Squishing sand between his toes, soaking up some rays and sipping on a tropical drink. Well, that scenario didn’t actually present itself last week when Key Biscayne’s new Village Manager, Steve Williamson, made a business trip to the beach, hoping to tone down some recent friction between residents and kitesurfers.
“I was just trying to negotiate with the kite-sailors, it’s one of those things you do,” he said.
After some “back and forth” between the “local group and concerned citizens, they realized they were actually on the same side,” Williamson said, regarding his attempt at beachside mediation just before Memorial Day weekend. “It was very productive.”
When the next Village of Key Biscayne Council Meeting takes place June 15, kitesurfing and kiteboarding regulations will be among a variety of topics scheduled for discussion. Click here for the meeting's agenda.
Much of the concern lately centers around safety issues for those walking on the beach or swimming some 100 feet or more from the shore. Kitesurfers, on occasion, have strayed farther inside the 300-foot legal designated “no-vessel” zone, some being “aggressive,” according to swimmers, and the lines being used can pose a safety hazard when stretched on the beach, others say.
Speeds are normally in the 10-20 mph range but can reach 40 mph if wind conditions are perfect and the water is flat. Some kitesurfers are adding a foil to their apparatus to compensate for low wind.
But proponents of the sport, like Karen Beber, a 25-year island resident, mom of three and avid kitesurfer, said there’s never been a kitesurfing accident “on our beaches. Not one. Safety is at the top of our minds always.”
Beber was among about 20 residents and kitesurfers meeting with Williamson, Police Chief Charles Press and other city officials last week on the beach.
Kitesurfing is allowed on Key Biscayne’s beaches — 300 or more feet offshore — but “you launch and land within the designated kite zone,” Beber said, which, in this case, is the Sonesta channel (where the old Sonesta Beach Resort was) just south of Crandon Park.
Beber said the traditional group of kitesurfers or kiteboarders on Key Biscayne follow rules “on how we rig our kites” and all have received Level 3 International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO) certification for “the privilege” to perform safely in the ocean. Occasionally, an inexperienced kitesurfer could pose a danger, Beber admitted.
So, why are concerns being raised now and not 10 or 20 years ago?
“The sport has grown exponentially in the past 20 years,” Beber said. “So many more kitesurfers, not just on our beaches but around the world. I definitely understand someone being scared, especially if someone is breaking the rules.”
Just three years ago, Key Biscayne Council members approved a designated zone in the area around the Sonesta channel. The city”s ordinance defines a kiteboard as a board tethered to a kite that harnesses the power of the wind. Beber says she uses a surfboard as her mode of choice, hence the name kitesurfer.
“I thought our meeting (with Williamson) was extremely positive,” Beber said. “We got to a point to (realizing) what enforcement should look like. Steve did a great job of getting us all (to) focus back on the issue.”
One of the items Williamson likely will bring up during the June 15 meeting would be adding visual identifiers near the beach showing basic rules of the sport and another warning people of a nearby designated kite zone.
“We have a set of rules, we just have to enforce them and have the resources (to enforce them),” Williamson said.
“Everyone is concerned about safety, including us,” Beber said. “We don’t want to hurt anyone and, likewise, we don’t want to get hurt, either. Steve is doing a great job, doing what he can to keep kitesurfing alive here.”
Other items expected to be discussed at the June 15 meeting:
- The enforcement of regulations for drivers of golf carts, or Slow-Moving Vehicles, as well as limiting access to those types of vehicles on most of Crandon Boulevard.
- Updates on how the search for the new police chief is being conducted and if there is a timeline to replace Chief Charles Press, who departs July 2.
- How residents reacted upon hearing plans for a new library and if any visual ramifications would hold things up.
- Locations and approval for a possible skatepark on the island could move a step closer to reality.
- Updates on possibly turning flashing yellow crosswalk lights to red lights on Crandon.
- What to expect during the July 4 parade around the island.
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