Residents say Beer Can Island needs more definitive boundaries, enforcement

Thomas Mayers grew up in the northernmost house on Longboat Key. He learned how to swim in the waters off the house’s dock, waters which he now feels should have their regulations better enforced. 

Mayers and several other residents in the northernmost area of Longboat Key, Land’s End, have raised concerns to Longboat Key town commissioners and staff about issues they said they have encountered with boaters not following the rules. From Mayer’s perspective, the issues impact both the safety and peacefulness of the neighborhood.

Greer Island (Beer Can Island) is a popular beach destination for residents and tourists. Technically owned by Manatee County, the Longboat Key Police Department includes the beach on patrols as part of an agreement with Manatee County. In exchange, the county now gives the LBKPD $80,000 a year. 

When the sand spit gets busy, Mayers said he and others have encountered nasty boaters, loud music, property theft and people who don’t follow the motorboat prohibition zones. 

“My family’s been here over 100 years,” Mayers said. “And we’re just saying, ‘Hey, try to establish some peace and order.’”

The last time the subject was investigated by the Town Commission was in 2022, an issue that was complex in the details and legalities of placing markers and creating exclusion zones on the public beach. This resulted in an ordinance to designate zones for public bathing and swimming. 

Around that time, Manatee County placed markers on the east side of Greer Island — closest to the Land’s End residents — to designate the area for kayak launches and paddleboarding, while excluding powerboats. 

This was also meant to create space between the boaters and Land’s End residents for noise reduction and allow the residents freer use of the docks, according to previous reporting. 

Recently, though, new issues have come to light, and the ordinance hasn’t helped the frustrations of some Land’s End homeowners, according to Mayers. 

Mainly, the residents have encountered issues with boaters near the exclusion zone. Some boaters have attempted to move the buoys and markers to expand the zone, according to Mayers. 

With boaters encroaching on the exclusionary zone, Mayers said this also presents a danger to the safety of swimmers, kayakers and wildlife that may be in the zone. Manatees frequently congregate around the Land’s End docks, and Mayers said he is concerned about boaters getting too close to the protected animals. 

Mayers said all of these problems are a recipe for disaster. 

Conversations raise concerns 

Mayers isn’t against recreation, rather he’s for what he dubbed “passive recreation.” The ideal solution, in his opinion, would be increased enforcement and increased buoys and markers to draw a more definitive line around the exclusionary zone. 

Mayers’ sister, Joan Bergstrom, recently sent a letter to the town about the issues the residents have been experiencing. Bergstrom’s letter emphasized the need for a clearer separation of the zones on Greer Island and claimed it is confusing to enforce the way it is presently. 

“We are daily witnesses to the comings and goings in the Greer Island Beach area and the entrance to Greer Preserve Inlet. There is a problem that needs to be solved,” Bergstrom said in her letter. 

Jim Haft, a representative from the Land’s End Homeowner’s Association, also emailed the town about the issue. He said in his email that the “vague” dividing line between the zones creates a situation where motorboats frequently impede on the swim and kayak area. 

“For all these reasons, the entire Greer beach east of the bridge should be reserved for swimmers/kayaks,” Haft suggested in his email. “There is more than ample room for motorboats west of the bridge.”

District 5 Commissioner Sarah Karon, whose district includes Land’s End, said she agreed with the proposal presented by the Land’s End residents and wanted to continue the conversation. 

“We need a clear, sensible boundary for boaters that will protect this fragile waterway and establish a quiet zone for all concerned (humans as well as manatees),” Karon said in her email. “I look forward to discussing the bridge-as-boundary option when Town management has feedback to offer.”

Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop also replied in agreement with the suggestions and concerns raised by the residents. 

What can be done? 

In an emailed response to the residents, and an interview with the Longboat Observer, Town Manager Howard Tipton explained that making these changes is a bit more complicated than people may expect. 

The markers and buoys are in place due to an ordinance, something that requires town staff to work on amending or replacing, followed by two public hearings on the ordinance. Then, permitting would be required for changes in the markers, which would need to go through agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

Courtesy image

The Longboat Key Police Department did not report high amounts of violations on the Greer Island boating area, according to Tipton. There will always be some people who don’t read signs close enough, though, he said. 

Tipton said that Greer Island is a popular strip of beach with a lot of activity, and a compromise was reached in 2022 with the previous ordinance. For now, Tipton said increased education would be the town’s position.