In the shadow of Fort Matanzas, just feet from the Matanzas Inlet, there is a floating building.
Jeffrey Thomas owns and operates his business called Hurricane Watersports out of that reconfigured pontoon boat.
“I rent all these different floats out here, trampolines, floating cabanas, paddleboards,” he said.
He also sells Cokes, Sprites, and water bottles and he cooks hotdogs on the back grill.
It’s also a music venue. Bands can play on the roof.
“We do bands once a week from 1 o’clock to 4 o’clock on a Saturday,” Thomas said.
Even on a Tuesday in Summer, his place is a popular spot. People waited in line to rent the rafts or buy a Coke or ice cream.
However, not everyone likes his business in that location.
One resident, Lisa McGlynn, told St. Johns County Commissioners, “Matanzas Inlet is such a precious part of our county. The floating structure is an eyesore. And the fact that they are advertising these parties.”
Commissioner Henry Dean said he had received various complaints about the Hurricane Watersports.
Tuesday, the St. Johns County Commission unanimously voted to ban things called “floating structures”. It does not include barges or boats, but it does include things such as Thomas’ floating building at the Matanzas Inlet. The ordinance cites floating structures’ impacts on public safety and the environment.
County Commissioner Roy Alaimo said in a commission meeting in June, “These pop-up parties that are going on over there and it’s a big concern.”
When bands aren’t performing, Thomas will play music through some speakers on his floating structure.
He said, “If your more than 100 yards from us , you can barely hear what we’re doing.”
First Coast News, while standing on the shore, was not able to hear the music from the floating business.
The county’s environmental concerns include drainage from the structure into the water.
Thomas said, “I don’t see how we’d be any impact.”
He continued, “I did my research and then I opened a business within the parameters of the law. And after two years, the county comes up with a law that shuts me down.”
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