PALM CITY, Fla. — Some boaters in Palm City are raising concerns about whether they will still be able to use Charlie Leighton Park's boat ramp after a $4.5 million overhaul. Many say the new parking spaces are too small for trucks towing larger boats.
Nick Yahn, a resident who has long used the park to launch his boat, measured the new parking spaces and found his truck and trailer would no longer fit.
"It would be sticking way out into the road," Yahn said.
WATCH: Boaters worry about parking at Charlie Leighton Park ramp
Fellow boater Casey Wallace shared the concern.
"Anything over 20-something foot you're not going to be able to park here," Wallace said.
The park has been under construction since last September. Martin County redid the boat ramp and dredged the adjacent area, installed floating docks, added greenspace and gazebos, built two piers, and expanded the number of parking spaces. The total project cost approximately $4.5 million. Roughly $1.2 million went toward water-related improvements, partially funded by a state grant. The remaining portion covered the rest of the park and parking lot.
Yahn and Wallace felt the changes were not much of an upgrade.
"They were launching up to 35-foot boats here before. We didn't have any problems with ramp parking here before we didn't have any problem with the ramp parking before except we needed more now these are smaller spots and less of them," Yahn said.
"It's upsetting, you know, seeing the money they spent on it, you know, we're all tax-paying citizens in Palm City, and our money basically got wasted," Wallace said.
I took their concerns to the county for answers. Officials said the goal was to use the park's limited space efficiently while allowing cars and trailers to safely move through the lot.
Jessica Ballash, deputy director of Martin County Parks and Recreation, explained the reason for the design.
"Typical boat ramp [parking space] size is anywhere between 40 to 50 feet so we're right in the middle at 45 [feet]," Ballash said.
Yahn and Wallace argued they lost boat parking. However, the county explained there were previously only 20 designated boat parking spaces and there are now 6 more.
"We designed it with safety in mind. Previously, people would park kind of wherever they could fit, so now we wanted to make it with a more organized design," Ballash said.
The county suggested boaters who need longer trailer parking use other county boat ramps, including Jensen Beach and Sandsprit Park.
The boat ramp is scheduled to officially open in late September. Until then, boaters are left wondering whether the changes will create new problems.
"The trailers are going to be sticking out in the middle of the road, and if someone is parked on this side of the road and they're sticking out, you won't be able to get out of your parking spaces," Yahn said.
"Once this ramp fills up, it's going to be the real test to see how it works out, but I think it's going to be a big traffic jam," Wallace said.
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