Deadly Crash at Redneck Yacht Club Raises Red Flags

Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see more about the yacht club.

Tampa Bay area residents who enjoy getting down and dirty in the mud may have to find a new place to play with their ATVs and monster trucks if opponents of Punta Gorda’s Redneck Yacht Club get their way.

Following the Saturday death of Palm Harbor’s Nicholas Kirk, 20, during an ATV accident on the property, opponents are raising concerns about the attraction’s safety to Charlotte County officials.

The Redneck Yacht Club calls itself the “world’s most exciting off-road park.” The park sits on more than 800 acres, offering an off-road experience for truck enthusiasts and ATV riders. It also provides on-site camping, Saturday mud truck races and other regular events, according to its website.

The park’s Memorial Day weekend bash, dubbed Memorial Day Mayhem, witnessed the death of Kirk. The ATV driver was on the yacht club’s property when he attempted to pass between two swamp buggies, NBC reported. It seems Kirk’s ATV got hung up in a tow strap, which effectively clothes-lined Kirk and his passenger Marlayan Gomez, 19, of Clearwater, several media outlets reported. Kirk died at the scene while Gomez was hospitalized for injuries.

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While the yacht club has been a fixture for about a decade, residents say a lack of regulations and its bring-your-own-alcohol policy create a dangerous mix.

“There isn’t anything that isn’t allowed there,” former employee Dawn Erickson told WINK news. “The girls run around on ATVs with no clothes on. You see people having sex on top of a truck.”

Charlotte County officials say they are meeting with representatives from the yacht club soon to discuss the deadly incident, but say it’s unclear just how far they can really go in regulating the park a decade after its approval.

Even so, the yacht club has added more security, the station noted. It also has clearly posted park rules on its website. Those rules include mudding only in mudding areas, the required use of safety flags, the use of lights, adherence to posted speed limits and no fighting, among others. The park also prohibits the use of “stripper poles” and enforces quiet time between 2 and 7 a.m. daily.

It is unclear just how soon county officials will meet with park officials or what, if any, actions will result.

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