Dockside fueling is again an issue; this time commission agrees to further review


A man refuels his boat. [Courtesy]

By Judy Wilson | Associate Editor

Lighthouse Point – There is the possibility of a sea change when it comes to a longstanding issue: the city’s ordinance that prohibits fueling boats at residential docks.

It’s a policy that has residents asking why Lighthouse Point is the only city in Florida that doesn’t allow the service? There seems no clear answer as to why the ordinance is in the city’s code book at all. But Fire Chief Robert Weech and Mayor Kyle Van Buskirk had an answer.

Acknowledging that there is no record of a boat fire here caused by dockside refueling, Weech said, “There is potential for boat fires. The risk may be small, but it has big consequences . . . I am risk averse.”

And pressed by Commissioner Jason Joffe to explain his position, Mayor Kyle Van Buskirk, a Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Department battalion chief at Port Everglades said, “I know about fuel deliveries. I am not a huge fan of the idea.”

The city’s fire trucks go on calls with only two men on board, not enough to fight a major fire, Van Buskirk said. He added that setting the stage right at the beginning of an incident is important to a successful outcome. “We should always train for the worst-case scenario.”

But several members of the commission favored the home deliveries. They reported boat owners fill gas cans with fuel from gas stations and deliver it to their own vessels.

Newly elected Commission President Sandy Johnson said, “We can’t always live by the worst-case scenario.”

Commission Vice President Mike Long said, “Historically, I have been against it . . . it’s convenience versus safety and I lean to safety.” But he added that new technologies in fuel delivery and, with the corresponding code updates suggested by Commissioner Everett Marshall, he is now asking, ”can we make it safe in our backyards?”

Commissioner Patty Petrone asked the commission to consider making the change, saying the people who deliver fuel are trained for the job while boaters often let their teenagers refill tanks at marinas and pay little attention to the process.

Marshall said city ordinances would need changing if dockside fueling is allowed. The size of the trucks delivering fuel, proper insurances, HazMat training for the firefighters, and more emergency personnel need to be considered.

Joffe said he had always struggled with the issue and had always looked to the experts. “But people have brought forward facts and data and if we can address some issues, I would feel better. This is not an off and on switch.”

Johnson said, “We have to make a decision on this. If we say ‘yes’ (to reversing the ordinance) pending allowable stipulations, we can go forward.”

Petrone’s motion to bring the matter before the city’s marine advisory board and then to the city administration for review was approved. The marine advisory board’s next meeting is May 4.
Early in the meeting dozens of residents spoke in favor of changing the ordinance. Darren Garber, the owner of a fuel delivery firm in Boca Raton, said his drivers are trained and his equipment is inspected regularly by the Florida Department of Transportation. He has operated years without an issue, he said, and the time it takes to fill a 200-gallon gas tank is about 20 minutes.

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