Poorsche

I just caught this this morning--it's gone from ridiculous to sublime with no end in sight.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...home-headlines

DAYTONA BEACH -- Weekend boaters on the Halifax and Tomoka rivers will see new signs posting federal speed restrictions and plenty of marine officers to enforce the regulations.

A team of county, state and federal law-enforcement agencies will patrol the east Volusia County waterways to kick off enforcement of the rules. The changes include a seasonal slow-speed zone in parts of the Tomoka River, year-round slow-speed zones near the Seabreeze and Dunlawton bridges and a 25-mph limit in the channel of the Intracoastal Waterway. Some of the changes eliminated areas often used by personal watercraft.


These federal zones were approved two years ago but have only taken effect this month because the required signs have just been installed. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service created the restrictions as part of a settlement between the agency and a coalition of environmental groups, including the Save the Manatee Club, that sued the federal government for stricter manatee protections.

"Our concern is for the protection of the manatee," said Frank Kuncir, the Southeast regional manatee law-enforcement coordinator for the service. "But no one loses when we can enhance the public safety by slowing boaters appropriately."

Several local boaters disagree. Chris Gray, a longtime boater and owner of Daytona Fun Machines, which sells personal watercraft, questions the need for such restrictions.

"Why does the channel have to be made so slow if manatees spend more of their time feeding near the shoreline?" Gray asked. "Some boaters may wonder if it's worth it to keep a boat if it'll take you so long to get to the inlet."

However, environmentalists lobbied for the greater restrictions, pointing to an increasing number of manatees killed by boats. According to state statistics, 29 manatees have died from watercraft injuries during the past five years.

Under the changes, the top speed on the Intracoastal Waterway channel has been dropped from 35 mph to 25 mph.

Service spokesman Chuck Underwood said there was a two-year delay in getting the signs in place because the federal government had a single contractor who had to install signs to mark extensive changes in Lee and Duval counties first. Last year's hurricanes caused further delays because the storms knocked out many of the Lee County signs, which had to be replaced.

Kuncir said the number of federal officers available to enforce the federal restrictions is limited. However, Capt. Jeff Hubert, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Volusia County Sheriff's Office marine Deputy Steve Miklos said that state and local officers can enforce the federal zones by issuing state citations, such as careless operation of a vessel. The fine for the infractions is $63[U], Hubert said.

Anarchy Powerboats

I heard they taste like chicken

CAP071

It's going to get worse

CigDaze

It's only the beginning, and it's not getting better.
We're looking forward to the same damned thing here soon.
We all need to fight this tooth and nail.
www.cffw.org

Dean Ferry

P,
Good catch!

CG,
you are correct, we need to fight now. Did you get your CFFW Aug. newsletter yet? Formula Outlaw has a great article about BOATER Apathy!
Nice piece Russ!

Also,
Thanks to OSO's "Lake Racer" who, not only joined CFW from 1300 miles away, BUT Art also bought the "Diamond" Level membership! Art thanks for your support

All I'll say for now is:

$MC will never relent, if they do, they will be out of business!!!!!!!


Dean

Formula Outlaw

The ONLY way to fight this is with numbers, by joining, as Nick said, Citizenss for Florida's Waterways or another Boaters Advocate group.

Every Florida boater on this site needs to join. If you don't, it's the old, "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem" syndrome.

We'll never match the money of the $MC. But numbers is what really matter to the politicians. If you don't help fight this war, you have NO right to complain.

Formula Outlaw

Dean, thanks. Right now "apathy" is really our biggest enemy.

CigDaze

Yes Dean, I sure did. Good reading.
No doubt, most folks take the nonchalant approach to this, thinking, "Oh, someone else is probably taking care of this."

LakeRacer

My pleasure Dean. One of these days I may need the same kind of support to fight the idiots who want to shut down Lake Powell.

Best wishes and good luck in all of your endeavors to combat the SMC.

Dean Ferry

Art,
We will back you up whenever you need it
Thanks again,
Dean