Location:
Fort De Soto is located just north of the Egmont Channel at the entrance into Tampa Bay wholly within Pinellas County. The fort is located on an island connected to the mainland via a bridge network associated with Pinellas Bayway. As part of the aquatic management area, no combustion motor and seagrass caution zones are established in shallow seagrass systems surrounding Mullet, Whale, Tarpon and Indian Keys immediately to the north and east of Fort De Soto Park. The management area encompasses both Pinellas County and Federal Wildlife Refuge protected upland and submerged lands. Seagrass communities in this area have formed behind the protection of barrier islands, are documented as being dense and highly productive and consist predominantly of turtle grass, manatee grass and Cuban shoal grass.

Date of Seagrass Protection Zone Authorization:
October, 1994

Authorization:
Boat access restrictions were created through the authorization of Pinellas County Ordinance No. 94-21 (Sections 4, 7, and 8). This ordinance amended a previous ordinance (No. 92-11), which created the Fort De Soto Park Wetlands and Aquatic Management area in 1992.

Wording on Signs:
Signs marking the boundaries of the combustion engine exclusion zones consist of two kinds. First, standard buoys with orange bands at the base and top have an orange circle with an orange line transecting it superimposed over a drawing of a propeller and the language, "Use of Combustion Engines Prohibited" on them. Metallic 3'X3' signs with the same information mounted to cross-braces on pilings in order to conform to federal waterway marking requirements. Seagrass caution zones are marked using buoys and signs with the language," Caution: Shallow Water, Use Caution" on them.

Enforcement:
Enforcement of Pinellas County seagrass protection zones is provided by officers of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department, the Florida Marine Patrol and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Enforcement Action:
A violation of the zones, upon conviction, results in a fine and/or County Jail imprisonment not exceeding $500 or a term up to 60 days. The County Attorney may also institute civil or administrative actions or proceedings to "declare, prevent, restrain, correct or abate" any such violation. In addition to any other penalties, the Board of County Commissioners also my require restoration, mitigation, or enhancement in order to ameliorate the adverse effects of the violation.

History:
Submerged lands in the vicinity of Fort De Soto Park were granted to Pinellas County for public recreation and navigation purposes pursuant to Chapter 30400, Laws of Florida as recorded in Deed 1548, on page 463 of the public records of Pinellas County. The County then formed a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1992 to incorporate submerged lands surrounding Federal Wildlife Refuge lands on nearby keys into a greater aquatic management area that the County would monitor and, the regulations for which, enforce. County, University of South Florida and Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) staff documented extensive damage to shallow seagrass systems due to vessels accessing islands in the management areas from the bay side for various purposes or out of navigational error in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Pinellas County created the no combustion engine zones in 1994 to protect these important marine resources and to allow monitored recovery. In 1995, all seagrass systems in the vicinity of Fort De Soto were identified as being either moderately or severely propeller scarred (Sargent, et al., 1995). The ordinance establishing the no combustion engine and seagrass caution zones also mandated a five year monitoring program to track the effectiveness of the two management strategies on seagrass recovery. Analysis of the monitoring data collected to date indicates that unregulated zones of similar character (depth, seagrass features, etc.) to regulated zones show a higher degree of seagrass loss due to propeller scarring. No combustion engine zones also show less boating related damage than do caution zones. Significant seagrass recovery in both regulated zone systems documented during the monitoring period indicates the effectiveness of these management strategies in this area.

Note: It is important to recognize, that Pinellas County also developed regional education programs to inform the public about the importance of seagrass communities and the effects of boats on such systems. This may result in greater compliance with developed zone regulations and greater awareness of the adverse effects of boating on the marine environment.

Map of Fort De Soto Aquatic Management Area Combustion Engine Exclusion Zones in Pinellas County

Seagrass Protection Report