Sand Key Florida Blog

Thanks to the residents of Sand Key and Clearwater Beach for a packed house at Backwaters for the 10th Anniversary Party. The rains held off and the hundreds of people crowded inside and along the deck for a great night enjoying a complimentary Southern Boil. Chef Mark and Chef Damien put on a feast!

On Wednesday, August 25, 2010 the Clearwater Code Enforcement Board will meet to discuss the deteriorating building formerly housing the Cabana Club Restaurant on Sand Key. The residents are encouraged to attend to express their views. The meeting will be held at 3 PM, Clearwater City Hall, 3rd floor.

Apparently we can stop holding our breath and feel safe to say the spewing of crude oil into the Gulf has stopped. This isn’t news, but the first time we were prepared to say it out loud for fear of jinxing the capping effort. We saw many failed attempts, but the combination of the pressure cap and “mud” seems to be working.

The people along the northern shores (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) will see the damages linger for years to come. The environment, economy and individuals along the coastal areas begin the long road to recovery and cleanup. No one can set a time table. Only Mother Nature, clean up crews and the resilience of the residents can improve the damaged areas.

In the area around Sand Key, the damage was economic. People were here, but many stayed away. The media’s relentless poor reporting gave the image of oil stained beaches and predictions of more oil to come from here to Key West. The result was the worst summer tourist season perhaps since the World Trade Center attacks ten years ago. Many small businesses haven’t survived and those that do will struggle to get back to where they can stop the bleeding and build the future.

Now the process to get some financial healing begins with BP and their promise to pay for their actions or lack thereof! The claims process is not easy. Businesses must provide three years of operating history, payroll records, monthly profit and loss statements, tax records and sales tax filings to back up any claims made. Even then, there are some subjective decisions that will lead to unpaid claims.

As the sponsors of this site, Backwaters on Sand Key and Maggie Mae’s (waterfront location) will file for our lost revenues. We were fortunate and our numbers are small compared to many others. Our curiosity to follow the claims process and BP’s actions will be followed and reported here. Will BP back up their statements? Will they look in depth at each small business situation or are they just throwing a few dollars to the wind for publicity? We will let you know.

The 2nd Annual Super Boat Nationals Championship will invade the area starting October 1, 2010. The Friday through Sunday schedule includes a festival at Coachman Park. The boats race along Clearwater Beach, but are displayed daily for fans at Coachman Park.

It’s great to see this event back to the Sand Key area for a second year.

Help to Make Clearwater #1 Tennis Town the Country

Clearwater is a finalist in the top ten of the United States Tennis Association’s competition. Voting is now going on to choose a winner which will receive $100,000 for the purposes of expanding tennis in the community.

Please take the time to make our city number one by visiting this link http://www.besttennistown.com/ to vote for Clearwater. It only takes a moment to get recognition of our town as the best!

Gulf Seafood Safer Than Ever Before

The fish and other seafood coming out of the Gulf of Mexico is probably more safe now than it has ever been. With testing by multiple federal agencies, state authorities, wholesalers and various universities, we are getting layers of assurances that there are no dangers from the BP oil spill disaster raging in the northern Gulf. In fact, Gulf seafood, in my opinion, is far safer than most of the imported fish served in many restaurants and sold in grocery stores!

Now that the flow of oil has stopped, at least temporarily, the real question about seafood is -

What Long Term Effects Will the Oil Spill Have on Sustainability of Gulf Seafood?

Studies have shown that mature fish have the ability to metabolize small amounts of hydrocarbons. They also tend to migrate away from uncomfortable waters (this may account for the fabulous fishing around the Sand Key area these last few months). While adult seafood populations seem to be surviving to a great degree, the real issue is the eggs and larvae of the various species that have been destroyed.

What has the oil spill done to the next generation of seafood and the delicate balance of the Gulf fisheries already burdened by some over fishing and poor resource management?

When tallying the damages that BP must ante up, we should not forget the potential harm from the oil’s effects on the future of seafood production and recreational fishing. Studies need to begin now on how to replenish the ecosystem and sustain the future of Gulf fisheries.

For those of us on Sand Key who find it hard to leave the tranquility we enjoy, this is a great time to travel down the coast of Florida.

This past week we were in Ft; Myers Beach and Key West. The BP disaster in the northern Gulf has made hotels, restaurants and tourist destinations very pleasant without big crowds. Unfortunately, small businesses are suffering from the lack of normal business levels. For those of us on Backwaters annual Key West excursion we got great bargains on hotel rooms, the Key West Express and the competitive specials at restaurants. Our group of over 20 people found seating and accommodations readily available.

Remember to support the small independent restaurants, motels and establishments. These are the people who are trying to stay in business that make every area unique. There is nothing redeeming about chains and large corporations working on shareholders money.

Don’t forget, Backwater’s tenth anniversary party coming in August!

This past weekend we ventured out of Clearwater Pass due west for two days of fishing. Of course, fishing was our goal, but we also had a secondary thought about the conditions of the water due to the oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico. I am pleased to report that we saw no signs of oil, sheen’s on the water or even a trace of the disaster in northern waters.

The fishing was perfect and the waters were spectacular - clear and blue. We limited out on Red Snapper. Caught plenty of Mangrove Snapper, Black Grouper and Red Grouper. Even the Amberjack and occasional shark made the trip fantastic.

For now, our waters around Sand Key and Clearwater Beach are picture perfect. Let’s hope BP gets the oil well stopped from spewing it’s oil soon.

More of the Gulf of Mexico was closed to fishing on Monday as a result of the oil spill. The good news is that most of the Gulf waters added to the no fishing boundaries were west and south of the last closures. Marine Fisheries say the latest closure was “precautionary” only. Florida continues to see white beaches, gorgeous sunshine and maybe the best early summer fishing we have seen in ten years.

For a map showing the latest boundaries click here. If you haven’t seen the chart of how the spill has grown and the directions it has moved visit this animated site.

Early Friday morning I leave on a weekend fishing trip to almost the middle grounds. We will be very close to the closed boundary. This will be my opportunity to see first hand if there are any signs of the oil 100 miles or so west of Sand Key.