LAKE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A group of residents in Astatula has lost its fight to limit a neighbor's airboat business.
Residents along County Road 48 in Lake County said the noise from the airboats is almost unbearable, but the county commission disagreed.
"Skippy the Airboat" is what is stirring up all the trouble. The owner of the boat said it's probably the "quietest airboat" in the state, but some neighbors call it a nuisance.
Kitty Cooper lives on a nice spread in rural Lake County. She said she enjoys the peaceful environment.
"Mother Nature. Just basically Mother Nature. And the peace and quiet of it all," she said.
But Cooper complains that lately, it's been anything but peaceful.
"It's like living with an airplane. A little airport airplane. Whirrrrr, whirrrrr, whirrrr!" she said.
Neighbor Bob Denis runs Stanley Pond Farm, a tourism-focused farm featuring "Skippy the Airboat." The county agreed to let him run it daily between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
"But during that time -- God forbid that you run it more than an hour. OK? And that was totally ridiculous," Denis said.
Which is why Denis went back to the county commission, asking permission to run Skippy the full four hours.
"It is a small airboat. But it makes a lot of noise, in my opinion," Lake County Commissioner Jimmy Conner said.
Despite concerns and Cooper's objections, Denis' request was granted.
Denis insists that the decibel levels of his tractor, or even the average riding lawnmower, are higher than Skippy.
"It's not about the sound. It's about her not wanting us to succeed," Denis said.
Kitty said she just wants to get rid of the ringing in her head.
"I would like to have a set of headphones. Noise-canceling headphones," Cooper said.
Denis said families and even school groups visit the farm, and he has several attractions just for kids. He said he hopes the complaints about Skippy will stop.
WFTV
