Location:
The Lee County no motor power zones are located in southern
Pine Island Sound immediately to the west of southern Pine Island. The
northern zone encompasses MacKeever Keys and is immediately west of Chino
Island. The southern zone has Bodiford Key as its northernmost tip and
abuts York Island to the east. The shallow seagrass communities in this
area are comprised primarily of Cuban shoal grass, manatee grass and turtle
grass.
Date of
Seagrass Protection Zone Authorization:
November, 1990
Authorization:
Lee County Ordinance No. 90-51. Designated areas were
adopted after public notice by the Board of County Commissioners and are
based on the "safety and/or welfare of the citizens of the County."
Note: Exemptions to this ordinance include County sanctioned watercraft
racing events, enforcement, emergency or rescue watercraft operations
and commercial fishing vessels deploying nets while conducting fish netting
operations (e.g. setting nets).
Wording
on Signs:
These zones are currently unmarked, and are therefore not enforceable.
Signs have not been placed at locations around the zones due to local
political and/or funding considerations.
Enforcement:
Enforcement would be by Lee County Sheriff’s Department and
Florida Marine Patrol, but current enforcement is problematic due to an
absence of zone markers.
Enforcement
Action:
Violations of marked Lee County no motor zones would constitute
a misdemeanor with fines or imprisonment assessed to the vessel operator.
Citations would generally be issued, however, pursuant to the procedures
set forth in Sections 327.73 and 327.72, Florida Statutes.
History:
Propeller scarring in seagrasses was recognized as the
primary concern in the development of these zones. Public concern for
seagrass and manatee habitat protection and boating safety in the late
1980s spurred County staff to develop and promulgate the County ordinance
establishing these zones encompassing approximately 960 acres. Without
posting necessary markers, the zones are ineffectual, making this regulatory
effort a "paper tiger." This is unfortunate, as a 1995 assessment
of Florida’s seagrasses shows that 14,310 of Lee County’s 50,510
acres of seagrass show some level of propeller scarring (Sargent, et al.,
1995).
Map
of J.N. "Ding" Darling National WildLife Refuge
No Motorized Boating Zone in Lee County
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge No EntryZone
