Brookhaven Town water taxi service used unsafe dock on way to Ho-Hum Beach, Bellport says
Ho Hum Beach is the center of a dispute between Brookhaven Town and the village of Bellport. Credit: Tom Lambui
A water taxi used an unsafe Bellport marina dock and endangered paddleboarders when it took Brookhaven Town residents to a Fire Island beach that is at the center of a dispute between town and village officials, Bellport Mayor Maureen Veitch said.
Sayville-based H2O Limo was cited on Sunday for using the village marina without a permit as it took passengers to Ho-Hum Beach, which has been used almost exclusively by village residents. Brookhaven had chartered the taxi after town officials called the village's exclusion of town residents "absurd" and said it discriminated against people of color.
Ho-Hum Beach is reachable only by a village-owned ferry that is reserved for village residents, their guests and summer renters with a village pass.
Veitch has denied barring minorities from using the beach or the ferry and said her opposition to town residents visiting the beach are for safety and financial reasons.
She told reporters the water taxi endangered about 50 paddleboarders who were using Bellport Bay on Sunday. She also said the taxi docked along a sea wall that is "narrow, wobbly and not a great place for 25 [passengers] to be walking back and forth."
"It is not safe to be running a commercial water taxi operation in our marina," Veitch said Tuesday. "They would have to have a proper permit, and we would have to have an engineer evaluate whether our dock at the moment is geared for this kind of heavy traffic. ... We’re not really built for large numbers of people."
Veitch declined to discuss details of the allegations, including potential penalties or when H2O Limo is due in court, saying the incident remains under investigation.
H20 Limo owner Robert Maag did not return calls seeking comment. It was not clear if the company had a lawyer to defend itself against the allegation.
Brookhaven officials have said they also plan to use the taxi service to go to Ho-Hum on Sunday and Sept. 8.
Supervisor Dan Panico said Wednesday the company should be allowed to operate at the Bellport marina.
"H2O Limo routinely picks up and drops off in Bellport Village without incident," Panico said in a text message.
Panico has cited a 2018 agreement between the town and village that he said requires Bellport to open the beach to all Brookhaven residents.
Veitch has said the town launched the water taxi service on Sunday without her knowledge, adding Panico has ignored her attempts to discuss the issue.
She said village residents are entitled to exclusive use of the ferry because they pay taxes and ferry fares.
Round-trip weekend fares range from $14 for adult residents to $6 for children; weekend guests pay $20 for adults and $16 for children, according to the village website.
"It is fully funded by village residents’ tax money," Veitch said. "I can’t give away taxpayers’ assets."
With Shari Einhorn
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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