Gaetz loses on Crab Island Amendment
Rep. Matt Gaetz explains his crab island amendment.
Gaetz Crab Island amendment stripped.
Recently, a video has surfaced on youtube that portrays the final vote on an amendment offered by Rep. Matt Gaetz in the 2016 legislative session that would effectively ban some types of overnight docking on Crab Island.
While, in the video, Gaetz acknowledges the “festive atmosphere” on Crab Island, he takes issue with the presence of the privately sponsored amenities that have been appearing during the summer months. Specifically, in the video, he calls out business that include burger stands, wave runner rentals and a zip line.
“We want a fun and festive place, but the floating trailer park atmosphere is not consistent with the type of community we’re building,” Gaetz said in a recent interview with Northwest Florida Daily News.
Crab Island is actually a large sandbar that lies just north of the Destin bridge in Okaloosa County. The popular boating spot often attracts thousands of tourists and local residents during the warm summer months.
In the video, Gaetz, who is now running for congress, is surprised to find out that the his amendment language has been stripped from the bill apparently to the entertainment of the committee.
