Clerk reads emails into the record

2:33:03Madam Clerk? Yes.

2:33:05There are uh twenty two emails. There's some that are duplicates that are left, so a total of nineteen emails.

2:33:14Okay.

2:33:16Thank you grew while we were sitting here.

2:33:20All right. So we have An email from uh Sergio Palazzi. And Um Andrea Mofonte. Both addresses are [address removed]. This is their email. Dear resident uh Let me see. That includes the the email to them, so I'm not gonna read the dear residents of Gulf Landings. So Dear Pasco County Commissioners.

2:33:53So in fact there are five that are duplicate because I didn't realize that. So I'll go ahead and read the other three names and addresses and they're all the same.

2:34:00Okay.

2:34:03Okay. Um Barry Fason or Façon. [address removed].

2:34:17Mark and Tina Emerson. Five five five seven Seaforest Drive number two fourteen New Port Richey, Florida, three four six five two and finally J W and Beth Bailey [address removed].

2:34:39I request Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, BOCC, add an amendment and approval by the Board of County Commissioners to include all the canals and waterways in the Seaforest area, which includes Gulf Landings Association, to be included in the phase two permitting that is scheduled for May 18th, 2021, BOCC meeting. I request my email be read into and entered into the record of the May 18th, 2021 Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner's meeting, sincerely.

2:35:07Right.

2:35:11Barry Jackson at [address removed]. I respectfully request uh Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, B O C C to add an amendment and to approve.

2:35:27Uh phase two permitting scheduled for the five eighteen twenty one BOCC meeting and inclusion of all canals and waterways in the Seaforce area, which includes those of Gulf Landing Association. I also request that my email be read into the record. Sincerely.

2:35:43William von Wechden Vechiden Nine eight two three, San Sebastian Way, Port Richey Florida, three four six six eight.

2:35:54The canals need to be dredged because as sediment builds up on the bottom of the waterway, it reduces the depth of the water. Dredging strips away the accumulated debris. Which can restore the body the bot the water body to its original depth and reduce the risk of flooding.

2:36:11John Elms nine nine zero two San Sebastian Way, Port Ritchie. I ask the County Commissioner to approve the expense to have our canals dredged. Such action will contribute to the continuing lifestyle and economic vitality, i.e. property values and resulting tax bases that Pasco County and its citizens enjoy. Kind regards. Kevin M. Melissa Schrader. Good morning week. Kevin and Melissa Schrader of [address removed].

2:36:42Want this read into the record during the May 18th BOCC meeting, we would like to see our canal canals dredged in the area, making passage out of the Gulf of Mexico easier at low tide. While new to the area and anxious to purchase a boat, we understand from neighbors that Certain canals are limited in depth, so we have held off on this purchase. While we love this love the area and neighbors, had we known the canal passage was so difficult, we may have looked in a different area to live. We are concerned as to what this problem may have have

2:37:12on our property values as well. Please address the dredging of the canals immediately. Thank you for your time and consideration.

2:37:20Sherry uh Van Der. Galean.

2:37:25Um I am requesting I don't see an uh an address. I'm requesting that the Westport canals be dredged for safety reasons and due to the smells coming from this area. There are times when the smell in this area is overwhelming and we are forced to breathe this in. We have been stranded in this area on our boat, and a day of fun turns into a nightmare real fast. A four to six hour boating trip trip can become a ten to twelve hour trip due to the shallow shallowness of these canals. And if you have a

2:37:55medical condition, diabetes, heart disease, et cetera, you can find yourself in an emergency situation that will not end. These canals need to be made deeper so boaters are safe to exit and enter in their respective homes, sincerely.

2:38:12James and Amaradon Mills, 9835, San Diego Way, Port Richey Florida, 34668. I, James Mills, want this read into the record during the May 18th, 20 the May 18th BC BOCC meeting as a resident of Westport Subdivision for twenty years. I and other residents have struggled to clear sand and rocks from our only route from our home to the Gulf. I am others have spent countless I'm sorry. I and others have spent hours grounded day and night, if

2:38:43returning at other than high tide and have suffered boat and motor damage. Residents regularly enter the water to dive and remove rocks and sand and place place and replace P B C path markers at our residents' expense. We are supportive of any level of channel clearing assistance available.

2:39:04Uh next is Grant Real.

2:39:09I do not see an address.

2:39:12I, Grant Real, want this email read into the record during the May 18th BOCC meeting. Please consider the dredging of the Westport canals to begin the planning process for 2021. As a resident and speaking on behalf of many of my neighbors, the dredging of the canals will greatly improve access to the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of the residents with Westport canal access are senior with limited access to local beaches and attractions. We rely on canals as our only means of getting away to enjoy with friends and family in today's

2:39:43society of COVID 19 in fear that what the future holds, dredging the canal is vital to our well-being. All of us would benefit by improving access through dredging. Currently, we are dependent on the tides, contributing to a narrow window to be able to navigate. This window is greatly lessened during the winter months when access is on the eastern.

2:40:03up that window and allow for more versatility for e enjoying the water. In addition, there is a safety factor. The shallowness of the cra of the canals makes the only safe passage at high tide which is very narrow any other time we risk damage to our boats and possibly injury to our family. and friends that are with us. Dredging would greatly reduce the risk fac factor of possibly hitting bottom or other obstacles to both the boat but more importantly the safety of our family and friends. Improving the navigation of the canal through dredging

2:40:34will positively impact property values and draw in new residents while adding to the local economy. Currently we are limited to the size of the boat and stray away from new boat purchases and fear of damage While navigating through shallow canal systems, dredging the canal would open this up, allowing the increased sail at local mariners. Uh local marinas. Overall, please consider this input as a contributing factor in the Westport Canal Dredging discussion. This is a win-win for everyone. The residents benefit by safe access and expanded

2:41:04access to the Gulf. Housing values will increase, attracting new residents to invest in the neighborhood, and the county benefits through increased property values. Dredging will impact not only today's residents of Westport but also residents for many years to come. Thank you for the opportunity to share my input.

2:41:22This email is from Ryan Jessup. Uh no email. Or I mean sorry, no address. I would like to see our canals dredged for a couple of reasons. If you've ever taken a boat out onto a lake, river or canal, you know you have to be careful to navigate around the amount of much in the wa o the water body. Much is comprised of sediments at the bottom of the body of water. The more muck the water has, the greater impact it will have on the quality of the water and the recreational activities that take place there. Dredging

2:41:52is vital. in maintaining the health, recreational enjoyment and quality of a canal The long term benefits are crucial to its survival.

2:42:04Tom and Linda Howellwell, 5749-Sebreeze Drive, Port Ritchie. We are Westport residents and live in the water. We choose to purch we chose to purchase the home in two thousand seventeen at a premium based on information provided at the time of the sale that a dredging project was approved and imminent but would would dredge the canal and local canals. I'm sorry, dredge the channel and local canals to retain improve the navigability that the waterfront residents of this neighborhood have paid for. However, the

2:42:34canals and min and main channel to the Gulf continues to fill with silt silt, rocks, and other debris and are now in total disrepair. The main channel markers and signs are mostly missing and are no longer accurate based on how the surface has changed over the years. Additionally the the ch can't the china. The canals in our neighborhood have also been neglected. These canals continue to shrink due to naturally occurring subsurface growth, which makes boating unsafe and will continue to

2:43:04get worse over time. We have seen our canal in four short years be drastically reduced with respect to safe navigable water. We are forced to be tide dependent and can only safely enjoy the use of even the smallest of boats during a few hour high tide period. or risk serious damage to boat or not being able to navigate in and out at all. Recently a family with small children on an eighteen foot boat was struck it was stuck in the canal. was stuck in the channel,

2:43:35having inadvertently beached in shallow water for six hours until after midnight so that they could safely come back into the neighborhood. Our canal specifically ends at San Diego Way and Seabreeze Drive, and has become a repository of sediment, sludge, garbage, and other debris. It has also become home to alligators with numerous baby gators who reside at the end of the canal where the water is shallow, the stench and flies during low tide make it difficult to enjoy outdoor life.

2:44:05The county, the state, and federal government are or should be required to provide Maintenance of the waterways, the ch the channel and markers and the canal. We have already sold our twenty foot V Hall and have removed and have moved to a pontoon boat which requires less draught In an attempt to compensate for the deteriorating can uh candles Ch uh channels and canals. Many people have incurred damage, expense and hardships

2:44:35as a result of the lack of maintenance. Yet our tax our taxes continue to increase significantly for the privileb privilege of living in the water in a boating community. The significant decline We have witnessed these past four years. At current rate, it will only be a few more years until we cannot leave our channel. At all. I'm sorry, our canal at all. It is not the waterfront life we bought into and continue to pay for. We ask you to do the right thing for the Westport taxpayers and assist with making the Westport

2:45:05community the boating community it should be and once was. Shannon Waycheck Waitrek [address removed] Well.

2:45:19I don't see an address. Oh wait, sorry, I just read the address. Ooh, getting tired. Please consider Westport Subdivision for Dredging as a waterfront homeowner. I'm concerned about flooding potential erosion, wildlife preservation, ecosystem maintenance, property valuation, and overall safety in our community. Dredging would not only be beneficial to our neighborhood, but the adjacent Warner Bryce Salt Springs State Park and nearby areas. Let's all do our part and take care of our water before it's too late to enjoy it any more.

2:45:48And then we got left too.

2:45:52Um one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

2:45:56You're going pretty good.

2:46:01All right. Okay. Jason and Heidi Whipkey. [address removed], Holly um Hudson Boo, Hudson, Florida, three four six six seven. Uh dear Jack Mariano We are inquiring about the fact that we have received a warning for using our newly purchased home in November 2020 as a short-term weekly vacation rental. The fine is $500 per day if rented out as a weekly rental again. We are most certainly willing to become compliant with the

2:46:31laws of Pasco County. However, we when we called the County Permitting Department and spoke with Ruth Ann, she assured us that it is Virtually impossible to obtain a per the permit as only sixteen permits are in place. We also spoke with a real estate attorney who told us the same thing. Apparently this permit has been put into place as a nineteen ninety-nine. Obviously things have changed in the past twenty-two years and VRBO, Airbnb and such vacation rental sites have created a new way

2:47:01of vacationing. In times like these, most people are more comfortable vacationing in a home rather than a hotel or resort where there are several people gathering together and utilizing elevators and pools. When we purchased this home, the previous owners had also been using this method to rent the home on a weekly basis and we continued to follow suit. It was our misunderstanding of the need for a permit and he uh did not already have this permit as a previous renter. The realtor that sold us the house was not aware

2:47:32of this permit either. When with renting it out a few times, we did collect hotel taxes and paid them to the state and county as required. As we have research on VRBO, Airbnb, and many other rental sites, there are well over a thousand short-term vacation rentals currently being rented in Pasco County. Ruth Ann in the permitting department informed us that there are currently only sixteen permits in Pasco County. How can there be so many weekly short-term rentals without permits? The process to apply for the permit includes

2:48:02getting fifty-one percent of your subdivisions to agree to allow the property to be permitted. As we all know, many homes here in Pasco County are not only second homes for the property owners, but also short-term rentals. In order to get these signatures, it's virtually impossible to track down the owners, let alone get a response from them. We are most certain that most of these 1,000-plus properties would be up for sale if this permit continues to be in place and not easily obtainable. We would like to request that there be a permit that is

2:48:32in place and charge a fee each year to renew. It would be ideal to have a drive-by inspection and proof of hotel taxes being paid in order to renew. Pasco County has many homes, as we are all aware of, but while driving through the county we have noticed many homes that have not been taken care of over several years. Some homes have become an eyesore to the community. I can assure you that any property being used as a short term rental is always well maintained and looked And

2:49:02looking its best. When renting to vacationers, the appearance of the property will always be kept up, as in grass and landscaping will be pristine, garbage picked up, appearance and maintenance of the property will be t a top priority. We believe the offering a weekly rental not only allows people to visit the area and frequent the businesses that have suffered from COVID-19, but perhaps draw more interest in purchasing the many houses that come. Come up for sale as a homestead. Paso County is a beautiful area. Why not allow weekly rental permits to keep the

2:49:32economy growing, create more jobs, and collect more taxes of the county? That's the three minute mark.

2:49:43Okay. Um Alberto Martinez Caraballo. Let's see. I do not see an address. Oh, here it is. [address removed]. I'm here to express my opinion in regards to any rulings on vacation rentals. Vacation rentals is my only source of income. for the past four years and I need to make sure there are no restrictions added to how we manage and and the freedom to openly

2:50:13book rentals. Without the ability to rent freely and by limiting imput imputation days, restrictions, it will impair my ability to sustain myself eliminating two salaries as well as the taxes that today we pay to the state and federal tax. It is my opinion to allow us, vacation rental owners, to continue promoting our business without limiting the days of stay and allowing tourists to continue to come enjoy our beaches and inducing tourism funds by spending in Florida

2:50:44businesses, helping boost Florida's economy. I kindly ask for my request to be heard, ensuring that the future of these small businesses, which also contributes to the tourism industry.

2:51:01Um Badress Patel?

2:51:05Address is [address removed]. I own properties in Pasco County. I am in support of vacation rentals and supporting that. The idea of requiring the signed petition only divides residents of communities and virtually makes it impossible for most owners to get the required Pasco license. While they can easily obtain the required State of Florida Occupation License, the Department of Revenue License, and the Pasco

2:51:35County Tourist Development. and tax license. Not allowing this industry to operate will cost Pasco County hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Please voice my opinion in meeting tomorrow to eliminate 51% vote in communities to allow vacation rundals. Thank you so much for listening to us.

2:51:56Donald Van der Ga Galen.

2:52:01Um I, Donald Van Vander Galean Wantesimo, read into the record during the May 18th BOCC meeting because of the canals being so low in Westport. You can only get in and out during mid and high tide. When we bought our property a year ago, we were not aware of the canal situation. Had we known this would that this, we would have not brought the bought the property as I am an advid fisherman. We have experienced being stuck out in the Gulf for hours on end due to these canals

2:52:32being so low. This is a very dangerous situation for individuals who have medical needs, i.e., insulin-dependent oral medications. And that saying, a day out fishing is better than a day at work, not if you live in Westport. Please dredge these canals so everyone can be safe and have an enjoyable day on the golf. Yeah. No email was or no um address was provided.

2:52:54Kimberly, I'll spell the last name, L E C H L E I T N E R

2:53:03No address. I am strongly urging the county commissioners to act and get our canals dredged to a usable depth. The canals going into Westport are less than one foot of water during the low tide cycle and cannot be used. I'm urging your action on this important issue as it will affect our property values in the near future. Thank you.

2:53:26Joel Rayburn, 9916, Trade Winds Dive P Drive, Port Ritchie, Florida, 34668.

2:53:35As a resident of Westport Subdivision in Port Ritchie, I would like to see our channel leading to the Gulf of Mexico properly dredged. The channel has never been dredged while neighboring channels have been done multiple times. Over the past several years, we have seen an influx in kayaks, paddle boards, and other small vessels exploring the conservation area around the channel. The current path and configuration of this channel poses significant safety risks to all who enjoy this area. The channel is very winding with blind spots and is not wide

2:54:05enough for two vessels to safely pass. Dredging this channel will not only improve safety for everyone, but will also improve water circulation within the conservation area to help maintain the health of our ecosystem. I strongly recommend reconfiguring dredging Westport um channel to mitigate any safety risks to impact to Powdered power powered and non-powered vessels as well as wildlife in this area. Okay, last email.

2:54:35Don't have an address. It's from um uh we William and Valerie Romanchek want this email written to the record during the May eighteenth BOCC meeting. We want the Westport uh canals dredged so we can use our boat all year long, not just during summer months when tides are higher. During winter months the tides are often so low it is impossible to get uh to get our boat out. We bought our house in order to use our boat and have been hearing about the dredging of our canals for years, but with no action. Would very much appreciate your attention

2:55:05to this matter. That's it.

2:55:07That's it.

2:55:08Thank

2:55:08you.

2:55:13You ready?

2:55:14I'm done.