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Public, Elected Officials Push Back Against FWC Silver Glen Recommendation

    Nearly 200 people piled into the Astor Community Center on Thursday, February 20, to hear officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s recommendation regarding the potential creation of a Springs Protection Zone (SPZ) in the Silver Glen Springs run.  During the marathon gathering, FWC staff did indeed announce plans to close the run to most boating uses currently enjoyed by the public, including ending anchoring, mooring, and grounding of boats.
    The proposal will receive official consideration in May, when the FWC Board of Commissioners meets in Ocala.
    The recommendation was roundly rejected at the meeting, with citizens, county elected officials, and area business owners all speaking out against a broad ban at the run.
    Silver Glen Springs is located north of Astor on the St. Johns River, and is a popular weekend recreational site for boaters.
    The SPZ was requested by the US Forest Service, and FWC staff agreed that current usage of the spring run is causing ‘harm’ to the springs, a term that is part of a state law put into effect in 2022 that gives agencies the ability to restrict or eliminate public uses in springs if they are deemed to be detrimental to a spring.
    Major Bill Holcomb, with the FWC Boating and Waterways division, presented an overview of the SPZ law and how it was applied to a study regarding Silver Glen.  Two working group meetings were held as part of the study, which included residents and members of the Save Our Boating Rights (SOBR) organization, which has been active in Astor trying to raise public awareness of the issue.
    “We all want to protect the springs,” Holcomb said of the process and mindset of those involved, including boaters.  Holcomb said there is also a desire for the springs to remain ‘accessible’ and the SPZ would allow non-motorized items like rafts, paddle boats, and kayaks in the springs.
    “We want it to be accessible,” Holcomb said.
    The study concluded that boating was negatively impacting the springs run, and Holcomb’s statement that ‘boating access has caused harm,” was challenged during a nearly two-hour comment period that followed the announcement of the recommendation.
    By a nearly 4-1 margin, speakers opposed the creation of the SPZ, including elected officials from Lake and Volusia counties.
    Speakers decried using the loss of eelgrass as a visual 'harm' done by boaters in the Glen, as eelgrass has disappeared throughout much of the St. Johns River system. Additionally, speakers voiced concern that FWC spraying programs are doing more to harm the area environment than boaters, and spoke on the expected negative impacts to housing values and the overall economic well-being of the Astor and surrounding communities should the Glen be completely closed to boating.     
    Lake County Commission Chair Leslie Campione, whose district includes Astor, spoke strongly at the meeting against closing the run completely to boating.
    "We think the SPZ is extreme," Campione said of the county's position. "A lot of things could be done.  There are ways to protect the spring without an SPZ."
    Volusia County Council members Dan Robins and Don Dempsey also spoke against the creation of an SPZ.
    “It’s not fair to these people,” Dempsey said of the proposal.  “It will have a devastating impact.”
    Robins, who said the Volusia council was ‘unanimous’ in its opposition asked the FWC to ‘seek other alternatives’.
    Additionally, speakers at the meeting questioned the whole idea of the legality of the SPZ.
    Campione, an attorney, expanded on that point early this week.
    "The Florida statute being used to undertake this review is unconstitutional in my opinion and should be challenged if it is used to prohibit boater access.  It is vague."
    Campione said, like many speakers speaking both for and against the SPZ on Thursday, she believes the spring and its run need to be protected, but a more nuanced approach is needed.
    "I am convinced there is a solution that allows boater access and still protects the ecology of this incredibly special place.  The best idea I have heard is the creation of a management area that requires boaters to agree to rules such as specialized anchors or mooring devices which would be implemented at the state level and reinforced with local ordinances adopted by Lake, Marion, and Volusia counties."
    While Silver Glen over the years has been known as - at least at times - a rowdy party spot, Campione said she feels boaters want to do what is best going forward.
    "I was encouraged by how many boaters have told me they support noise and music limitations so that stereos aren't competing and the atmosphere is natural rather than a party experience for those visiting the springs and the run.  I was thoroughly impressed by the thoughtfulness that went into speakers' comments, and I'm convinced that the boaters and their representatives who have been in dialogue with FWC can formulate a plan that still allows boater access while protecting this ecological wonder and assuring a more natural experience for everyone who visits Silver Glen Run and Springs."
    It is possible the recommendation of an SPZ could change before the issue comes to a vote in May, as Holcomb confirmed at the meeting the staff's recommendation 'could be modified' before heading to the full commission.