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Commercial wait list errors spur board debate over historic slips and recordkeeping
Summary
A dispute over the marina commercial wait list and assignment of a schooner slip prompted public testimony and a lengthy board discussion; staff described a multi‑year effort to reconstruct a reliable list and the board directed staff to improve recordkeeping and provide occupancy metrics to guide future decisions.
A contested assignment of a commercial schooner slip prompted more than an hour of public comment and board debate over the integrity of the marina’s wait list and the Key West Bight Board’s allocation policies.
Claiming they had priority, several speakers — including Seth Salzman and counsel for Salzman — urged the board to reconsider a slip awarded to Paul McGrail, saying the waiting-list records appear to show an entry error. Staff and board members recounted a history of incomplete records and multiple iterations of the list, explained the May 2023 update that produced the current list, and said they had contacted hundreds of prior applicants while reconstructing the register.
Board members debated whether to reopen decades of past records or to proceed from the current, validated list. Some urged a pragmatic solution (use policy authority to designate a slip for a historic vessel), while others warned that retroactive changes could create additional disputes and legal risk. Several members asked staff to provide occupancy-rate metrics and to consider options such as a lottery or revised policy in a future agenda.
What’s next: Staff will continue to refine and publish an annual, date‑ordered commercial wait list, produce occupancy/usage metrics for board review, and return with proposed policy options to reduce future disputes. The board did not reverse the slip award at this meeting.
