PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Driving toward the Skyway Bridge, you may have seen horses taking people for rides in Tampa Bay.

  • Tourists say they love the horseback rides in water
  • There are concerns, however, about feces in water and on beach
  • FDEP working with county, business owners to find a resolution
  • More Pinellas County headlines

It's a thriving business for some of the horse owners, but leaders in Pinellas County have concerns about potential harmful impacts on the ecosystem.

Carmen Hanson owns CPonies, one of the businesses that operates off the Skyway Beach. She says they have been offering the horseback rides in the water for three years. 

Leah Scott works for one of the other companies. Both say they rescue their horses from abusive situations, and the salt water has helped the horses in many ways. 

"We've seen great benefits to them being out here working every day. Great health benefits, great benefits to their disposition," said Scott. She went on to say, "The saltwater has been great for different skin issues, inflammation, joint and tendon issues are all pretty much resolved by the saltwater soaking, so what we're doing is huge for these horses."

Both say tourists love the rides. 

But Pinellas County has concerns about the horses being in the water. In 1972, Pinellas County was put into an Aquatic Preserve.

"The environmental standards within an aquatic preserve are higher and so the resource protection measures are stronger," said Kelli Hammer-Levy, the Division Director for Pinellas County Environmental Management. 

Levy is concerned about the horse feces in the water and on the beach. She's also concerned that the horses are damaging the sea grass as they walk out to the sand bar. 

The business owners maintain they clean up after the horses constantly, and they say they're able to avoid the seagrass during the tours.

"We'd absolutely hate to see it get shut down not only for us, but for every horse owner who brings their horses out here," said Hanson. 

Another person opposed to this is Roger Wilson. He was a state representative when the Aquatic Preserve was established. He supported the legislation.

"You've got to protect our natural resources. That's the bottom line," said Wilson.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is working with the county and the business owners to find a resolution.

A spokesperson for the department released this statement: "The Department is actively exploring the impacts equestrian recreation has on sea grass and water quality. The Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection is working with partners to find solutions to address recreational and environmental protection concerns."