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FEB 6199® bou FADE 57 <br />and on both the south and north prongs is contrary to the <br />Sebastian Inlet Advisory Board's recommendation, and Mr. Giteles <br />stated that it was because they would like to have a channel for <br />moderate boat speed where boats within that channel could travel <br />at a reasonal speed of 20 mph, but outside of that channel, it <br />would be back to the slow speed again. The manatee need <br />protection and the St. Sebastian River now is such that you can't <br />believe the different types of recreational boating, and the <br />manatee go everywhere. The Inlet's proposal is to create 900 of <br />the St. Sebastian River as manatee habitat where there was none <br />before. <br />Frank DeJoia, 1706 Roseland Road, liked the County's <br />recommendation because it doesn't exempt the channel in the St. <br />Sebastian River, particularly in the south prong. The St. <br />Sebastian River is a beautiful river, a very shallow river with <br />blind meanders, islands, and lots of other wildlife besides the <br />manatee. There are other kinds of boating also besides going 20 <br />mph to get from point A to point B. He was canoeing on the river <br />last weekend when a speed boat came by and made life miserable. <br />Mr. DeJoia felt the St. Sebastian River should be designated as <br />slow speed throughout the north and south prongs, and urged the <br />Board to do something special with the C-54 Canal also because <br />there have been erosion problems that have not been documented. <br />Commissioner Bowman noted that as far as the south fork of <br />the Sebastian River is concerned, there is no channel in that. <br />It is what is called a braided stream, and the water goes around <br />numerous islands and there is no channel. <br />Mike Hearndon, a resident of Fellsmere and part-time <br />commercial fisherman, emphasized that commercial fishermen are <br />very concerned about the environment and habitat because it is <br />their livelihood. Their position is that the manatee need to be <br />protected, that the grass beds need to be protected, and that <br />boating safety is extremely important. He suggested that a <br />51 <br />