I think it's ok if they use the fees for fishermens benefits. Otherwise it's just another unfair tax. Time to use the cane poles.


http://www.newsherald.com/news/new-7...ug-panama.html
New shoreline fishing fee takes effect Aug. 1

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July 23, 2009 12:01:00 AM



PANAMA CITY — Get state Rep. Jimmy Patronis talking about the new shoreline fishing fee going into effect Aug. 1 and he gets a little hot under the collar. There are some things that just ought to be free, he said.
Ricky George of Panama City agreed. The 15-year-old was wetting a line off the dock of the Panama City Marina on Wednesday, the late sun beginning to paint his face a slight red.
Although he won’t be required to purchase a fishing license for another year, George said he will miss the lack of restrictions.
"I don’t really like that. I think it ought to be free," said George, who recently graduated the eighth grade at Jinks Middle School. "Personally, it’s always been free. And to just change it like that, it shouldn’t happen."
Florida shoreline anglers and those fishing from structures attached to a shoreline, such as bridges, docks and piers, will have to pay $9 for the new license by Aug. 1. This includes a $7.50 fee plus handling and administration charges.
State Fishing and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said the move was needed to fend off a separate federal license that would have added up to $25 to current saltwater fishing fees.
Patronis, R-Panama City, said removing the current exemption for shoreline fishing and instituting a new state license requirement was nothing more than "a revenue grab by the FWC."
"They were taking advantage of the current budget crisis," Patronis said. "We had a real battle" just protecting cane pole fishing and poorer anglers from the new fee, which was approved during the 2009 legislative session.
The rules
Under the new rules, a shoreline license will not be required if an angler purchases a regular $17 recreational saltwater license, which includes shoreline, boating and pier fishing, said FWC spokesman Henry Cabbage. The new shoreline license does not impact non-Florida residents, who already pay an out-of-state fishing fee.
"We are really hoping anglers will get into the spirit of this thing," Cabbage said, noting that he was hopeful fishermen would see the new fee as a way of contributing to the protection of Florida’s natural resources.
Wallace Watson, 49, of Tallahassee, also was fishing at the marina Wednesday while in town visiting friends. Although he wets most of his hooks in fresh water, he said he was willing to pay the extra money for a saltwater license because it helps protect fishing resources. "I’m all for that," he said.
Cabbage said the FWC estimates the new license will bring in about $900,000 per year, money earmarked for research, resource management and law enforcement, good news for boat captain Brian Beighey, of Panama City Beach.
Beighey, who was in Half Hitch Tackle on Tuesday picking up gear, said he endorsed the new fee as long as the money went into protecting marine resources, a view echoed by Scotty Thompson of Panama City.
"I think it’s a great way to fund the state conservation effort," said Thompson, a Florida State University senior also in Half Hitch Tackle. He said he hopes to work for the FWC after graduation.
Exemptions
The new shoreline license went on sale July 15 and includes the regular exemptions, such as seniors, children, the disabled, military personnel home on leave and fishing from a licensed pier, such as the new 1,500-foot Russell-Fields Pier on Front Beach Road.
Panama City Beach public works director Paul Casto said the city already paid the necessary fees allowing anglers to fish from the new city pier.
The city does charge a $6 daily fishing fee for pier anglers, but that money goes for general maintenance and upkeep and to create a contingency fund for pier repair, Casto said.
Others exempted from the new shoreline license include fishermen using gear that does not employ mechanical retrieval, such as an old-fashioned cane pole, and those on food stamps, temporary cash assistance or Medicaid, new exemptions Patronis said he worked hard to include.
"I had a real problem with this and the average working guy," Patronis said. "I think it was too far of a reach by the FWC."