50,000 expected at Boca H20 Saturday
No permit required, but fire, sheriff and Coast Guard present
Possibly over 50,000 people are anticipated to attend the Boca H20 Music Festival, to be held on Saturday just off the north end of the island.
The music festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is held in the water, with performers on a barge stage. The water is shallow enough so that attendees can stand in the water in front of the stage. If they wish to stay on boats, they need to be further off.
“Safety is a priority, 100 percent,” said local organizer Brian Turner, who has put on the events for the last four years.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has an operations plan set for the event, and was out Memorial Day, the last time it was held. In an email to the Beacon, they detailed the preparations. “All our Marine Patrol will be out for this event, and we are working closely with Fire/EMS, FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife), Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Skip Conroy, Intelligence/Community Affairs Unit Bureau of Support Services for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. “We will have five boats staffed with two to three deputies per boat. FWC will have four boats dedicated to this event and Fire/EMS will have boats out. The U.S. Coast Guard is also sending a boat to patrol the area as well as sending additional personnel to ride on our vessels with our Marine Patrol.”
One issue is that many come to Cape Haze and to the island to get to the festival, but parking is limited, and boat slips and boat rentals are taken. The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has had to hire off duty officers to patrol the Causeway, at its own cost, as attendees have tried to park there. This year, due to Hurricane Debby, the Boca Grande Fishing Pier is closed at the north end of the island, and there is only limited parking for those who wish to access the festival by kayak.
The event operates without any permit, state, local or federal. The United States Coast Guard, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, for instance, offers marine permits for any “event that has any possibility of impacting the navigable waters of the United States” and that have “expected high or mass concentration of commercial or pleasure craft in the area,” compared to “ordinary hazards associated with operations and activities.” The Marine Event, Form CG-4424, also reviews events for compliance to issues of navigation, endangered species and safety.
The Beacon reached out to Sector St. Petersburg. There are no permits there, but the Coast Guard, however, will be here to assist and patrol.
“Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach and Sector St. Petersburg boat crews, alongside state and local law enforcement partners, will be patrolling the waters throughout Labor Day Weekend to provide law enforcement and search and rescue services to the greater Boca Grande area,” said Santiago Gomez, public affairs officer, USCG Public Affairs Detachment.
Locally, no permits are issued by Charlotte County.
“There are no required permits for these open-water events,” said Conroy. “DEP is aware of the event as well. We have met with the promoter and work well with him for these events and others throughout the county.”
The day will begin at 9 a.m. with DJ Dank Williams out of South Carolina. He will be followed by the brothers American Jones at around 10:15. American Made, a Blues Brothers-inspired band, will take the stage around 11:30. Country singer Jim Brown, a return performer, will play at 1:30, and the day will wrap up with DJ Dank for a second appearance, to close the day out at 3:30 p.m.
This story was updated to add comments of Coast Guard assistance after print deadline.
