Airboat Sportsman Legal Defense Fund

June 1, 2008

Fellow Sportsman:

Our hunting, fishing and boating rights are under attack, and your help is needed immediately. We are

the Airboat Sportsman Legal Defense Fund. Our primary goal is to overturn an ordinance passed in

Osceola County, Florida on April 28, 2008.

This ordinance is a ban on the use of airboats between the hours of 11 PM and 5 AM. The original

ordinance had an exception that allowed airboat use at night during the alligator hunting season of

August 15 through November 1st. As of April 28, 2008, the revised ordinance removes that exception.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission requires that alligators must be hunted between the hours

of one hour prior to sunset to one hour after sunrise. This ordinance removes 6 hours of hunting time,

leaving 3 hours in the evening and 3 hours the next morning, which is not an adequate amount of time

and severely restricts access to West Lake Tohopekaliga due to the thick vegetation that covers the

prime hunting areas.

We, as a group, feel that this ordinance is discriminatory as it only excludes airboats, no other type of

vessel. We also believe it is illegal as East and West Lake Tohopekaliga are navigable waterways

under jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard. We think this ordinance could cause future safety issues

along the lakefront in the respect of increased alligator populations. We feel that this ordinance is

about property values surrounding the lakes, not about the use of airboats. Twenty-three airboats were

tested for sound during the 2007 gator season by the Osceola County Sheriffs Office (OCSO), with all

airboats tested found to be in compliance with the vessel sound ordinance, set by the state of Florida,

of 90 dB @ 50'.

The Osceola County Commission is expecting revenues from development areas into the year 2025.

We are not fighting growth, we just want future residents of the Tohopekaliga Lakes to understand

that airboats, bass boats, and other types of hunting, fishing, and recreation will indeed be taking

place on those lakes for as long is there is water to navigate. Future residents need to fully

understand what it means to be a lakefront resident, as the waters belong to all the people of the state.

We are asking for the support of all sportsman, fisherman, and recreational user of public bodies of

water, as this issue affects every sportsman and boater. The Osceola County Commission has voted

to discriminate against one particular vessel. If airboats are removed from these lakes, who will be

next on the homeowners agenda? Will it be bass boats and bass tournaments, party boats or duck

hunters using go-devils? Residents of some areas are even fighting the addition of boat ramps and

marinas. The ultimate goal of a small minority of lakefront residents is to remove all public

recreational activity from the lake, so as to create a perfect tranquil environment on a public waterway

that current laws allow everyone to enjoy, not just a few who reside on waterfront property.

We are requesting your support before legal precedents are set. If the Osceola County Commission

can pass arbitrary ordinances that lack legal foundation, the future of many hunting, fishing and

recreational activities are in jeopardy. More counties will follow Osceola's lead in discriminating if we

do not stop this now. Other counties have passed similar ordinances, but they have yet to be

challenged. Please help us send the message to this county that sportsmen have had enough,

we cannot stand back and let a few homeowners trample the rights of thousands of users of public

waterways.

We are in the process of raising $75,000.00 to challenge the County and would appreciate your help.

We are in desperate need of funds as well as donations of goods or services that can be offered in

fundraisers. Our organization will go on to defend other issues surrounding the public use of

waterways and the activities that surround them. This fight is not just for sportsmen with airboats,

it is for all sportsmen that hunt, fish or enjoy recreation in an area that may be developed. A single

homeowner or environmental activist, who would like to see lakes, waterways or surrounding

woodlands as a private retreat, can make YOU a target at the taxpayers’ and citizens’ expense.

Please contribute. Thank you for your support.

Airboat Sportsman Legal Defense Fund or ASLDF

Mission Statement

Our mission is to protect, defend and advance the rich cultural heritage of Florida's airboating public,

both recreational & commercial and their traditional activities of hunting, fishing, frogging, recreational

boating and other endeavors involving airboats. We will promote safe boating, courteous conduct,

conservation of and public access to our natural resources while encouraging development of new

technologies to bring our activities into positive public acceptance. We will strive to be a liaison to

other like minded sportsmen organizations for mutually beneficial purposes. This mission will be

accomplished through special events, public education, media venues, forged alliances with like

minded sportsmen organizations and through the legislative & legal systems.

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___ Yes, I support your efforts to protect the rights of all sportspersons to use Florida waterways.

Name: _____________________________________ Telephone #:_________________________

Address:___________________________________ Cell #_______________________________

____________________________________ Email address:________________________

___ $1000.00 ___ $500.00 ___ $250.00 ___ $ 100.00 ___ $50.00 Other $_______

Other goods and services contributions:________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Comments:_____________________________________________________________________

Other areas that you can help________________________________________________________

Please send Donations to:

Airboat Sportsman Legal Defense Fund

PO Box 291331

Port Orange, FL 32129