Waterway signage cleanup under way
Cape working to make sure posted info is correct
Could you have incorrect marine signage along your waterfront?
Between April and August of this year, the Cape Coral Police Department Marine Unit sent approximately 130 identical letters to owners of private residences and businesses along waterways who have incorrect and non-permitted marine regulatory signs.
CCPD officials said they worked with the city and Public Works Department to identify these locations.
“This is being done as part of a project to correct a long-standing problem of misinformation throughout the waterways of our city,” said CCPD Public Affairs Officer Brandon Sancho.
With it being a long-standing problem, Sancho said the department now sent out these letters to address the signage, “Because we see the public benefit of safety.”
Officials said any marine regulatory signs, such as “Idle Speed / No Wake” or “Slow Speed/Minimum Wake” are required by law to be permitted through the state. This includes any signs that closely resemble marine regulatory signs, such as ones that state, “Go slow/No wake zone.”
“Much like a speed limit sign on your street, you’re required to have permission to post anything that looks like drivers are required to obey it,” Sancho said.
CCPD said the problem is twofold. First is that all signs require by a permit issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Letters sent out were only to properties with unpermitted signage.
The second is that the information posted on the signs in incorrect.
“This creates confusion and conflict between homeowners and boaters,” CCPD Marine Unit officials said.
Governing rules of Florida waterways, including speed zones, are determined by FWC, and CCPD officials said they’ve determined that all saltwater waterways in Cape Coral are “Slow Speed / Minimum Wake.”
“This is different than ‘Idle Speed / No wake,’ but the two are commonly confused,” CCPD Marine Unit officials stated. “The only exceptions in our city are the few areas within 300 feet of boat ramps or fueling stations, those are ‘Idle Speed / No Wake.'”
Wayne Nystrom, who serves as president of the Palm Vista Condos association and received one of the letters, is worried about misinformation about the signage, as he’s never heard of these regulations while living in the city for some time.
“I’ve lived and boated in Cape Coral for nearly six years, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard that our canals are designated as slow speed minimum wake zones,” Nystrom said. “I’ve obviously seen the many ‘No Wake’ signs posted everywhere. Further, I’ve witnessed many folks yelling at boaters traveling above idle speeds to slow down.
“As the numerous no wake signs are removed, I sincerely hope proper slow speed signs will be erected by some authority.”
Nystrom, who has already taken down a sign on the property, added he is worried about what this will mean for seawalls.
“Two years ago, our condominium association invested over $300,000 to install new seawalls. During this process I learned from our engineer that much of the seawall damage was caused by boat wakes,” he said. “Although we no longer have to worry about this potential damage, I’m sure many folks who own property along canals will remain concerned about potential damage that boat wakes cause, making it even more necessary to educate everyone about the FWC speed zones and why all the ‘No Wake Zone’ signs have suddenly disappeared.”
FWC details that areas marked “Slow Speed” or “Slow Speed Minimum Wake” mean that a vessel must be fully off plane and completely settled into the water. The vessel must then proceed at a speed which is reasonable and prudent under the prevailing circumstances so as to avoid the creation of an excessive wake or other hazardous condition which endangers or is likely to endanger other vessels or other persons using the waterway. “Due to the different speeds at which vessels of different sizes and configurations may travel while in compliance with this definition, there is no specific numerical speed assigned to Slow Speed,” states FWC.
FWC states that “Idle Speed” and “Idle Speed No Wake” means that a vessel must proceed at a speed no greater than that which will maintain steerageway and headway. At no time is any vessel required to proceed so slowly that the operator is unable to maintain control over the vessel or any other vessel or object that it has under tow.
At this time CCPD officials stated there is no legal action pending currently against anyone for the unpermitted signs and that they’re simply requesting voluntary compliance.
“This is a long-standing problem that we do not expect will be corrected overnight,” Sancho said. “Many of our residents purchased their homes with the signs already in place, many are seasonal residents who haven’t had an opportunity to take their signs down, and many simply don’t have the means to remove their signs. We absolutely do not want any of our residents to put themselves at risk of injury for the purpose of removing their signs.”
Officials said CCPD’s Marine Unit and the city’s Public Works Department have already removed at least a dozen signs at the request of their owners and will continue to do so when requested.
Anyone wishing to report an unpermitted marine regulatory sign or who needs help removing a sign may contact the CCPD Marine Unit at marine@capecoral.gov, or call 311.
CCPD also noted that throughout the process, they have identified improper signs posted on public property and public areas of city waterways. Those signs have either already been removed by the Public Works Department or are in the process of being removed.
There is no deadline currently set for removal of the signs.
“We will re-evaluate the locations of the unpermitted sign at some point in the future and if we encounter residents or business owners who patently refuse to remove their signs, those cases will be forwarded to FWC for enforcement,” Sancho said.
Additional detail for residents or business owners, including the permitting process for waterway markers, can be found by visiting: myfwc.com/boating/waterway/markers/.
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To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com