FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A busy section of the Intracoastal Waterway in Broward County is getting a new year-round slow-speed, minimum-wake zone after state wildlife officials signed off on a final rule at their November meeting.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the rule for a portion of the ICW between the Oakland Park Boulevard Bridge and the Sunrise Boulevard Bridge, along Lauderdale Beach, saying the change is meant to reduce a public safety risk caused by vessel traffic congestion on that stretch of waterway, according to an agency news release.
The new zone sits between two existing year-round idle-speed, no-wake zones that already cover the areas immediately around both bridges. Right now, that middle section operates as a seasonal manatee protection zone. Under the current setup, the speed limit is 25 mph with a 50-foot slow-speed buffer from April 1 through Nov. 14. From Nov. 15 to March 31, the same area runs as a slow-speed zone all day on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
FWC staff said the number of boats and personal watercraft using this part of the ICW has created a serious collision risk when vessels move at higher speeds. Tight quarters, heavy traffic and wakes all stack up. State officials say locking in a year-round slow-speed, minimum-wake requirement through this corridor will improve safety for everyone using the waterway.
“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,” Maj. Bill Holcomb, FWC Boating and Waterways Section Leader, said in the release. “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.”
Once the new rule takes effect, FWC will update signs along the affected stretch to match the new slow-speed, minimum-wake designation. Those signs are how most boaters will first notice the change on the water, as the agency phases out references to the old seasonal manatee zone in that segment.
FWC officers patrolling the area are expected to start with an educational approach, focusing on explaining the new rules and helping boaters adjust. That means plenty of conversations on the water in the early stages as operators get used to maintaining slow speed and minimum wake throughout the entire run between the two bridges.
The rule does not change the existing idle-speed, no-wake boundaries at the Oakland Park Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard bridges themselves. Those year-round bridge zones will remain in place, now connected by a continuous slow-speed corridor through Lauderdale Beach.
State officials say the intent is straightforward: fewer high-speed passes, fewer close calls and a safer ICW for boaters, personal watercraft riders and waterfront property owners along one of Broward County’s most heavily traveled urban waterways.
Under Florida’s rulemaking law, the new slow-speed zone will take effect 20 days after FWC files the rule with the Florida Department of State.
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