ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Action News first told you the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pulled the plug from the buoy in February, but businesses and local fisherman are seeing the impact.
A weather data buoy once provided fish and charter companies with current sea conditions before taking their boats out into the water, but now that information is no longer available.
"We had no idea that it was going to be that rough," said Bill Hoge, owner and operator of Sea Love charter fishing company.
Hoge said hitting the water now comes with huge risks.
"It's hard to predict what the seas are going to be like. It's always an adventure going out there. You really don't know what you're up against," Hoge said.
That's thanks to NOAA shutting down the St. Augustine buoy because the agency could no longer afford to keep it running.
Hoge, who carries more than 20,000 people a year on his charter boats, depended on it for real time wave and wind conditions.
National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Cordero said the buoy provided information for major storms like during hurricane season. But he says there are other options now.
"I know they found that as a vital tool, but we have other tools available on the web and our models have become pretty sophisticated now," Cordero said.
Cordero said a new high resolution radar will be online this summer to provide more accurate weather conditions.
NOAA spokesperson Maureen Wylie said the buoy has been returned to the national buoy center and disabled at this time.
But Hoge believes the buoy shouldn't have been cut in the first place.
"You can't put a price tag on hurting somebody going out the inlet because we can't get the true forecast," Hoge said.
Fishing charter companies say for now they'll have to depend on the local NOAA forecasts.
The closest offshore buoy is nearly 125 miles away, near Cape Canaveral. NOAA says it costs $60,000 to operate the buoy.
WJAX
