Fees on horizon for canoes and kayaks?

To fans of kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding, gliding along Florida waters is an expression of freedom; to advocates of boating regulation reform, it’s time to mandate licensing for small craft without motors.

A citizens panel assembled by state-boating authorities will meet in Orlando on Wednesday to explore what could become a path to adopting

registration and fees for small boats powered by humans, wind and currents.

“That sounds like a root canal for a paddler,” said retired Coast Guard officer William Griswold, a member of the Non-Motorized Boats Working Group, a panel reporting ultimately to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “But we need to start to get a grip on how many of these boats are out there.”

Proposals for licensing Florida’s canoes, kayaks and other motorless craft have surfaced in past years.

Each has been met by vehement opposition from paddlers and sailors of small boats, who say their pastime is healthy, affordable, inflicts little harm to the environment and is akin to riding a bicycle.

The current review of the potential need for small-boat registration started in 2015, when the wildlife commission’s law-enforcement section created the working group to consider boaters’ access to water, education, safety and a concept called “user pay/ user benefit.”

The group in previous meetings has reviewed all the topics except user pay, which will be a focus of Wednesday’s gathering.

Capt. Thomas Shipp, a wildlife commission safety-unit leader for boating, said the concept has been in effect in other areas of natural resources, including fishing licenses.

The working group expects to make a recommendation to the Boating Advisory Council, which reports to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“My initial reaction is I’m not surprised,” said Joe Hector of Extreme Kayak Fishing, which conducts fishing tournaments in Pompano Beach as well as the Bahamas and Texas. “I think with the way that kayak fishing and paddle boarding is growing, especially in the last two years … I feel that they see the growth of the sport and they see how many are out there and they’re trying to make money off that growth.

“Do I agree with it? I’m going to have to say not really. I think if you don’t have a motor, I don’t see why it has to be registered.

“I’d also like to know if that means a surfer has to register his surfboard.”

Roger Moore is the CEO of Nautical Ventures, which has stores in Dania Beach and North Palm Beach that sell kayaks and paddle boards and a store in Riviera Beach that rents both vessels.

He questioned the financial impact on the state of registering nonmotorized vessels. According to Florida’s statutes, the annual registration fee for a motorized canoe is $5.50.

“I can’t quite see the value, and whatever revenue that would be generated for the state would be absorbed by the program costs,” Moore said. “I would say there’s probably got to be 100,000 kayaks and paddle boards, at least, in the state of Florida.”

Victoria Burgess of Pompano Beach, a state champion paddle boarder, said: “I don’t know really what the point of [regulation] is. It sounds like a money thing.

“I’m really curious to see their reasons. It’s got to be money, but they’re not going to say that, so I really want to know what they’re going to say.”

Fellow paddle boarder Roray Kam wondered about the cost. Most boaters have one boat, but many kayakers and paddle boarders have several vessels.

“We have 10 standup paddle boards, do we have to register all of them?” Kam said.

BARBARA CORBELLINI DUARTE/STAFF FILE PHOTO Florida is home to thousands of paddle boards.

STAFF FILE PHOTO Kayaks are among the craft that are being considered for registration and licensing in Florida.