Volusia officials take wind out of para-motorists' sails
 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH - After complaints from beachgoers, the Volusia County Beach Department has banned para-motoring enthusiasts from launching on the shore.

According to Eric Dufour, a New Smyrna Beach winter resident from Quebec who flies the craft, he and his fellow pilots were grounded Monday, when they tried to take off from Smyrna Dunes Park.

The Beach Patrol "told us we needed a permit to fly off the beach," he said. "They said we were violating the county's special events ordinance."

For the past few weeks, Dufour and other enthusiasts have been seen floating over the park and the ocean south of Ponce de Leon Inlet on a parasail-like rig, powered by a motor strapped to the pilot's back. The motor drives rotors that create lift to get the sail into the air and move the rider forward.

He said the sport attracts people from across North America to Florida in the winter, and Volusia's restrictions have put a crimp in their plans.  "We are not doing a special event," Dufour said.  "All we are doing is flying on the beach.  I think there are people who just don't like us having fun here," he said.  It isn't a matter of not allowing fun, according to Volusia County Beach Director Tom Renick, but a matter of public safety and following the law.