I don't believe that anyone has a complaint about the amount. What I am hearing is a question/complaint about the seemingly involuntary nature of a supposedly voluntary fee. It's not the principal, it's the principle - an important distinction.
So, let's rephrase the question and see if that helps facilitate the conversation:
Is it acceptable policy that private business
(the Keys Chamber of Commerce and its ancillary dive shops) gets to develop
(sinking the Speigel Grove) a public facility
(the Keys National Marine Sanctuary) for private commercial purpose
(selling dive charters) and to fund that development by requiring payment of a "voluntary fee"
(the dive medallion) by the public in order to access that public facility?
Remember, this
is a public facility. Essentially at the request of the residents of the Keys, the U.S. Congress stepped in 20-ish years ago and took over the administration of the area because the State of Florida and the Keys themselves were unable to manage the resource on their own. That means that everyone (all U.S. citizens) has a say in how the facility is used.
The dive medallion may not qualify as a tax, but that's pretty much a technical argument. De jure or de facto, it's still a tax, or at least close enough to warrant the argument. Those who would split hairs and hide behind semantics diminish their credibility. Better to focus the discussion on the advisability and propriety of the tax, lest you become the butt of ridicule, a la Bill Clinton.
I don't like the idea of taxes - keep your hands out of my pockets, please. I especially don't like taxes that go to pay for development of public facilities. It's even worse when that development is intended to generate profits for private enterprise. Combine all three, when it's a tax that pays for development of public facilities for private profit, and I become truly aggravated. Arguing "but it's only a little tax" is salt in the wound. As an aside, although the fee was implemented to pay for the sinking of the Speigel Grove, does anyone think it will be eliminated once that goal has been achieved?
I haven't had the chance to dive the Speigel Grove yet, but I will this December. When I do, I fully intend to give the dive shop a cattle boat-load of grief about the "required voluntary fee." I'm also not going to have to pay it, because I already chipped in and bought my medallion earlier this year to support the creation of what I figured would be a really cool dive site. Call it a compromise of my principles based upon enlightened self-interest.
Steven
p.s. You don't have to wait to get to Florida to pop for your medallion. The folks at
Divers Direct will sell you one. It's still a !@#$$@# tax, but it's also an investment that pays a lot of dividends. Even if a dive trip to Florida isn't in your plans, it's still possible to kick a few dollars into the kitty.