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Volusia County Beach Policy Advisory Board  
Meeting minutes for March 16, 2004
VOTRAN Meeting Rooms

I. CALL TO ORDER:

Chairman Storch called the meeting to order at 5:30PM, March 16, 2004.

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Chairman Glenn Storch
Vice-Chairman Ernest Boger
Dr. Bud Fleuchaus
Charles DeZaruba
James France
Walter Welch
Richard Lohmann
William Cook

BOARD MEMBER(S) ABSENT

Jay Crocker

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF FEBRUARY 10, 2004

Dr. Fleuchaus moved approval of the minutes. Walter Welch seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously.

III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA (3 MINUTE TIME LIMIT PER SPEAKER)

Owen Lovejoy – represents CPC. Mr. Lovejoy expressed disappointment at the combined meeting of the County Council and City Council last week. He felt that it only addressed the Incidental Take Permit and was upset that they did not accept public participation. Mr. Cook advised Mr. Lovejoy that it was a workshop not a public meeting for input. Mr. Lovejoy provided a copy of a document called “press release” prepared by CPC for the Board. Chairman Storch remembered Mr. Lovejoy coming before the Board before and insisting beach driving harmed the beach environmental and that he asked him to provide proof of this to the Board to review. Again, Chairman Storch asked Mr. Lovejoy to provide proof of damage to the environment.
Ken Taylor – represents people that would like to see beach driving remain on the beach. Mr. Taylor provided the Board with a copy of the Gulf County Ordinance and asked that they review it.

Walter Hayes – Sons of the Beach – advised that he attended the Edgewater City Council Meeting last night. The Edgewater City Council will be presenting the County Council with a resolution on March 18th in favor of driving on the beach. He further advised that he has never seen any evidence or experienced any signs of environmental damage to the beach because of beach driving.

John Williams – Sons of the Beach – advised that he attended the Audubon Society Meeting recently and beach driving was brought up. Mr. Williams asked that Chairman Storch call upon John Harper, Kevin Sweat and Steve Kintner to ask them if it is possible to have the lights returned to the beach after turtle season. John Harper advised that all the lights are turned back on after turtle season.

IV. BEACH MANAGEMENT PLAN

Review of Dr. Soskin’s Report and Evelyn Fine’s Report -
John Harper advised that neither Dr. Soskin’s Report nor Evelyn Fine’s report addressed the Council’s question about who uses the beach. John Harper suggests that a beach user study be conducted. John Harper suggested that tollbooth workers survey by collecting zip code information. Ernest Boger will provide some Bethune Cookman College students to help out on the weekends. Charles DeZaruba would like to see 3 weeks of study done (add one in May). Chairman Storch would also like the beachgoer to be asked if they are staying in a hotel in Volusia County. Greg France suggested that it be determined if the person has been surveyed already, to make sure that they aren’t surveyed more than once (cruising). Mr. Boger suggested contacting Dr. Soskin to ask him if he has any additional information that was not included in this report or if he could reconfigure the data in a way that would provide the information that is needed. It was suggested that Dr. Soskin be contacted and provided with the survey questions to see if he could provide some help.

Chairman Storch read excerpts from the Gulf County Ordinance that public participant Ken Taylor provided.

Chairman Storch asked that the Final Beach Management Plan be pulled together by the end of the summer. Rich Lohmann suggested getting further armed with the information Council requested before going back with the final plan.

Charles DeZaruba expressed his disappointment that two hotel properties were recently sold and he felt they would have been financially within the reach of the County to acquire.

Dr. Fleuchaus moved to implement the survey, seconded by Rich Lohmann. Motion passed unanimously.

The Board would like to review the final survey results at the July meeting, with interim reports after each week of surveys (at the April and May meetings).

Chairman Storch asked if the budget would include any beach related issues that the Board would need to address. John Harper advised the Board of the requests. John Harper advised that all the signs are up.

Dr. Fleuchaus asked if the County had thought further about erecting signs on A1A that would better direct people to the beach. Traffic Engineering had previously denied this request, however, John Harper will talk with John Cheney in Traffic Engineering again and ask him attend a meeting to discuss it with the Board further.

Chairman Storch suggested that the Board start reviewing the text of the Beach Management Plan at the April meeting. He would like the text in advance of the meeting, if possible.

V. NEW BUSINESS

Rich Lohmann discussed the public participant that brought up the contaminates on the beach issue. He advised that the only known contaminates to the beach are the natural contaminates (animal).

V. ONGOING BUSINESS

Grace Lutheran Church and Oceanside Country Club Lease updates. John Harper advised that both leases will be brought before Council on April 1.

John Harper advised that Land Acquisition Management’s updated report would be brought before the Board in April. In the meantime, John asked the Board to review the ranking criteria document he prepared.

VI. DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA

Walter Welch expressed concern that County Council did not respond to the High School student that wrote to them re: dogs on the beach. Chairman Storch advised that he would be happy to respond to the student.

Bobbie Bryant read an e-mail from Jay Crocker that he asked be read into the record.

VII. ADJOURNMENT

Next meeting will be Tuesday, April 13, 2004.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30PM.

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Volusia County, Florida.