Dear Commissioners:
Apparently the Commission may consider an amended Airboat ordinance, so we wish to advise you that over the many years (30+) we have lived next to Ledwith Prairie/Lake there have been
many occasions (probably more than a dozen) when airboats have come onto our property late at night (for example at 11pm or 2am) and aimed very powerful searchlights into our bedrooms and bathrooms, causing us to waken in panic, hearts racing, feeling as if
we were under physical attack.
This has likewise happened many times to our neighbors.
We have no idea why airboaters would aim powerful searchlights into peoples' homes late at night. We have often wondered about that. Maybe they are just curious. Maybe they hope to see us naked? Maybe looking for valuables?
Maybe because they are sociopathic and can do whatever they feel like?
We simply don't know....
We're in our 70s now, and it takes us nearly a week to recover after such a nighttime searchlight attack. If you think we're over-reacting, well, you ought to experience it yourself:
Imagine you were asleep in your bed at 1am and a large helicopter were to hover 300' over your home and aim super-powerful searchlights though all your windows, say for 10 or 15 minutes.....it's truly a "combat-zone" experience; it tends to provoke feelings
of utter helplessness in its victims.
It seems to us that the main purpose of government must be to arrange matters as much as possible so that people do
not feel as if they're helpless victims living in a combat zone.
So we thought we should tell you these facts.
Respectfully,
Thomas and Leanne Pflaum
17306 SW 10th Terrace
Micanopy FL 32667