Labeled "overzealous" by out-of-state boaters, Tim Erickson says he's just doing his job.

Venice Mayor Fred Hammett became alarmed last month after receiving a series of e-mails from angry boaters who had visited Venice in recent years.

The messages being distributed nationwide over the Internet allege Venice has become known for an "overly zealous" law enforcement officer patrolling its waters and ticketing out-of-state boat owners for "questionable" registration violations.

As a result, postings on e-mail bulletin boards advise boaters planning to be in the area to bypass Venice in favor of other coastal cities.

Although some writers thought they had encountered one of the city's marine patrol officers, Hammett's investigation showed that their stories referred to Tim Erickson, an officer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Still, Venice was being labeled as a place to avoid, and that negative image greatly concerned the mayor.

Hammett followed through by meeting recently not with only Erickson, but also his two FWC supervisors, Capt. Calvin Davis and Lt. Rob Gerkin.

"It was a very productive meeting," said Hammett. "Based on the correspondence I had received, I fully expected to be meeting with a rude and arrogant officer. But Erickson was not that way at all with me. He was very respectful, and expressed concern about all the complaints and comments.

"Lt. Gerkin said he had received an occasional complaint (about Erickson), but nothing to the magnitude described by the e-mails I had received. In fact, their records showed that, though Officer Erickson gives out many warnings, he issued only one actual citation for improper registration in the last year.

"There does seem to be some misunderstanding among visiting boaters," Hammett said, "as to what is required in terms of registration and documentation."

The 'image' problem

Although his FWC supervisors have come to his defense, Erickson does have a reputation among boaters -- deserved or not -- for firmly, sometimes offensively, enforcing Florida boating laws around the Venice area.

Erickson's detractors, most of whom say they have received citations and fines during the past five years for a variety of registration and documentation violations, have called him "Rambo" and other less-than-complimentary names for what they characterize as his overzealous attitude and rude treatment.

They have specifically blamed Erickson for their decision to sail around Venice on future trips -- and taking with them the money they would otherwise have spent locally.

For them, and therefore for many Venice business owners, the issue is not whether Erickson is doing his job right, but whether he is doing it tactfully.

It's the law

Erickson said he is very careful to be polite to the people he stops, and to explain to them the requirements of Florida and Coast Guard regulations that may apply to them.

"Boats are just like cars," Erickson said. "They must be registered properly in one of the 56 states or territories of the United States in order to be legal when they visit Florida.

"There are a dozen or so states which don't require registration decals the way Florida does -- their citizens just pay a personal property tax on their boats which gets them documented."

One indicator that someone may be trying to avoid paying appropriate state taxes is when his boat is documented in one of those states, but he has a driver license from another state.

"The bottom line," said Erickson, "is that Florida law requires that every boat operating in our waters be registered, rather than just documented. We simply ask them to obey the law.

"Though most people appreciate being advised about the requirements and are glad to comply, there are always a few who get upset and feel they know the law better than we do."

If they refuse to cooperate with Erickson's warning by not getting the proper registration, he will indeed issue a citation the next time he sees that boat in the area.

City marine patrol

Local boaters, as well as many just visiting in the area, point to the Venice Police Department Marine Patrol unit as an example of how they would like to see the laws enforced -- firmly, but with tact and good humor.

Supervised by Sgt. Tom Mattmuller, the city's three "water cops" are Phil Phillips, Paul Joyce and Betty Camp. Their duties include not only patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway by boat, but also the city beaches by all-terrain vehicle (from the jetties to Caspersen Beach), and both sides of Venetian Waterway Park all the way down to Shamrock Park on bicycles.

Police Chief Julie Williams says the Marine Patrol officers are big advocates for safety in each of the three areas of their responsibility, but primarily on the waterway.

"The Intracoastal," said Williams, "is our major waterway. Since it's long and narrow, it can become very congested at times with a combination of sailboats, power boats and jet skis -- and many of those are being operated by less experienced people.

"Many of our tourists rent boats and jet skis here for the first time," she explained. "They're not trying to be a problem, but they often can be just from not knowing the laws, regulations and boating etiquette.

"For that reason, the primary functions of our team are water safety and public education. Although we do occasionally have to fine or arrest someone, most of the citations we issue are warnings about violating speed restrictions, such as no-wake zones and manatee protection zones, the State registration requirements for boats, and obviously any unsafe acts."

An officer's view

Marine Patrol Officer Paul Joyce has been on the city's squad for about a year-and-a half, but he credits longtime veteran Phillips with mentoring him and Camp.

"Phil was the department's first marine officer back in 1992," said Joyce, "and has really been the driving force in the development of our guidelines and policies since then."

Joyce confirmed Williams' statement that their emphasis is on boating safety, enforcing marine laws, and educating the public on how to have a safe but good time on and around the water.

"When we stop a boat or jet ski," Joyce said, "we first ask if they're from this area. If not, we give them a special packet filled with great information they need to know."

"Our second question," Joyce said, "is 'Do you have the required safety equipment?' Boaters must have personal flotation devices (PFD's) on board, as well as throwable cushions or life preservers. Each boat must also have a fire extinguisher, both day and nighttime flares, an audible alarm device like an air horn or whistle -- and anyone born after September 1980, must have a valid boater safety ID card if they will be operating either a boat or jet ski by themselves."

Any jet ski operator or rider is also required to wear a life jacket. The operator must be connected to the ignition by a lanyard from his or her wrist, to assure that the motor will automatically shut off if the rider is thrown from the vehicle.

Unexpected

The marine officers rotate duties so that there is usually one out on the boat, while others may be patrolling the beaches or trail areas during daylight hours.

At night, two officers will often take the boat out to check on boater safety after dark.

"People don't expect to see us then," Joyce said, "so they tend to get careless."

Twice during the past few months, nighttime boaters under the influence have wrecked their boats on the banks of the Intracoastal. Though there were no fatalities in those incidents, several people suffered severe injuries that could have been prevented.

"Venice has a lot to offer our visitors as well as our residents," said Joyce. "Part of our job is to make sure people are able to enjoy it all to the fullest, but safely and within the law."

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