Public Meeting: Canal Dredging

Coastal Canal Dredging Ordinance

The Coastal Canal Dredging Ordinance was presented by the County Attorney's Office and the Public Works Department on Wednesday September 10, 2008 at 6:30 PM. The meeting was surprisingly electrifying and passionate. People from all over Hillsborough County attended Wednesday's meeting at Sickles High School in hopes of preventing the costly Costal Canal Dredging Ordinance.

Martin Montalvo, General Manager of the Public Works Department, opened the meeting with a presentation that explained the situation at hand. Montalvo explained that canal dredging is, "the municipal services and essential facilities utilized for cleaning, deepening and widening a navigable salt or brackish water canal-type waterway including but not limited to, the use of a dredge, or any other type of machinery or equipment used to clean, deepen or widen such waterways." In other words, dredging is the process of removing the sediment in canals, or other waterways, to make it easier for boats to maneuver. Especially during hurricane season, canals become shallow after sediment collects in the center. At times the waterways become so eroded that it is impossible for owners of waterfront properties to use their boats. Montalvo stated many times throughout his speech that dredging raises recreation and navigation and therefore raise property values.

Montalvo continued to try and convince owners of waterfront property to gather their neighbors and create a MSBU (Municipal Service Benefit Unit). He explained that residents need 40 petition signatures in order to begin the process. After a series of formalities, the county will bring in machines and dredge the canal. This is where it gets sticky; usually houses down stream of the dredging location will also reap the benefits and will therefore be mandated to pay for the dredging regardless if the resident wanted it or not.

Montalvo then broke down the estimated costs which averaged $15,231,489 for a normal neighborhood. This would mean that each resident would be taxed hundreds of dollars annually for twenty years until the project is paid off. This is when people began to protest. I got the feeling that I was not the only one who felt as though Montalvo's speech was more like a sales pitch than anything else.

A major issue was that residents are charged in spite of if they have a boat or not, because of the "perceived property value" dredging adds to the house. However, as many people pointed out, if they were to spend millions of dollars on dredging their canal and a hurricane were to come and ruin the canal a year later, all of their money would be wasted. Montalvo proclaimed that it was not his job to insure that the canals would stay clear. The dredging ordinance is a one time deal and by no means a permanent solution.

Many other protesters including homeowner Brad Wear, claimed the Board of County Commissioners should simply re-budget and maintain storm water runoff so that this problem would stop reoccurring. Wear later explained that no house built before 1984 has a retention pond. This means that all untreated storm water runoff empties directly into the Bay, thus further devastating our environment. Homeowner Tom Phinney commented that he lives "in the largest estuary in Tampa, and the government is treating it like a sewer."

Though most were displeased with the ordinance, some people tried to convince fellow residents to come together for the common good. Norm Coffman admitted he did not agree with the manner in which the government has ignored the issue. However, he stated that there is nothing else to do but to support the proposition, "If we don't fix this, no one will. We need to do this because even though some of us don't need it now, we might need it later. It's like any tax."

USF alumni and Meeting Secretary Frances M. Valdes added, "People may not feel they should have to pay taxes for schools, but one day they might have a child that needs school. Or if not, we need to look at is as an investment for our future. The same thing goes for this. If we don't fix the canals, they could dry up for good."

Though the meeting brought many great points to light, strong disagreements insure that there will most likely not be a definite decision in the near future.

Phone Numbers:
Norm Coffman: (813)-885-5090
Tom Phinney: (813)-577-2525
Frances M. Valdes: (813)-744-5671
Brad Wear: (813)-695-8779