Regulation of private use of public property moves ahead

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Key West wedding planners did an about-face recently, agreeing to new city regulations and fees to use public parks and beaches as event locations.

City Commissioner Teri Johnston on Jan. 6 gave her fellow commissioner an update on her efforts to work with event planners, yoga teachers and fitness instructors who use Smathers Beach, Bayview Park and other public spaces as locations for their events or classes. While there is a long history of private events using Higgs Beach and Bayview Park, the number of for-profit businesses using public spaces for their own use is rising to the point where it is becoming intrusive, Johnston said. Commissioners are also worried about liability issues if planners and instructors are not licensed and insured.

Johnston has held two workshops with the business owners using public property. At the first workshop, attendees rejected the idea of any city regulation of their businesses. However, at the most recent workshop on Dec. 10, which was attended primarily by wedding planners, Johnston said the event promoters had changed their stance.

“They all agreed they should be regulated and they did agree they would pay a fee and that they would carry insurance to indemnify the city,” Johnston said.

In return, the city would create a list of “qualified and licensed” wedding planners that it would distribute, potentially giving local event promoters a competitive edge over their counterparts in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Johnston said, “actually putting them out of business.”

The business owners at the Dec. 10 workshop also asked that the city clean its public beaches more frequently and construct an additional restroom at Smathers Beach.

Johnston asked for the go-ahead to work with city staff to draw up some proposed regulations. The other commissioners agreed. As for a quid pro quo that the city upgrade maintenance of beaches and build a second bathroom at Smathers Beach, Johnston said that “seems reasonable.”

“They [event planners at the workshop] were very agreeable that they would be willing to pay some fees to improve those properties that they utilize with the city,” she said.

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