Doug,
The dynamics behind the manatee war has more to do with a group of
"preservationists" who oppose increased use of the waterways down here. The
Save the Manatee's founding principles may have been to protect the manatee.
However, its current agenda is to remove as many powerboats from the waters
by finding means to restrict access. Most of its members are either
non-boaters...or waterfront property owners who already have *their* dock
and don't want anybody else out on *their* waterways. Here's an admission of
"Fact" from their own website:

MYTH #7: If the government adopts additional manatee sanctuaries and
refuges, shoreline property owners will not be able to have boat access to
their land.


FACT: There would be 100% access by boat to shoreline property by property
owners and their guests but not by the general boating public. In addition
to protecting manatees in essential habitat, this limitation on boat traffic
would help protect both natural shorelines and seawalls from erosion and
allow for more backyard privacy. It would help protect boats moored adjacent
to private property from the wakes of passing boats and cut down on noise.
It would also help prevent theft and vandalism.

To summarize one *why* SMC is for slow speed zones:
1) limit boat traffic to protect seawalls
2) limit boat traffic to allow more backyard privacy
3) protect boats moored to adjacent private property from the wakes of
passing boats
4) cut down noise (in their backyards)
5) prevent theft and vandalism (what does speed have to do with that!)



As boat owners, everybody here should be outraged. It's not about manatees!





"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Interesting. Not based on sound science. We have hunting & fishing regs
which are based on whatever science we have, even though it may be
imperfect
thus far. I don't know many people who complain about those regulations.