Palm Beach received some good news this month when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection denied Riviera Beach’s request for a permit to build a mooring field in the Intracoastal Waterway off Palm Beach’s North End.
The mooring field south of the inlet would have created spots for 100 vessels 500 feet from the island’s coastline, starting near Arabian Road to the north and extending southward to near Garden Road.
READ MORE: Florida DEP denies Riviera Beach mooring field permit after Palm Beach appeal
In denying Riviera Beach the permit, an agency official said the state concurred with Palm Beach officials who argued that the proposed mooring field sits within the town’s jurisdiction. That makes it impossible for Riviera Beach to police the proposed facility as required.
Riviera Beach also did not have enough support facilities — including laundry services, restrooms and showers — to serve the south mooring field, the state agreed.
The decision followed the Town Council’s unanimous vote in May to file an objection to an initial approval of the field by state environmental protection officials.
Riviera Beach has 60 days to amend its notice and provide additional information to the Department of Environmental Protection. Riviera Beach would need a submerged land lease from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Board of Trustees, and a separate environmental permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Riviera Beach plans two other mooring fields northwest of Palm Beach, north of the Lake Worth Inlet. Palm Beach only objected to the south mooring field.
We think the agency made the correct decision for the town and the portion of the Intracoastal within its jurisdiction — and should stick to it.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: State does right by Palm Beach in denying permit for North End mooring field | Editorial
Reporting by Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board / Palm Beach Daily News
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