Should duck hunting be outlawed in Santa Rosa Sound? Here's what Mary Esther officials think

MARY ESTHER — City officials hope to soon meet with State Rep. Patt Maney to get his thoughts on whether duck hunting should be restricted in Santa Rosa Sound offshore from Mary Esther.

The main impetus for the pending meeting stems from the concerns of Jeff Rhyne, who reportedly lives part-time in Mary Esther. At the May 2 City Council meeting, Rhyne asked the council to consider placing a referendum on the Nov. 8 general election ballot that would ask city voters whether they support outlawing duck hunting on the Sound.

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City Manager Jared Cobb said Thursday that he has been researching the issue and is working to arrange a meeting that would be attended by himself, Maney, Rhyne and Councilwoman April Sutton.

Neither Mary Esther nor Okaloosa County has jurisdiction over the Sound, so the potential referendum would be a non-binding straw poll, Cobb said.

“The FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) regulates hunting and has a process to restrict it,” Cobb said. “It’s not a decision the city can make.”

A request to establish a “restricted hunting area” on the Sound would need to be made by the FWC or another state agency, according to Cobb.

Rhyne’s primary residence is in Marianna, according to city of Mary Esther information. He could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

The FWC allows duck hunting in the Sound during various fall and winter months. The area of the Sound off Mary Esther contains more than a half dozen spoil islands that are visited by ducks and other birds, as well as by boaters who enjoy the islands’ beaches.

Mary Esther Mayor Chris Stein, who lives along the Sound, said Rhyne’s main concern is about ducks being killed by hunters.

“I live on the Sound,” Stein said Thursday. “I’m exactly like (Rhyne): I hear the guns going off. The spoil islands are away from his property. (Hunters during the season) put out their decoys in the morning and blast away for awhile. People hunting there say the ducks are minimal, but they enjoy it and it’s legal.”

Placing a referendum on the general election ballot would cost about $2,000 in advertising fees plus $2,500 in legal fees, according to city information. Rhyne has offered to help pay much of the cost.

“Due to our lack of jurisdiction and enforcement tools, however, the best alternative may be for concerned citizens to engage directly with our legislators and the FWC,” Cobb said in a recent memo to the council.

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“If you do get a restriction, who's going to enforce it?" Stein wondered. "The Sheriff’s Office? They probably don’t want to spend money on it, and the FWC might not want to. We don’t have our own law enforcement agency in Mary Esther, so we might have to come up with a way to enforce it. There are costs involved to put it on ballot and I don’t know if all taxpayers want this.”

Many Mary Esther residents are worried about loud weekend parties on and near the islands in the Sound more than duck hunting, Stein said.

The mayor said some partying boaters make bonfires on the islands.

“They tie up at night and play loud music that is louder than the guns (of hunters),” Stein said. “The hunters aren’t making fires in the morning, it’s the people who are boating and partying. The hunters pretty much pick up after themselves.”

Concerns about duck hunting in the Sound are not new to Mary Esther. The city sent out a survey about that with the August 2020 utility bills to property owners.

There were 54 survey responses received out of a population of 4,434 residents, 2,690 of whom were registered voters.

The results were “statistically insignificant” based solely on the numbers: 1.2% by population and 2% of registered voters, according to city information.

In response to the question, “Do you support the hunting of duck or other waterfowl along the Santa Rosa Sound?” 20 responded “yes,” 33 people answered “no” and one person gave no opinion.

In response to the question, “Would you be in favor of a prohibition to hunting duck or other waterfowl along the Santa Rosa Sound?” 34 answered “yes,” 19 answered “no” and one person gave no opinion.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Mary Esther discusses duck hunting restrictions on Santa Rosa Sound