Photo courtesy Northwest Florida Daily News.
In Florida, residents of Crab Island recently noticed something new on the horizon: a 40-foot –high floating zip line tower. It’s the property of Crab Island Zip, and the zip line carries riders sailing into the pristine waters below.
However, some local resident have been griping about the new attraction. A local councilwoman told local media that she’s been “receiving complaints left and right” about the new tower, which joins other floating attractions in the area. Residents have raised questions about boat traffic, the zip line’s anchor point, and other issues.
The councilwoman said she checked with the city manager to confirm that the necessary permits and licenses were in place. They weren’t, because none were needed. The Okaloosa County Growth Management director said no permit was necessary because the tower is built on a barge, and is therefore not considered a structure. It appears that the owners of Crab Island Zip, reported to be Gary Strode and Laura Duplantis, have followed the path of other entrepreneurs to circumvent local regulation.
Editor’s note: Adventure Park Insider was unable to reach Strode or Deplantis for comment, and a related website was not forthcoming, making the current state of zip line’s operation uncertain. We’ve asked the boss if we can go investigate this in person because the ride sounds awesome!
