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John,

Thank you very much. I have included Chris, a multi-generation Sarasota native and owner operator of Waterman Kite Sports (near Siesta Key).

I would like to reiterate that local kite surfers would like certain areas off limits to kite surfing to be designated. We understand the need to keep bathers and beach goers safe as well as the wildlife in the sand dunes. I believe current swim zones go 200 feet from the beach? That would be fine to keep in place as a buffer we cannot sail into. The issue seems to be the desire to keep us away from fragile wildlife in the sand dunes. We concur with that. I think we all want the same thing here. We want to maintain reasonable access for our sport.

Please call Chris or myself with any items that need clarification.

Best regards,

Gris

Wonderful. I will certainly be more than happy to answer any questions and concerns on this issue. There is definitely a happy median solution that will satisfy public and wildlife safety concerns and the needs of kite surfers/boarders. Please know kite surfers are by definition nature lovers. We are powered by wind and sail on the water with dolphins and sea turtles.

We kite surfers have no interest in launching and landing near bathers. We just need designated spots to launch and land our kites. I will be happy to point out some spots we have been using. As to the one land kite boarder who was jumping on dunes, that is a fringe part of our sport and that will not be a problem prohibiting land kiteboarding on sand dunes. 99% of kite boarding/surfing in our area is on the water.

Sincerely,

Gris

Thank you Gris. I very much enjoyed talking to you and now better understand the issue. I am forwarding your e mail to the other commissioners and to staff so that everyone may be better informed as to the needs of kite boarders if we do not wish to kill the sport.

We are talking, I believe, from our conversation, entirely about kite boarding in the water and not on dry sand or dunes.

By copy of this e mail to the administrator, Mr. Ley, I am asking him to have staff who are working on the regulations for Siesta Key to contact you and review what you tell me some other communities have done with the issue and how it might be resolved so as not to shut down the sport but also protect people who might be bathing in the shallow water. I understand now, that you need access to shallow water in order to safely launch. Nora

Nora,

Thank you so much for returning my call and speaking about an issue that is very important to me. Per your request, I am putting the pertinent items of our discussion in this email message.

1. Kite boarding requires an open area large enough to safely launch and land kites where the participant can stand. This is the most practical and safe way to launch and land a kite.
2. It is not practical to swim the kite out to sea and then launch the kite.
3. We self-police our sport because we know our sport has inherent risks to us and those around us. We never launch or land a kite near crowds. We have an unwritten agreement with local life guards not to launch, land, and ride near people and to stay outside the swim buoys once we are riding.
4. This has kept us from having a single incident (with an injury to the public).
5. Our sport is not cheap and the demographic is professional men and women from 30 to 65 years old. Unlike surfing, kite boarding is a team sport in that we need each other to help launch and land our kites and fetch boards.
6. Miami allowed access in designated areas of their public beach for kite boarding.
7. We will certainly keep clear of dunes that may have wildlife nests. This is now a priority for us. We were not aware of the issue.

Bottom line, the local kite boarding community is very concerned about losing our ability to practice our avocation in Sarasota. The statewide kite boarding community is also very concerned that precedent might be set by these regulations. We want to work with our local government to find a solution that keeps the public and wildlife safe and allows us to continue our passion for kite boarding. You should try it out. It really is not difficult to learn.

Sincerely,

Gris