Helicopter service discussed at Village Council
Luis Folgueira, owner and pilot of Professional Helicopter Services, along with Joe Reyes, Operations Manager, spoke to the Village Council, about their service, which is right off the Grove shore.
The Village Council did not know Luis and Joe were present, when they brought up the subject, so as they spoke of the service and how there may be problems with it, Luis and Joe listened quietly in the audience, when Luis finally stepped up the mic.
Luis explained the good things about a helicopter service, like how at this very moment, the sound of a helicopter is the sound of heaven to people in Haiti and how a helicopter saved Luis' life in the past, when he needed to be transported to the hospital after a nasty car accident when he raced cars for a living.
Presently, there is no helicopter service in the area since the city pulled the tour services from Watson Island, so in case of emergency for anyone, the closest helicopter could be as far away as Tamiami Airport.
Professional Helicopter Service has one helicopter that lands in the bay on a platform that is rigged to be a boat. It moves around and so far, has not disturbed anyone. In fact, most heard about it when we wrote a story in December, before that, most did not have a clue that it existed.
Ironically, it seems that the snobs at the Yacht Club and other places along the water are the only people against the service, but Shake-A-Leg used their services once to drum up wind for their sailors, on a day when there was wind.
One legitimate concern brought up by Village Council member Michelle Niemeyer, is that if the helicopter service can just work rent free from from a barge, what would stop others from doing the same, you know, like a jet ski service or hang gliding, which may be setting up from the shore right now in the area. Is the Yacht Club going to complain about people flying overhead from kites now and looking down on them sunning at the pool?
The service currently brings tourists to the Grove and if the service is not wanted, they can easily move the boat/barge to South Beach or another area, taking the tourists and convenience with them. As Luis said, "Helicopter rides are not just for the rich anymore." They are affordable and convenient and it would be nice to have them around if needed.
Hopefully a solution can be found.
Cartoon by Joe Reyes
posted by Tom Falco at 12:30 PM
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18 Comments:
FYI The City never had Police helicopters in watson. It was always in Tamiami (one of the reasons they removed it.)
Helicopters are great. If you get the chance, hop on. Awesome. You get to see the entire city from amazing perspectives, and you can land almost anywhere, deserted beaches and so forth. The helicopter rides should be less expensive and more easily available. It's an experience you won't forget. Air space is quite free, you follow some rules, look around, talk on the radio. There should be a lot more helicopters available and more affordable for everyone. CI
So these guys are monitoring Police & Fire/Rescue radio now, standing by to assist? C'mon, really?
Unless it's gone away in the past couple months, there's a helicopter service off a barge just south of Gov't Cut. (not quite Tamiami)
I personally don't care either way so long as they don't hover over my house like the stupid news choppers whenever there's traffic or an accident.
Just wanted to point out that the first few points of the 'for' argument made are weak at best.
They need to play up the positive tourism effects, and not mention the noise they make. I'm no expert but they're probably just barely skirting some air traffic control regulations by keeping the boat offshore, right?
Helicopter tourism is a huge issue of debate in eco-friendly tourist locations. I'm pretty sure the people of Kaua'i banned them from the island.
If I recall, basic eco-tourism arguments against them are 1) pollution 2)noise 3) decreases enjoyment natural places, i.e. sea/waterfront/parks/etc.
I can understand the pool issue also. You pay x amount to be on a rooftop pool with a view of the bay and then a helicopter flies over breaking the illusion.
The Yatch Club is complaining??? Why the hell are they still at that location? I know I keep hearing about tradition, but tradition generally means a few people don't want to change for the better of the community. That land belongs to all the people in the city, and should not be used as your personal playground.
Geez Grape, what's with the denigrating comments about the "Yacht Club"? Since you mention a pool, and Coral Reef YC is the only one in the Grove with a pool, you must be talking about Coral Reef. A couple of stories down you run an article on the Miami OCR. How about some credit and leeway for all the good CRYC does for the Grove including the hundreds (thousands?) of room nights it brings by running the Orange Bowl, OCR, Jaguar Cup, etc... with an all volunteer crew? Also, if there really is a concern from CRYC about the copter service, I'd be curious to know what it is.
Why not reestablish Helicopter service at Watson Island until that marina project gets built?
Why not stop all the speculation and BSing.
Reading the first few comments, they all said the same thing: "I don't know of any regulations, but I'm sure there are some being broken... I'm no expert, but I'm sure.." If you don't know and aren't willing to look it up before you run your mouth, maybe you should keep it zipped.
I dont' know if people who make such comments come from family trees without branches, but it seems pretty likely.
Oh, and the precious yacht club on public land, should be open to the public. They are stealing.
re: tired of it's comment,
Read more carefully before you fly off the handle. The word "sure" doesn't exist in my earlier post.
I wrote "probably", based on my limited experience with and knowledge of local code.
What I am sure of is that your attempt to joke about family trees without branches has no bearing on the issue, and just makes you sound silly.
Go take a nap.
Coral Reef and Biscayne YC own their property. The Coconut Grove Sailing Club rents City porpoerty and to my knowledge HAS NOT complained about the Helo.
Marc
This helicopter service is a great addition to the Grove. They don't bother anyone or make any noise, they stay around the "spoil' Islands (should be called Coconut Grove Islands by now) and take no space. Helicopter rides are great, and excellent for tourism and all residents alike. Michelle Niemeyer's concerns can readily be addressed directly by Luis Folgueira, a friend of a friend with whom I just spoke. Carlos Iglesia.
Hey Marc, correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the yatch club lease up like 2 years ago??? They must be special, because if I decided i didn't want to leave after my lease was up, I would be hanging with Johnny law...
To those Anon comments about the yacht clubs:
Coral Reef Yacht Club and Biscayne Bay Yacht Club have been in the Grove for many decades and both own their property. The U.S. Sailing Center and Coconut Grove Sailing Club are on City-owned property and will be relocated pursuant to the Coconut Grove Waterfront Plan when it is implemented. All of these organizations are involved in the organization and management of the world class regattas that make the Grove an international sailing destination.
You should try getting out on the water sometime on a sailboat. You might have some fun! It's an aspect of living in the Grove that we should all appreciate, and thanks to the access the sailing club and US Sailing Center give us, any of us can whether we own a boat, or know how to sail, or not.
Ms. Niemeyer: with all due respect, my appreciation for sailing, of which I've done plenty, has nothing to do with a sailing club - which is just another country club clique.
Regardless, this is about the helicopter service which brings a unique and exciting thing to the grove, and a bunch of the usual grove naysayers (who love their "exclusive" little cliques) saying nay without any valid reason for doing so.
Try being open once in a while people. We all know that you're just bitching and flexing for the sake of it.
Fact: Americans spend 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic, costing the economy $78.2 billion and 3.7 b gallons of wasted fuel. Southeast Florida's population is growing 70% faster than the US Average. With increased population comes increased congestion.
For businesses, the region, to compete & thrive, we must have alternative options available to bypass congestion and travel between destinations cost effectively!
To Anon 6:55 PM,
The Coconut Grove Sailing Club had a 20 year lease that expired in 2000. The lease has since rolled into a month to month lease in accordance with the agreement.
CGSC is one of the best places to access Biscayne Bay. The Club has never rejected an application for membership. Please come on by.
And to reset this discussion, The CGSC has not made any complaints about the Helicopter. Personally, I have never seen or heard it!
Marc
Thanks for letting me know that I have to pay to spend time in my city park. How about we get rid of the CGSC and open it up for all city residents whether they fill out an application or not...
This helicopter issue is not about the Yacht Clubs complaining, noise or if it is good or bad for the city. It is about a business defying the rule of law. 1) There is a Dade County ordinace that does not allow businesses to operate from a floating barge and it specifically sites helicopters as a type of business that is prohibited. 2) This company set up business without obtaining any permits or approvals from the City. (which would have been denied because of the overridding county ordinance). If they want to challenge the County for a permit to operate legally then let them do it the right way within the current scope of the law.
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