THANK YOU TO ALL!!!

[MuddyGirlatTheHump]

I would first like to say how impressed I am to see so many off road enthusiast like my self at the Off Highway Vehicle Committee meeting. My name is Brooke Lynch and I am an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) owner. Everyone is well aware that a park is in great need in Dade County for many reasons.

Off Highway Vehicle experiences have been a part of weekly activities for so many in Dade County over the years. It is a time for family, friendship, and getting muddy. It has given many the only time they have to share with others. In the rush of life these days people forget to stop and spend time with people they care about. This activity allows for harmless, enjoyable time outdoors. Unfortunately this past time is/has become a non-legal activity and people/families are being ticketed, arrested, and having their OHV impounded. 

With the opening of a OHV park families will be able to continue to enjoy their time in a legal and safe environment. In my house hold alone there are two youth atv’s, one adult atv and a monster truck.

Off Highway Vehicles are a large part of the community. From the business that sale them to the local stores that profit from the incidentals such as food, drinks, gas, oil and parts. With the opening of a park in Dade County it will ensure that the revenue from the  families and even the visiting families continues to support the local business.

Until the opening of a park in Dade County residents must drive to another county and in the process are spending their money in other counties. Families in the past have been traveling to Dade County from Monroe County and as far north as the state line and farther to enjoy Off Highway Vehicle activities.

As I was preparing to attend the Off Highway Vehicle meeting I spoke with someone who was concerned that maybe a banner from a business may cause someone to look at us differently. It does not matter what we look like, our age, or our social status we were all there to show why we need an OHV park.

Thank you to everyone from www.thehumponline and www.atvmiaxtreme.com, as well as all other for attending.

Brooke Lynch
www.thehumponline.com

[Eworm]

I would first like to say how impressed I am to see so many off road enthusiast like my self at the Off Highway Vehicle Committee meeting. My name is Brooke Lynch and I am an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) owner. Everyone is well aware that a park is in great need in Dade County for many reasons.

Off Highway Vehicle experiences have been a part of weekly activities for so many in Dade County over the years. It is a time for family, friendship, and getting muddy. It has given many the only time they have to share with others. In the rush of life these days people forget to stop and spend time with people they care about. This activity allows for harmless, enjoyable time outdoors. Unfortunately this past time is/has become a non-legal activity and people/families are being ticketed, arrested, and having their OHV impounded. 

With the opening of a OHV park families will be able to continue to enjoy their time in a legal and safe environment. In my house hold alone there are two youth atv’s, one adult atv and a monster truck.

Off Highway Vehicles are a large part of the community. From the business that sale them to the local stores that profit from the incidentals such as food, drinks, gas, oil and parts. With the opening of a park in Dade County it will ensure that the revenue from the  families and even the visiting families continues to support the local business.

Until the opening of a park in Dade County residents must drive to another county and in the process are spending their money in other counties. Families in the past have been traveling to Dade County from Monroe County and as far north as the state line and farther to enjoy Off Highway Vehicle activities.

As I was preparing to attend the Off Highway Vehicle meeting I spoke with someone who was concerned that maybe a banner from a business may cause someone to look at us differently. It does not matter what we look like, our age, or our social status we were all there to show why we need an OHV park.

Thank you to everyone from www.thehumponline and www.atvmiaxtreme.com, as well as all other for attending.

Brooke Lynch
www.thehumponline.com

yeah yeah yeah!!!!

[Southern4x4]

I would first like to say how impressed I am to see so many off road enthusiast like my self at the Off Highway Vehicle Committee meeting. My name is Brooke Lynch and I am an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) owner. Everyone is well aware that a park is in great need in Dade County for many reasons.

Off Highway Vehicle experiences have been a part of weekly activities for so many in Dade County over the years. It is a time for family, friendship, and getting muddy. It has given many the only time they have to share with others. In the rush of life these days people forget to stop and spend time with people they care about. This activity allows for harmless, enjoyable time outdoors. Unfortunately this past time is/has become a non-legal activity and people/families are being ticketed, arrested, and having their OHV impounded. 

With the opening of a OHV park families will be able to continue to enjoy their time in a legal and safe environment. In my house hold alone there are two youth atv’s, one adult atv and a monster truck.

Off Highway Vehicles are a large part of the community. From the business that sale them to the local stores that profit from the incidentals such as food, drinks, gas, oil and parts. With the opening of a park in Dade County it will ensure that the revenue from the  families and even the visiting families continues to support the local business.

Until the opening of a park in Dade County residents must drive to another county and in the process are spending their money in other counties. Families in the past have been traveling to Dade County from Monroe County and as far north as the state line and farther to enjoy Off Highway Vehicle activities.

As I was preparing to attend the Off Highway Vehicle meeting I spoke with someone who was concerned that maybe a banner from a business may cause someone to look at us differently. It does not matter what we look like, our age, or our social status we were all there to show why we need an OHV park.

Thank you to everyone from www.thehumponline and www.atvmiaxtreme.com, as well as all other for attending.

Brooke Lynch
www.thehumponline.com

were you that girl with big jim and them?if so i was the lil kid in the git r done hat on with the indian looking guy

[SWFRider]

I understand your problem as it has become ours on west coast of florida as well. As you have stated in your post that you must ride in other countys. This has only speed up shutting our areas down as well. In our areas that we used to ride maybe a dozen or so riders would show up. Now people are comming from other countys with campers leaving trash and its up to 50 or a hundred, or was till the tickets started. This is only blocks where I live even I as an ATV advicate cant stand the noise at night and trash and debris left behind.

It time to fight for our riding areas. We need to get the people that hate us to help put us in legal riding areas. Only problem with getting the goverments , county and state, involved is that they can become so restrictive that family riding would be out of the question. Example: We cant ride double so I bought 2 quads that fit the size for my kids. a 90 and 200. Both are experienced riders but goverments take the sticker recomendations from the manufacturers as law. If I was to put my 98 lb 11 yr old on the recomended size quad it would be extremely dangerous. Hense , she rides the 200 and my 7 yr old rides a 90. This is just one example of how the goverment plays parent and screws thing up.  pretty soon you wont even be able to walk on unposted or vacant land for fear of an arrest  because the law enforcement agencys distort the laws due to complaints and threaten ATV'rs and MX riders with impounding and arrest. Florida is clear on trespass and says signs must be posted every 500 ft and or fenced and or have a man made barrier..These things make it clear that its private property, that is why this law is in place.   Unfortunately law enforcement has been taxed with complaints of noise due to southern floridas growth and simply attack ATV'rs with threats and if we just pay the fines then nothing changes.  One way florida could help this problem is by making it unlawful to sue vacant land owners for damages. Things that havent helped our cause is people riding late at night near residential areas , leaving trash behind and riding so recklessly down streets doing wheelies and things like that. 
I honestly hope Dade County gets its park , keep up the fight.

[MuddyGirlatTheHump]

[/quote]were you that girl with big jim and them?if so i was the lil kid in the git r done hat on with the indian looking guy
[/quote]

Yes that is me

Thank you for coming out to show your support and please thank your father also.

I understand your problem as it has become ours on west coast of florida as well. As you have stated in your post that you must ride in other countys. This has only speed up shutting our areas down as well. In our areas that we used to ride maybe a dozen or so riders would show up. Now people are comming from other countys with campers leaving trash and its up to 50 or a hundred, or was till the tickets started. This is only blocks where I live even I as an ATV advicate cant stand the noise at night and trash and debris left behind.

It time to fight for our riding areas. We need to get the people that hate us to help put us in legal riding areas. Only problem with getting the goverments , county and state, involved is that they can become so restrictive that family riding would be out of the question. Example: We cant ride double so I bought 2 quads that fit the size for my kids. a 90 and 200. Both are experienced riders but goverments take the sticker recomendations from the manufacturers as law. If I was to put my 98 lb 11 yr old on the recomended size quad it would be extremely dangerous. Hense , she rides the 200 and my 7 yr old rides a 90. This is just one example of how the goverment plays parent and screws thing up.  pretty soon you wont even be able to walk on unposted or vacant land for fear of an arrest  because the law enforcement agencys distort the laws due to complaints and threaten ATV'rs and MX riders with impounding and arrest. Florida is clear on trespass and says signs must be posted every 500 ft and or fenced and or have a man made barrier..These things make it clear that its private property, that is why this law is in place.   Unfortunately law enforcement has been taxed with complaints of noise due to southern floridas growth and simply attack ATV'rs with threats and if we just pay the fines then nothing changes.  One way florida could help this problem is by making it unlawful to sue vacant land owners for damages. Things that havent helped our cause is people riding late at night near residential areas , leaving trash behind and riding so recklessly down streets doing wheelies and things like that. 
I honestly hope Dade County gets its park , keep up the fight.

My daughter has a 90cc and my son a 110cc. I ride with my daughter on hers and my son rides his alone. I am in totally agree with you that some of the new laws going into effect in 2008 are not thought out very well and are unrealistic not to mention unsafe. The laws will however boost sales for ATV dealers! We must remember that there is a panel each with their own interests at hand that make the laws. I have addressed the helmet law with the OHV commission my self. I agree 100% children when riding alone should wear head protection in case of an unfortunate accident. I do not believe that they should wear full head helmets though. First of all to a small child the helmet is heavy and puts strain on their neck. Second the helmet does not allow for proper airflow. Thus causing a child to over heat and become ill. Currently the only legal place to ride an ATV in South Florida is Holey Land and if you have ridden there you are well aware that there is no shade to block the sun. After watching my son wear his helmet for less then 15 minutes become over heated to the point where he was falling down trying to walk to me I said screw the full helmet. Helmet yes, but one that totally encloses his head, NO!

There is another law that will go into effect in 2008 for children under the age of 16 and that is riding boots. I do not know if you have warn a pair, but they are not the lightest pair of boots made. A child needs to be able to maneuver with as much ease as possible in the event of an accident. A child needs to be able to swim with the shoes/boots they are wearing in the event they fall off their ATV into water.  For a child to wear them will again cause them to over heat. The head and the feet are what release the most heat from the body. Closed toed shoes a must for children/youth, but heavy boots, I don’t think so!

We will all have to make some adjustments, but before strapping your children up for battle use your parental instincts for the safety and well being of your child!

[SWFRider]

As far as the helmet a full face one is not required. We do ride here in august and my kids as I have said where full riding gear including chest protectors. We all wear water/hydration systems while riding here in the heat. Yes it gets hot and in the hotest days of august we take a brake from riding. I served in the military in jungles and desert zones. I know all about heat heat stroke and heat exahustion and wearing helmets and carry large amouts of weight. Your heat argument doesnt fly , dont mean to offend. Helmets are required in the legel desert riding areas in the US such as Glamis and they get hotter there than we do. They dont complain about it, they work around it. Others may look at us a being foolish or out of style when wearing our gear , but when me and the wife and kids see others without at least a helmet we think they are foolish. Do as you wish with your kids you are the parent. As far as riding alone. I dont think kids under 12 should ride alone. I dont ride alone. I have had a friend riding alone and had the quad role on top of him. He couldnt get up since he was pinned, good thing another rider came along to help. As far as riding boots go, I dont think they mean full mx style boots to be required. I would expect something other than flip flops and sneakers like work boots. I for one am for parental decisions but I simply dont agree with your thoughts on lightening the saftey gear for kids. In my opinion if you are an adult I dont care if you ride in a bikini and nothing else. But some kids especialy the young ones dont understand the dangers of a 300+ LB quad impacting them at speed.

Dont get offended by my response, it is not ment to offend, I just simply disagree about the heat and safety issue.

[MuddyGirlatTheHump]

I am not offended at all…..

What I meant when I state about my son riding alone was with out me on the back of his quad. Not riding alone through a pit or on a trail. Sorry for not being more clear about that.

When I spoke with the gentleman from the OHV Commission it was stated that a full head helmet was required. That does not mean a helmet with a face guard it means a helmet that does enclose the top of the head to the front of the chin leaving an open area where you can place goggles to protect your eyes.

The helmet I described above is what my son has and that he got sick in.

As stated to me by the OHV Commission to me the boots have to be the regulated riding boots (like the ones warn by dirt bike riders). It is for the safety if they fall for their ankles and for the safety of the foot should something happen. (If you want a good laugh you should see my daughter attempt to walk in the soon to be required boots.)

Safety is a very important thing to me. I drive a 4x4 bike and ride muddy areas. That is what my children like. Sometimes when you step off your bike cause it is stuck your foot sinks into the terrain. Having a heavier boot will make it much more difficult to regain balance and get your leg unstuck from the muck.

[SWFRider]

After clearing some things up, I am totaly against a full helmet that doesnt alow air in the front to flow through. As for the MX boots. Like I said we do wear them ,but I do know that if a kid goes into a canal with them on this could stop them from swimming out. The good thing is the ankle support and they provide protection against snakes, like when we take breaks to get hydrated of the sides of the trails. I have personaly killed several rattlers around here and saw an 8 ft one crossing a trail we ride on frequently. Your points are well taken. Again I feel its your choice to parent not the goverments.It sounds like your supervising your kids well.  I wish more parents would supervise their children on these things, we would have less complaints about the sport. Most of the people I have heard about getting killed are kids. Where we ride have 3 and 4 people riding on the same quad , no helmets and on and at least 2 occations saw infants ( less than 1 yr old ) being driven on a quad and one child probably less than 2 on an MX bike being held by an adult. Seeing this and watching the decline of the sport I ve love gets me angry at times. 

[MuddyGirlatTheHump]

The accidents that have been happening and drug through the media are very unfortunate. I cannot say that they could have all been prevented, but some may not have been so saver if other precautions were taken. The biggest being parental supervision and or common sense. Like myself I am sure that you read many of the articles that are posted daily about ATV’s in Florida. 

Most recently were the two young girls riding trails alone and lost control of the atv they were on. How fast were these two youth going that caused them to lose control, where were their parents that one of the youth had to run to a near by house to get help.
(One youth passed away in this story)

The other recent one is the 19 year old man who “attempted to make a wide right turn and spun out of control…” (Suwanneedemocrat.com 8/17/2006) The stories make safe drivers look reckless.  Anyone who owns/rides an atv knows that this person was going a great deal faster then should have been in order for the bike to spin out of control, causing the atv to flip and eject him!
(This youth passed away)

These accidents are why the laws going into effect are going into effect. The rules need to be looked at with a panel of parents who ride not just profiteers from this activity.