DeLAND, Fla. – Council members reached a compromise Thursday over an ordinance that bans surfing near piers in Volusia County.
The council was set to consider an ordinance that would have reduced the restricted area from 300 to 25 feet but instead reached a compromise at 150 feet.
"I think it's a good place to start," surfer Graham Gilchrist said. "It's all about compromise."
The agreement prevented what would have likely been a long meeting with public comment on both sides of the issue.
Councilman Jason Wagner, an experienced surfer, said the new ordinance is a temporary fix that will be revisited down the road.
"The goal from the surfers (is) to reach a smaller point. The goal of the fisherman and the pier (is) to be heard," Wagner said.
Some fishermen and pier owners have argued the ordinance, which has been in effect since 1986, is necessary because of safety concerns.
Surfers gathered in the council chambers, however, saw the ban as unnecessary.
"I still think that's a little high. I've not seen anybody cast out 150 feet yet," Jacquelyn Lewis said.
As part of the compromise, a new committee will be formed to discuss further action on the current ordinance. The committee will meet monthly.
The Volusia County Council is scheduled to revisit the surfing ordinance in May.