An amendment to H.R. 4821 to limit federal oversight of commercial vendors at Crab Island in Destin passed the U.S. House last Thursday, capping a long debate over the popular destination.

• The amendment introduced by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz bars federal agencies like the National Park Service (NPS) from implementing new restrictions on the dozens of small businesses that operate on the shallow sandbar just north of the Destin bridge.

Gaetz said his proposal aims to protect the “mom and pop” vendors who operate at the iconic local attraction that draws thousands of visitors each year. He argued that existing cooperation between state, county and city officials has successfully regulated commercial activity on the submerged sandbar for decades.

“There is an eclectic attraction in my district in Northwest Florida. It’s called Crab Island, but it’s actually not an island at all,” Gaetz said on the House floor. “It’s a sandbar where people go and enjoy swimming, snorkeling, fishing, maybe a refreshment or even a hot dog or boiled peanuts.”

But U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, argued on the House floor that the amendment would prevent federal land agencies from properly overseeing concessions on public lands under their jurisdiction. She said exempting Crab Island vendors from updated federal regulations and oversight could jeopardize public health and safety.

• “The amendment eliminates the ability to manage the issuance of a permit based on current or past performance, which creates conditions that place workers, visitors, and park resources at risk from some commercial services,” Pingree said prior to the vote.

As part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Crab Island falls under the oversight of the NPS per federal law. Late last year, the agency proposed changes to vendor permits and designated operating zones that raised strong objections from Gaetz, Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner and local business owners.

Gaetz said federal oversight would devastate families who have built small businesses on Crab Island over decades. He cited written support for his amendment from the Destin City Council.

The council passed a resolution back in August formally aligned themselves with Gaetz in opposing unilateral federal control over Crab Island vendors. Mayor Wagner has argued that the city, county and state have successfully managed Crab Island through a cooperative alliance with vendors.

• “Local government should hold the power to manage and maintain our natural resources and businesses,” Wagner said earlier this year. “If we allow government overreach to continue, we give up the privilege to self-govern and lose our local voice and freedom.”

The amendment approved Thursday prohibits federal agencies from finalizing or enforcing any new Crab Island policies under the controversial NPS plan. It is part of a 2024 appropriations bill funding the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency.

The amendments reads:

“CRAB ISLAND AREA COMMERCIAL SERVICES STRATEGY SEC. lll. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to finalize or implement a Commercial Services Strategy for the Crab Island Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.“

“Unfortunately, federal bureaucrats at the Department of Interior are trying to impose a commercial services strategy that will put our mom-and-pop businesses out of business, that will limit the enjoyment of Crab Island, and won’t do anything to make people safer,” said Congressman Gaetz in a statement on Monday. “Because we had a single-subject spending bill on the Department of the Interior, I was able to go to the floor of the House of Representatives to make the case that our state and local governments are best prepared to manage Crab Island, not the federal Department of the Interior.” 

• “I want to thank the great folks at the City of Destin who passed a resolution in support of my legislative efforts to keep local and state control over Crab Island, not to have federal intervention that will limit the entrepreneurism and a lot of the fun,” he added.