ORLANDO, Fla. – Ahead of a meeting where citizens and stakeholders will make recommendations to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about registration fees for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, the FWC executive director issued a statement Wednesday against new fees.
The group meeting is to discuss the possibility of imposing licensing fees for Floridians who own kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. The fee would be less than $20 per year, according to officials with the Non-Motorized Boast Working Group.
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“We are not supportive of increasing fees on Floridians or visitors who participate in non-motorized boating,” FWC executive director Nick Wiley said in a statement posted to Twitter. “The FWC greatly values our boating community and will continue to work hard to keep Florida’s standing as the boating capital of the world without increasing costs and fees.”
Read the full statement below.
Statement from Executive Director Nick Wiley about fees on non-motorized vessels: #boating #news pic.twitter.com/TwwsAm6O26
— MyFWC (@MyFWC) February 1, 2017
Reactions were mixed among watercraft users Tuesday to the possible fees.
"(It's) uncharted territory, but there certainly could be positives," Cocoa Beach paddleboarder Melissa Kilpatrick told News 6 on Tuesday. "It would be easier to identify you with the Coast Guard should you be in an emergency."
The meeting to discuss the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday in Orlando.
Scroll through the map embedded below to see some of the canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding hot spots across Central Florida.