Bayou La Batre Moves Toward Waterfront Tourism

Thursday, November 08, 2007
By KATHERINE SAYRE
Staff Reporter

CARRABELLE, Fla. -- For this sleepy fishing village on the banks of the Carrabelle River, the future of waterfront development could mean charter boats, not shrimp boats.

"Our future is going to lie in tourism, and yours might, too," said John McInnis, Carrabelle's city administrator, during a meeting with Bayou La Batre leaders on Wednesday. "The world looks at waterfront communities."

The seafood industry has shrunk considerably in Carrabelle, but city officials said the town of 1,300 has taken control of its future by creating public access to the waterfront, writing a city plan that focuses on small growth, and imposing strict rules on new developments, such as condominiums.

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