at the 26th Avenue beach access, which is the closest access to the Westwind.
When completed this will be the ninth dune walkover in Indian Rocks Beach. The intent is to have walkovers at all access points. There are seven left to be constructed.
Accounting award
The city’s financial director Sandy Sanders reported to the commission that the city just received a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting. It was the 19th time in the past 20 years that the city received the award. It did not receive it in 2005. Coward pointed out that the award, from the Governmental Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada, is for the reporting of the finances, not the condition of those finances.
With that, Sanders reported that the first quarter numbers are in and the city is within budget. “We are in very good shape,” he said.
Meeting canceled
The commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 14, has been canceled. Instead, the commission and the Planning and Zoning Board will hold a joint workshop session on Thursday, Feb. 16, 4 to 6 p.m. Up for discussion will be the city’s approach to various zoning concerns, such as building height, the Planned Development District and hotel development.
The next regularly scheduled commission meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.
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