BOKEELIA, Fla. — Ronald Rosse has boated in Pine Island Sound his whole life and this year he’s noticed boaters zipping past no wake zones, knocking him off his boat a few times.
“I’ve been thrown down a couple times on my friend’s boat that I watch for him. People coming too close on full plane, in the no wake zone,” he said.
His friend’s live-in boat is just a couple hundred feet away from the no wake zone. Speeders also knocked down a nearby buoy that has no wake zone posted on it.
“95% of the problem is what we call the Weekend Warriors,” he said. The people that come out on their boats on the weekends. They don’t have that much experience. They’re not aware.>
He added it’s not just boater safety he’s worried about. He said wakes in the area have eroded the land, which is one of the reasons Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the no wake signs are posted here.
Brian Norris, an FWC officer told Fox 4 violators could face $88 fines when they violate no wake zones. In a statement he said:
“In congested areas, it’s important for people to slow down and maintain 360 degree awareness because it could minimize accidents and other issues.”
“I’d just like to see more signs in the Creek here. And to get the word out for people to just slow down!” said Rosse.
He’s also posted his own sign in a more visible area last year. Fox 4 reached out to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office about posting more signs and haven’t heard back as of Tuesday evening. Rosse said the problem gets even worse when season brings people to Southwest Florida who aren’t as familiar with local boating laws.
