At its November meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a final rule establishing a year-round slow-speed minimum-wake boating restricted area in Broward County within a portion of the Intracoastal Waterway between Oakland Park Boulevard Bridge and Sunrise Boulevard Bridge adjacent to Lauderdale Beach. This decision aims to mitigate a public safety risk created by vessel traffic congestion.

The new zone is between two existing year-round idle-speed, no-wake zones that encompass the bordering bridges and will supersede the existing seasonal manatee protection zone currently in place in this stretch of the ICW. The seasonal zone is set at 25 mph with a 50-foot slow-speed buffer from April 1 through Nov. 14, and from Nov. 15 to March 31 is designated as a slow-speed zone all day on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The high number of boats and personal watercraft in this area creates a significant risk of collisions at higher speeds, threatening boating safety. Establishing a year-round slow-speed, minimum-wake boating safety zone in this area will improve safety for all users.

“Reducing vessel speed in this stretch of the waterway will provide operators with greater reaction time to avoid collisions with other vessels, land or shore-based structures such as docks and boat lifts,” said Maj. Bill Holcomb, FWC Boating and Waterways Section Leader. “Our top priority is the safety of everyone on Florida’s waterways, and this newly established zone will make boating safer for everyone using this portion of the ICW in Fort Lauderdale.”

After the rule goes into effect, the FWC will update existing signage to reflect the new zone. FWC officers patrolling the area will take an educational approach with boaters during the initial stages of the new zone.

For more information about waterway management, visit MyFWC.com/boating and select “Waterway Management.”