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Concerns rise over for-profit use of public parks and beaches
Concerns rise over for-profit use of public parks and beaches
BY PRU SOWERS
KONK LIFE STAFF W
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Just a thought on what can quickly become a really thorny problem: Park Use. Especially when there’s easy money involved.
The Florida Park Service uses a general, overarching rule of thumb that, while not providing a magically easy solution to all park use questions, can help maintain a good compass heading toward lasting community enjoyment of any park.
Long ago, they identified the average, daily park visitor as their principal client.
So, if you decided to turn off the computer, right now, and go over to Fort Zach for a swim, your enjoyment of the natural environment will exceed, in general, any claim to preferential park use by any for – profit activity organizers.
Are there special events in the park?
Yes, but they are NOT a feature of daily life for park visitors.
( Think : Race Boats, THE National Holy Day of Obligation for Conch Republicans. Where do rank and file Conchs go to watch the races? E-Z.
Fort Zach.)
Long experience has taught park management to carefully watch the volume of special events as they try to show up on the park’s annual calendar. It’s a big part of what they get paid to do… for their principal clients.
And limiting the noise level, perfectly, is not, as some private sector virtuosos would have us believe: ‘all gum’mint boilerplate’.
Real Park Managers know: “It’s a park, so less is often, almost always, more.”
One big caveat to anyone involved on the community side of the for – profit park use question: Think long and hard about entering ANY contractual arrangement with ANY private user for even the finest reasons. Let one contract go, and you’ll have a line of worthy applicants around the block in no time. In the future, if there are community voiced questions about excess private sector in – park presence, expect valiant attorneys to argue that, no matter what, THEIR clients have an abiding – Yea! – A Perpetual Right, to enjoy for – profit, in park use!
Consider, please: As time goes by, the Local Community may come to realize that there are way too many special users present every time they feel like taking a walk in the park. Then what?
Will other, newer lawyers will be found, demanding their newer clients receive “equal treatment” with prior, ‘original’, licensees….with even more park licenses?
So, how many Private client/operators can you jam into ANY small, quiet, island park? Whatever the number is – or isn’t – it needs to support the always great notion that the casual park visitor is the park’s chiefest client.
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