So now we know where Florida Man hangs out; he "works" for the state's gummint bureaucracy.

Here's the back story from someone that lived there for 40 years.

If they didn't have that sign and people to enforce it the tracks of irresponsible humanity would make the place uninhabitable very quickly.

People are animals - the worst kind.
Tourists are the worst kinds of people as they know they are leaving soon so may as well live it up while they're here. Everybody else be damned.

BTW, take a look at the 3rd fish down on the left.
Red Grouper. Mmm...Mmm...Mmmm....it don't get any finer'n that right there. A nice stout plank, about 8"x8"x2" thick, slow roasted while basted with mesquite. Goodgaw.....

Even with the sign and the bazillions of way over paid gov't employees the place still looks like a dump most of the time due to "budget cuts", but us natives know what's really going on.

The real problem?
The gov't steals the land then forces the natives to pay for it while collecting a small pittance from the tourists. The money part doesn't work, the employee part doesn't work, none of it works. It exists as it is by the monopoly on force.

Frankly, the natives don't go there.
They've found better ways to enjoy the sun, sand, and surf and it doesn't include anything gov't or tourists.

In a free market capitalist society (not the quasi bullshit you see now) that sign would not be there and the place would be an absolute haven.

Head out to the island of Bokeelia and look for a little place on the left called "The Lazy Flamingo". Saunter on in there and get their "Mesquite Grouper" sando plate and sit next to the 4' dia porthole window and stare at my 28' Donzi parked out on the dock. Tell em gs sent you and maybe they'll throw in a free bowl of Conch Chowder. Dang! I'm gettin stern wood just thinkin about it!!! Nom, nom, nom....

& back in the day, in the 50's, I enjoyed sea turtle steaks along that route.

Ham Sandwich nation ...

Dont talk to the Police: don't!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE

It's not the natives. They know how to behave. Tourists? Not really likely to fish off the bridge. But immigrants? Now there you have a problem. They don't know the customs, don't know the lore. It looks completely unregulated, and thus exploitable, to them. Because everywhere else they've been, it belongs to someone, in which case one doesn't dare, or it doesn't--but the population density is low, so it doesn't matter.

We had that problem in the Twin Cities when the Hmong began arriving. The men are hunters; that's how they keep the stew pot full. They would hunt EVERYTHING. Squirrels, songbirds, small pets, they all vanished from the neighborhoods. They'd go out in groups on Sunday and clean out any woods they could get into.

It took a while for the message to sink into the Hmong culture: cats and dogs, even if running loose, leave them alone. And land--if it's posted, stay off it. It got a little murderous over that, for a bit.

Ghost, I will try the Lazy Flamingo next time I'm down to Pine Island. Better than the Cuban sandwich at the Tarpon Lodge? I plan on using your referral for the free chowder. Will be fun to see the Donzi, too. Thanks for all your posts here at Gerard's great blog...