A recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request has revealed that the City of Beaufort failed to obtain the necessary federal approvals before entering into lease agreements with American Cruise Lines and Safe Harbor Marine. This non-compliance has breached the 1976 Waterfront Park agreement.
The 1976 agreement explicitly requires that any sale, lease, or change in use of the waterfront property must receive prior written consent from both the Secretary of the Interior and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. However, the FOIA request indicated that no such approvals were sought or granted for the recent lease agreements.
Consequences of Non-Compliance:
1. Potential legal repercussions for violating federal and state agreements.
2. Loss of trust and credibility within the community and among stakeholders.
The City of Beaufort has not addressed the violations of the 1976 agreement and why it has chosen to change the use of portions of the Waterfront Park. As the city navigates this controversy, it will be crucial to reassess these agreements and seek appropriate remedies while preserving Beaufort’s waterfront for public enjoyment.
Anyone who lives in Beaufort for any amount of time and has a large boat of any type, knows from the conseption of the waterfront park, that no large vessels could park there except in an emergency situation. The city knew the construction was not intended for large vessels. As I saw these large cruise ships parking there it made me wonder what had changed to the policy. So greed appears to be the culprit on the downtown merchants? The City really seems to have an issue following their own laws and codes.
So, does it fall on the Taxpayers to fix this issue or the downtown merchants? It amazes me daily of the lack of information that seems to get lost or ignored.
No I would think it would fall on the government officials working for the City of Beaufort to make this right out of their own pocket . It was their choice to go against getting
Federal approval.
And also how does that affect when the shrimp boats are in for one of any of the festivals