Delray City Marina losing tenants after rate hike

The All-America City Award, which Delray Beach haswon twice, is given by the National Civic League annually to 10 communities in the United States. It recognizes those whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results.

On March 24, the boating community of Delray Beach organized a meeting at Veterans Park to come up with an improvement plan and a reasonable City Marina dock fee increase thatwould allow its current citizens to stay in their live-aboard slips and still provide the city with increased revenue— revenue themayor says they need for improvements on the Intracoastal seawall. Thewall protects the homeowners of the historical district from rising water levels, not those floating upon it.

All attempts to oppose or discuss the city’s 60 percent increase of its current marina residents have fallen on deaf ears. Since the imposed rate hike, five slips have vacated, 12 of the 15 others at the meeting said they have plans to vacate at the end of their leases and the so-called waiting list thatwas used to sway and threaten the current residents has mysteriously gone away.

The marina citizens, in keeping with the All-American City theme, are trying to do their part to come up with an uncommon result for their neighborhood. The question is, will themayor and his City Commission continue its arrogance and ignore its citizens’ efforts orw ork together with them to tackle this growing community problem.

David Rineberg, Delray Beach