The City of Stuart has been the venue for the Stuart Boat Show for 47 years. The boat show has grown considerably, and the footprint of the event presents unique challenges for the event organizers. Furthermore, the footprint creates a strain on local traffic, which each year is forced to divert from NW Dixie Highway (formerly SR 707) to Federal Highway (US1) during event set up and operation. This road closure also impacts area residents who are inconvenienced during this time.
In recent years, Stuart Boat Show organizers have made concessions based on staff recommendations to better educate motorists ahead of the roadway impacts while also providing a means of ingress and egress for local residents impacted by the road closure. These event management practices have unsuccessfully alleviated the total strain on local traffic and area residents. Due to the limited footprint, event organizers have few options left to mitigate traffic impacts.
The Stuart Boat Show is a three-day event (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). After many years of informing them of the traffic issues and complaints from the public, City of Stuart staff informed organizers that they would need to tighten their set up to exclude Tuesday. Organizers informed staff that the road closure days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and the following Monday) are necessary for safety reasons, and to properly close out the event. Staff also reminded organizers that years ago, set up did not include Tuesday.
While this resolution mirrors road closure requests that have been approved by the City in recent years, prior to 2013, the Stuart Boat Show requested (6 a.m.) on Wednesday through (5 p.m.) Monday for event set up and break down. In addition, prior to 2013, the event organizers did not request the additional Tuesday before the event for set up.
At the request of the City Manager, staff has drafted a Resolution that would support (contingent upon city commission adoption) the Stuart Boat Show event application request for a road closure from Tuesday, January 12th (5:30 a.m.) through Monday, January 18th, 2021 (5 p.m.) for the 47th Annual Stuart Boat Show.
Additionally, the City Manager authorized an application for the road closure request to FDOT in earlier years. This was a necessary measure when Dixie Highway was owned and maintained by the State of Florida as SR 707. Once the road was turned over to the City of Stuart, this practice stopped. However, with the consideration that a closure of NW Dixie Highway also impacts traffic over the Old Roosevelt Bridge, which is still managed by the State, this Resolution would continue the practice of years past by authorizing the City Manager to sign an application to FDOT for the road closure request.