By ,
Published December 20, 2015
One of the unfortunate side effects of the partial government shutdown is that private businesses and organizations have been forced to close down shop, just because they happen to be on federal land.
Here's an overview of private businesses told to cease operations, despite owners arguing there was no need.
Private Campgrounds
Tough luck for private camp sites operating on federal land. Fox Business Network reported that more than 100 U.S. Forest Service campgrounds and day-use areas run by Arizona-based Recreation Resource Management were told to close.
Though their operations are funded by user fees and not tax dollars, they were told they had to close since they're still on federal land.
Pisgah Inn
Bruce O'Connell, who runs the Pisgah Inn along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, tried to fight federal orders to shut down his business due to the partial shutdown. But last Friday, rangers showed up at the property and blockaded the entrance.
O'Connell was considering filing a lawsuit in federal court -- but on Wednesday, was able to reopen his business, after apparently reaching some accommodation with the feds.
Charter Boats
Charter fishing boats in southern Florida were told last week that they can't take customers out into the Florida Bay during the budget impasse. According to The Miami Herald, the closing meant anyone with a commercial license in the park would be barred from working in the waterway.
Yorktown Restaurant
The National Park Service last week told the Carrot Tree Kitchens Restaurant, inside the historic Cole Digges House in Yorktown, Va., to close.
But, as reported by Fox News Radio, restaurant owner Glenn Helseth is trying to fight the order and remain open anyway.
North Carolina Piers
According to The Outer Banks Voice, piers were closed off the North Carolina coast due to the shuttering of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and Avon Pier, as well as businesses in the area, were forced to wind down. A Park Service spokeswoman told the newspaper that the local businesses would have to close for safety reasons, since only a handful of law enforcement would have to cover a large area.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/5-businesses-disrupted-by-the-partial-govt-shutdown-over-owners-objections