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Residents upset kayakers are clogging Weeki Wachee Springs

No way to regulate overcrowded kayakers
Posted at 6:34 PM, Sep 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-04 18:34:12-04

People are traveling from all over the world to go kayaking at Weeki Wachee but now some people who live there say it's out of control and no one can regulate it.

Sharon McBride and her husband own lane on the river. McBride says the narrow channels aren't made for the amount of people and wildlife using them.

"They're actually killing the river."

Hernando County Officials say they can't help fix the problem because the state owns the waterways. They can't even help with the fact that there's no outlets or restrooms for more than six miles.

“A little boy hopped out and he went over there in the bushes and pooped. To me that’s awful that people have to do that,” said McBride.

Bill Scherer lives on the river and believes anyone should be able to use it.

“Everybody has permission to use the waterway, it should not be restricted in any way because it's a navigable waterway.”

John Cone owns "The Kayak Shack“ and he said, "people are showing up and a lot of them don’t know what they’re doing. You’re going to get confrontations from kayaks to boaters to residents.”

Cone says he doesn't know the exact answer to fix the problem but thinks everyone should work together to find a solution. 

“We’re finally at a point where people are wanting to come to Weeki Wachee. People are enjoying it and we don’t want to turn them away.”