Entry 06Second watch · On the Water4 min
Much of the water a Fort Lauderdale boater uses every day sits inside a regulated speed zone. Some zones come from Florida’s manatee protection rules, which the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission adopts under the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act; others are simply no-wake rules on narrow rivers. The Broward County rule, 68C-22.010 of the Florida Administrative Code, says its primary purpose is to protect manatees from harmful collisions with motorboats and from harassment, with protecting manatee habitat as a secondary purpose.
What the speed words mean
The definitions in rule 68C-22.002 are precise, and they are what an officer applies on the water.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Idle speed (no wake) | No faster than needed to maintain steerageway and headway. You are never required to go so slowly that you cannot control the boat. |
| Slow speed (minimum wake) | Fully off plane and completely settled in the water, then at a reasonable and prudent speed that avoids an excessive wake or other hazard. |
| Maximum 25 mph | Speed over the bottom may not exceed 25 statute miles per hour. It does not excuse careless or reckless operation. |
The rule spells out what slow speed is not: a boat on plane is not at slow speed, and neither is a boat in the process of coming off plane or getting up onto plane. A boat that has fully settled into the water and is making little or no wake is.
The zones closest to downtown Fort Lauderdale
The rule describes each zone by landmarks and coordinates, and the Commission publishes maps. These are the ones most Fort Lauderdale boaters run into:
- Port Everglades Area, slow speed year-round: New River and Stranahan River east of Cordova Road and north of SE 17th Street, the Port Everglades Turning Basin, Lake Mable and the Intracoastal Waterway between Burnham Point and the port. The canals of the Harbor Beach development and Sylvan Lake are excluded.
- New River Area, slow speed year-round: the New River, Tarpon River and the North and South Forks west of Cordova Road, to the salinity control structure on the North Fork and SW 27th Avenue on the South Fork, including Marina Bay near Interstate 95.
- Intracoastal north of Las Olas, slow speed on weekends and holidays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., November 15 through March 31: from 500 feet south of the Atlantic Boulevard bridge down to Burnham Point, including boat basins south of East Las Olas Boulevard.
- Middle River Area, slow speed: the South Fork of Middle River west of U.S. 1 and parts of the North Fork.
Separately from the manatee rule, NOAA’s Coast Pilot notes that speed on the New River and the Stranahan River is limited to no wake. If you keep a boat at the downtown docks or up the river, plan on going slowly most of the way to the Intracoastal.
The rest of the Broward Intracoastal
Where no stricter zone applies, the Intracoastal Waterway in Broward County, from the Palm Beach County line to the Miami-Dade line, carries a maximum speed of 25 mph, with slow speed required within 50 feet of the shoreline. Lake Santa Barbara and nearby waterways are included.
Tip: Check the Commission’s current Broward map before boating in a new area. The rule has been amended several times, most recently in 2011, and zone boundaries moved with it.
Seasonal zones farther south
Some zones tighten in winter. On the Intracoastal near the Port Everglades power plant and the Dania Cut-off Canal, a stretch is idle speed from November 15 through March 31 and slow speed the rest of the year. Parts of the South New River Canal and the Dania Cut-off Canal follow the same seasonal pattern.
No entry at the power plant
The discharge canal of the Florida Power & Light Port Everglades power plant and the waters south of it are a no-entry zone, as are the cooling ponds and canals of the Lauderdale power plant west of the port. Only enforcement, emergency, repair and certain research vessels may enter.
Fines and careless operation
Speed zones sit alongside Florida’s general boating law. Operating a vessel carelessly, in a way that endangers people or property, is a violation of section 327.33 of the Florida Statutes, whatever the posted speed. Florida’s noncriminal boating infractions and their penalties are listed in section 327.73.
How to stay legal without memorizing coordinates
- Look at the Commission’s manatee zone maps for Broward before your first trip in a new area.
- Treat every river and canal off the Intracoastal as slow speed unless you know otherwise.
- Remember the winter calendar: November 15 to March 31 brings weekend and seasonal zones north of Las Olas and near the port.
- Come off plane well before a zone boundary, not at it.
The inlet itself is covered in Boating Through the Port Everglades Inlet: Currents, Big Ships and Rules for Small Craft, and the bridges on the New River, which add their own reasons to go slowly, are in Bridges and Clearances on Fort Lauderdale’s New River: Heights, Rush-Hour Rules and the FEC Railroad Bridge. If you are new to operating a boat in Florida, start with Florida Boating Safety Education Card: Who Needs One, How to Get It and the Exemptions.