Sand Key Florida Blog

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.

The oil spill and continuing leakage from the well near Venice, Louisiana has truly become an economic and environmental disaster FOR THAT AREA - not anywhere close to Clearwater Beach or Sand Key. Despite the media’s never ending spewing of mis-information, hypothetical situations and doom and gloom for Florida beaches, the fact is we are clean, the water is clear and the quality of the Gulf was evident when we recently were fishing in forty feet of water where we could see the bottom.

The imapact has been evident in other economic circumstances such as seafood. While the prices for local domestic shrimp has increased slightly, demand has been less, therefore there have been little supply shortages. People are questioning the safety of the local species such as grouper, snapper and mackeral. The fact is seafood may be safer than ever with new sampling and safety measures put in place to make certain there are no oil contaminates.

Tourism in this area down. How much? It is hard to determine. We know that European visitors are cancelling vacations in significant numbers fearing our beaches are in eminent danger as portrayed by the media. Restaurants, hotels and retail operations in tourist areas were encouraged with a great April when the oil spill occurred late in the month. Now after a record cold first quarter of the year and weak June sales, many businesses are fearing the summer will spell financial disaster.

Real estate sales were beginning to see some positive signs. Now, hesitant buyers are staying away from waterfront properties in a wait and see posture. This slow down may lead to further decline in values.

The good news is that are island is still pristine. June is still a great month to watch dolphins, manatee and tarpon as they roam close to shorelines and shallow water. Our summer waterfowl are here and putting on their show. Sand Key is still a great place to be!

Registration is open for the June 27th Triathlon benefiting Morton Plant Mease Foundation. The event will begin at 6:50 AM and the running portion will send the participants through Clearwater and Belleair.

On June 2, 2010 the Sand Key Civic Association will meet at the Community Sailing Center. Prior to the 7:30 meeting start, Sheriff Jim Coats will speak at 6:30 PM to the audience concerning the sheriff’sdepartment proposal to the City of Clearwater to handle law enforcement for the City.

Other matters on the agenda include committee reports including Beach Re-nourishment and Springfest 2010.

The public is encouraged and welcome to attend. Your input is what helps the SKCA continue to enhance the quality of life on the island.

It seems everyone must like the negative headlines being broadcast by most national media sources. Sure there is a great possibility that the oil spill COULD get a lot worse than what it is, but that is not the impression potential visitors to Florida are getting. The Gulf is NOT closed to fishing - despite what an ABC reporter stated. No oil has reached a Florida shore, nor are there any possibilities of that happening in the near future.

To reassure people who are watching the beaches we are posting this link to Clearwater Beach and the clean white sands we are enjoying - just click here for the Beach Walk Camera.

To watch the history and daily tracking of the oil slick in Gulf waters near Louisiana, MSNBC has set up a neat link to this animated news site.

While BP has taken responsibility for the damages of the spill itself, the news media should accept responsibility for inaccurate reporting.

The media, rumors and just plain wrong information has been published about the oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico as it relates to Florida and specifically this area around Sand Key. The result has been people canceling vacations, rooms and planned activities throughout the state of Florida. That facts as we know them today are:

• Not a single drop of oil has reached any Florida shores. While it could happen if a major storm pushed the oil in our direction, at this point, there are no projections of that happening.
• The Gulf of Mexico is NOT closed to fishing. Only a small portion close to the mouth of the Mississippi River has been closed in the vicinity of the leaking oil rig. By the way, there are about 4000 oil rigs in the northern Gulf.
• Seafood is safe from Gulf waters and continues to be harvested in the majority of the Gulf. Most of the oyster beds in the northern gulf are not affected by the spill as of this date. Those beds are west of the Mississippi River.
• The spill moves daily in one direction or the other depending on the tides, winds and containment efforts.
• Our shores are over 200 miles from the closest point the spill has ever been projected to move in the last week.

The SKCA has scheduled the next meeting on May 5th, 2010 at 8 PM, preceded at 6:30 PM by a debate on Amendment 4. The meeting will be held at the Clearwater Sailing Center.

The debate on Amendment 4, which will be on the November ballot, concerns land use requirements and the procedures that could require referendums approved by the public.

The regular meeting, starting at 8 PM will include committee reports and the final report on the very successful Springfest 2010. The SKCA should be commended for sponsoring this community get together.

The smell of hamburgers, the sound music playing, laughter from people all over the Shoppes of Sand Key - it must be Springfest 2010! The Sand Key Civic Association sponsored the First Annual Springfest for the community of Sand Key. It was the first time in memory that the entire island came together for a big block party. The highlights were the entertainment that included bands, the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, artists scattered throughout the Shoppes and the great sport of people watching!

The Sand Key Civic Association must be commended for sponsoring the Springfest. Gene Gillespie, Vice President of the SKCA and committee Chairman for the event, rallied a small group of people into action that resulted in this unprecedented community gathering. Congratulations to Gene and we look forward to next year.

On Wednesday, April 21, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will host interested Sand Key Residents at no charge from 5:30 to 8 PM. You can visit Winter the dolphin and all the lively marine life at CMA. If you haven’t visited the Aquarium lately, you are missing a real treat for the whole family. The upgrades to the facility and programs in the last couple of years make this a world class showcase of marine life.

The CMA is located at 249 Windward Passage, which is the first street off Island Way on Island Estates. For more information visit www.SeeWinter.com