The Destin City Council directed staff last week to research justification for establishing additional boating safety zones at Joe’s Bayou following ongoing complaints about possible unsafe vessel activity in the residential waterway.
- During the August 4 meeting, council members explored options ranging from slow speed zones to numerical speed limits after hearing from residents concerned about jet ski racing and dangerous boating behavior near homes and families using paddle boards.
“Once you come into Joe’s Bayou, it becomes more of a neighborhood,” said Councilwoman Teresa Hebert. “You’ve got kids on paddleboards, trying to maneuver around there.”
Michael Norberg, Okaloosa County Coastal Resources Manager, was on-hand as a courtesy to the council and explained the statutory limitations for creating new boating safety zones.
The existing no wake zones in the two “fingers” of Joe’s Bayou have been in place since around 1998 and are grandfathered under current regulations. Modifying this existing zone likely would trigger a review by FWC, and because statutes have changed since then, a review may lead to the existing permit being rescinded, according to Norberg.
- “The state’s pretty strict on limiting access to state waters essentially,” Norberg said. “So everything within the water is state waters.”
To establish an additional 500-foot no wake zone, the city would need to construct an approved kayak launch facility at Harbor Lane, which presents significant challenges. Councilwoman Sandy Trammell noted the area has “a 15-foot hill” and questioned the feasibility of the required parking and accessibility improvements.
City Attorney Kim Kopp identified a potential alternative under Florida Statute 327.46, which allows municipalities to establish slow speed zones or numerical speed limits in areas meeting specific criteria, including blind corners or unsafe vessel traffic levels.
Councilman Dewey Destin suggested exploring “reasonable” speed limits as a solution. “Even if you established a speed of 15 miles an hour, you can’t really race jet skis or other vessels and not exceed that limit,” he said.
- Councilman Jim Bagby made the motion directing staff to return with justification for establishing either a slow speed zone or speed limit, emphasizing that the statutory requirements use “or” rather than “and” for qualifying criteria.
Captain Jason Fulghum of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his department would have adequate manpower to enforce any new boating safety zones, noting they already have a marine unit officer who spends time in the harbor and writes citations in Joe’s Bayou.
The council voted 7-0 to direct staff to work with county officials and return with specific justification for establishing additional boating safety measures in the area.
2 Responses
As a resident on Joe’s Bayou, I would like to add the accident involving a jet ski. A man came very close to my boat lift, repeatedly. He lost control of his jet ski, had the presence of mind to jump off, but the ski kept going. It impaled itself on my lift, stern of my boat and two outboard engines.
We pulled the man out of the water, and called 911. He was lucky.
A business of rentals had an employee standing up on a ski, lead people in. There were 17 skis at one time in a limited space. I have seen children fall off of skis, nearly getting hit by other skis.
I reported these incidents to the city. NOTHING was done. Perhaps when a person gets killed back there, change will be made.
An idea for a more feasible launch site: Jupiter Street has a water access, with no drop off. People could park on the side of the street.