FEBRUARY 2006 NEWSLETTER

Thanks to all of our retail sponsors too, old and new – Neilson Shapes, Cocoa Beach Surf and Skate, The Groovetube, Skim City, Ultimate Sports Warehouse, Sunseed Food Co-op, Snappy Signs, Custom Vending, Longboard House, Ron Jons Surf Shop, Dixie Crossroads, and Tires Plus Total Car Care.

February 6th - Satellite Beach Comprehensive Planning Advisory meeting at the Civic Center on Cassia Blvd. at 7 p.m. This meeting will continue the negociations on whether the city should change its population density and breezeway rules to permit taller condos to be built where the Ramada is.

February 8th - Surfrider Rally to prevent overdevelopment in Satellite beach at DaClans - 8 p.m.

February 9th - General Membership meeting (public invited) - 7:00 p.m. at the Satellite Beach Recreation Center on the corner of South Patrick Ave. and Jackson Ave.

February 18th - Saturday at 10 a.m. - beach cleanup at Pelican Beach park. Look for the Surfrider banner. Gloves, bags, and water will be provided. Bring a snack to share. Lots of goodies to be given away to those that help.

March 9th - Thursday - General membership meeting at the Sebastian Inlet Fisherman's Museum (at the south entrance of the inlet) - 7:00 p.m.

Ongoing - Write your state representatives to support HB 313 in the House and SR 732 in the Florida senate that will prohibit gambling boats from dumping their waste in the ocean. Go to www.myfloridahouse.gov to track its progress.

Newly added -

Copy, paste, and send this note to Paula Dockery, Gary Siplin, and Mike Haridopolus :

Dear Honorable Senators –

Please make an effort to get Bill SR 732 – Regulation of Gambling Boat Sewage Discharge – on to the agenda at your respective committee meetings.

It is a great bill for the environment and all it is asking is the same rules be followed for businesses off the Florida coast as those that are on land in regards to protecting our water quality. One gambling boat dumps an average of 26,000 gallons of black water and 53,000 gallons of gray water each day. With the increase of red tide blooms, algae that feeds off of excess nitrogen, it is important to curtail this dumping of human waste.

Ongoing - Send in your comments to the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the dredge and fill project on the midreach - in Satellite Beach and Indian Harbor Beach. That's how they know that you fish and surf on that stretch of beach and are concerned that the sand quality and dredging operations affect your quality of life.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning Division,
Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Paul E. Stodola, by e-mail
Paul.E.Stodola@saj02.usace.army.mil or by telephone at (904) 232-3271.

Thanks to the volunteers that helped out at the Globe Sebastian Inlet Pro and the Surf Expo in Orlando. We have almost 1,000 signatures in our petition to support clean water initiatives - tertiary treatment of wastewater, improved water quality testing, and third party monitoring of cruise/gaming ships sewage dumping.

Surfrider members are the Keepers of the Coast. We speak up for those that want to keep the ocean, waves, and beaches clean and accessible. To volunteer, call our chairman Rick Hayes 779-0279 or email surfridersi@yahoo.com. Or to join - go to www.surfrider.org/join .

Respectfully submitted by Greg Gordon