Commissioners balk at raising City Marina mooring rates
BY PRU SOWERS
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
Key Wes
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This is very curious. I re read this 3 times, and still cannot find any mention of the liveaboards, without the asinine quotations marks around the word, who have been living in the marina for many years. I see mention of transients, commercial and mooring field residents.
There are several hundred people that LIVE in the marina. Most are working people, or retired working people. A percentage are snow birds for sure, but the vast majority are not and have been fighting a constant battle against the city raising dockage for years. When I first moved here I was told by the then dockmaster, that a variety of rules were in place in order to maintain the affordable status of the floating home community. Subtly, over the years, this has all gone.
If you want to raise the rates to match those of other municipal marinas in Florida. Then you need to raise the quality of the marina to match them. Just having it be in Key West, is not enough. A quick Google will show you marinas with recreation centers, dog parks, restaurants and ship stores within them. We have a crumbling, filthy laundry/bathhouse and some randomly planted flowers.