ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – For years, William Hennessey has shown up to St. Johns County Commission meetings in the same shirt, with the same dog, and with the same complaints. Now, someone is finally listening.
Hennessey — better known as “Boat Ramp Billy” — has spent five to six years raising concerns about access to the Palmetto Boat Ramp. He said a driveway, a mailbox, and a “no parking” sign in the area make it difficult for the public to reach the ramp.
County Commissioner Ann Taylor says she went back out to the site in 2024 to see the situation for herself.
RELATED | Years-long dispute over public boat ramp access puts St. Johns County neighbors face to face
“I know we’ve been hearing from Boat Ramp Billy for some time now,” Taylor said at a recent county commission meeting. “He’s been speaking before the county commission. I just wanted to share some of the photos that I’ve taken.”
Taylor acknowledged that one of Hennessey’s key concerns — a driveway placed in the right-of-way — has limited options for a fix.
“That was approved many years ago by a county employee that is no longer even with the county,” Taylor said. “Unfortunately at this time, there’s not a lot we can do.”
But Taylor said there is something the county can control: making sure the turnaround area near the ramp stays clear for boaters.
“When people are using that boat ramp and they need to turn around in that relatively small area, we need to make sure that that area is clear,” she said.
The county has agreed to conduct weekly check-ins to keep the right-of-way accessible to the public. When News4JAX visited Monday, the right-of-way was clear.
Hennessey says he is encouraged by the progress — but he is not slowing down.
“Well, about time,” Hennessey said. “I’ve been bringing it up for, what, five, six years, something like that. Quite a while. So I guess just finally getting through to them that I’m not gonna go away.”
When asked how he felt hearing the commissioner address his concerns publicly, Hennessey offered a measured response.
“Wheels of justice are real slow,” he said. “This is what’s being addressed, right?”
Taylor said she wants Hennessey to know his advocacy has not gone unnoticed.
“I don’t want him to think at all that, at least in my perspective, that I don’t hear him loud and clear,” she said.
In June, the county provided the following statement about the residential property across the street from the ramp:
“With regards to the Palmetto Road Boat Ramp: For specifically the residential properties, driveway locations are an administrative approval only and requires that the driveway meet Land Development Code Article 6.04.05.C, which the properties meet. No variances were required and no easements were needed.
The one home at 379 Palmetto meets the Code and there was no requirement for it to access Sunset Landing Circle. Prior to approval, staff consulted with Parks and Recreation to determine if there was any object to a driveway in the vicinity of the ramp. The Director of Parks and Recreation at that time, back in 2015, had no objection.”
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