Hinde said he booked hundreds of trips last year. Only bad weather and engine breakdowns kept him from taking all the jobs. But frisky seas and mechanical problems are not his only worries these days. Whether by intention or not, proposed revisions to the city's outdated home-occupation ordinance have put some residents of Woodland Estates at odds over the future of several charter boat fishermen, Hinde included. Charter captains are not mentioned specifically in city rules, and the nature of the business was open to interpretation, building official Walt Brown said.
Captains dock their boats along the canals behind their homes and board customers there.
That seems to imply a home business. But unlike their more terrestrial colleagues selling cosmetics and other goods, the captains plied their trade outside the city limits. City officials appear confused about what direction to take. After approving a total ban several weeks ago, City Council members backed down from that hard-line stance in the face of impassioned pleas from residents. Some think the quiet, residential ambience is being broken by the charter boats.