News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 18, 2004

Coalition Files Petition with U.S. Department of the Interior;
“Bring Personal Watercraft Back to Biscayne National Park”
New Coalition Launches Campaign at Miami Press Conference

Contact:
Brian Berry, 202-777-3524

Miami, FL—Personal watercraft manufacturers, national recreation access organizations, South Florida business owners, and a group of Miami residents and boating enthusiasts gathered today at a press conference to announce the formation of a new coalition that is launching a campaign to reintroduce personal watercraft to Biscayne National Park. The coalition announced today it is filing a formal petition with the U.S. Department of the Interior in an effort to jumpstart the process of opening the park.

“There is simply no reason to ban these vessels from Biscayne National Park any longer – and that is why we have filed this petition today,” said Jeff Ludwig, Regulatory Affairs Manager of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association (PWIA). PWIA represents the five manufacturers of personal watercraft. Ludwig was joined by watercraft enthusiasts eager for re-entry into the park and local business owners who have suffered lost revenues as a result of the closure to PWC.

Biscayne National Park, located in Miami south of Key Biscayne and north of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, banned personal watercraft use in 2000 administratively through a Superintendent’s Compendium. The Compendium alleged that personal watercraft (PWC) adversely impact the park’s environment. These allegations are unproven and for six years, tens of thousands of boating families have been unfairly banned from Biscayne National Park. All other types of recreational and commercial boats – even large commercial shipping vessels – are allowed on the park’s waters. Only PWC are singled out in the ban.

Bringing PWC back to Biscayne National Park involves a multi-step process outlined by the National Park Service, beginning with a scientific study called an environmental assessment. The assessment is then followed by a formal rulemaking process. To date, 14 other national parks have completed a site-specific environmental assessment and every one of them has concluded that there is no reason to ban PWC on waters that allow other types of motor boating. In the past two years, six of those 14 parks have completed the rulemaking process and today welcome families who own and enjoy personal watercraft. The others are finishing the rulemaking process currently, and are expected to re-open to PWC in the near term.

“There is a precedent that we are confident will continue at Biscayne National Park; every time personal watercraft have been put to an objective, scientific test, they pass with flying colors,” Ludwig continued. “This is because they are actually among the most environmentally friendly boats on the water today. Modern PWC are 75 percent cleaner and 70 percent quieter than those sold prior to 1998.”

In 2003 there were 8,479 registered PWC in Miami-Dade County, 7,607 in Broward and 1,643 in Monroe – a combined 17,729 in the tri-county area. Statewide there were 106,356 registered PWC.

“It’s hard to believe that a decision made by one person can impact so many South Florida residents and small business owners,” stated Chris Manthos, Executive Director of the American Watercraft Association (AWA), a national association of PWC owners and dealerships. “Hopefully, families who enjoy personal watercraft won’t have to wait for equal treatment much longer. We’ve decided to bring this issue to the superintendent’s front door step and you can be assured, we’re not going anywhere until our environmental assessment begins.”

The press conference also featured remarks from the BlueRibbon Coalition, a national recreation organization, two owners of local boat/PWC dealerships, and Miami residents afflicted by the ban at Biscayne National Park. The coalition, launched today as the “BOAT Biscayne” coalition, is advocating that the park superintendent, “Begin Our Assessment Today.” Original supporters of the coalition include PWIA, AWA, BlueRibbon Coalition, Jet Ski of Miami, Riva Motorsports, the Marine Industries Association of Florida, the Florida Water Access Coalition and the Florida Marine Contractors Association.

“We already have more than 600 letters addressed to the superintendent signed by concerned citizens,” said Jack Welch, President of the BlueRibbon Coalition. “These are just a fraction of what we expect will be thousands more. A lot of people care about this issue, and not just people who own personal watercraft. Our recreational choices and the places where we’re allowed to recreate are being closed off arbitrarily and unfairly in some cases, and this is one of them,” Welch said. “If we don’t protest a truly unfair and unwarranted closure now, the day may come when we can only look at National Parks from miles away and through fences used to keep us all out. Sound scientific review will prove that personal watercraft should be allowed at Biscayne, and we are here to insist on such a review.”

The coalition encourages everyone to visit www.boatbiscayne.com to take action by sending a letter from our website to the park superintendent, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Members of Congress, and their state and local elected officials.

The ban at Biscayne National Park is bad for business too. Dave Bamdas, of Riva Motorsports, which has locations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, expressed his concern over the ban. “I estimate that 90 percent of our customers used to ride at Biscayne National Park before the ban,” Bamdas noted at the press conference, “and now today there is so much uncertainty about where you can and where you cannot ride, that it has taken a substantial toll on my business.” Riva, owned by the Bamdas family, is the largest personal watercraft dealership in the world and employees roughly 100 local residents.

PWC seat up to four people and are equipped with ample storage space, and can tow a water skier or wake board. The typical buyer today is around 40 years old. In 2002, the three-person models accounted for more than 75 percent of total sales nationwide, which indicates that people are purchasing PWC as a family-friendly alternative to a larger, costlier power boat. PWC are easy to maneuver, maintain, transport and store.

Danny DiNicola of Miami was pleased when he heard that the coalition was forming. “The ban treats me like a second class citizen. I love being on the water, but just because I can’t afford a $50,000 boat, somehow I’m not good enough for Biscayne National Park,” he said. “Is that really the message that the superintendent wants to send to thousands of local residents?”

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More information can be found at:

BOAT BISCAYNE (www.boatbiscayne.com)
American Watercraft Association (www.awahq.org)
BlueRibbon Coalition (www.sharetrails.org)
Personal Watercraft Industry Association (www.pwia.org)