Heavy police presence expected on South Florida’s waterways over Memorial Day weekend

Grethel Aguila, David Goodhue
·4 min read
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Bracing for a congested Memorial Day weekend, officers from local, state and federal agencies will be “in full force” on Miami-Dade’s waterways with the aim of preventing boating tragedies.

Miami and Miami-Dade police and fire rescue — along with officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Coast Guard and National Park Service — will be “saturating” the waterways for the holiday, nearly two weeks after 15-year-old Ransom Everglades student Ella Riley Adler was struck and killed in a wakeboarding boating accident off Nixon Beach at Key Biscayne, a popular boating spot.

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Major Alberto Maza, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) speaks during a press conference held Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Key Biscayne to promote safe boating for National Safe Boating Week and during the Memorial Day weekend.
Major Alberto Maza, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) speaks during a press conference held Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Key Biscayne to promote safe boating for National Safe Boating Week and during the Memorial Day weekend.

In a news conference Thursday morning in Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, officials urged the public to follow safety measures, while announcing a crack down on drunk boaters.

Almost a quarter of fatal boating accidents involved drugs and alcohol in 2023 — and a whopping 82% involved operators with no formal boating education, said FWC Major Alberto Maza. Half of all reported boating collisions in 2023 were linked to inattention and improper lookout procedure, according to the FWC.

“Look, I can talk about statistics all day long,” Maza said. “There has to be some urgency from the boating community and the boating public.”

Florida leads the nation in the number of boats, with 1,035,911 registered vessels in 2023, an 8 percent increase over 2019, according to the FWC. During the pandemic, more people moved to Florida, particularly wealthy residents from the Northeast and the West Coast, leading to more boats on the water.

Last year, there were 659 boating accidents reported statewide. Of those, 56 were fatal — about 9 percent — resulting in the death of 59 people.

Due to the heavy boating traffic expected during the Memorial Day weekend, the Coast Guard will limit vessels not affiliated with the Miami Beach Air and Sea Show from traveling through the waters from Government Cut inlet to Collins Park to one-half mile offshore, said Lt. Cmdr. Eddie Oropeza of Coast Guard Station Miami Beach.

How about the Keys?

Just like the rest of the state, the waters off the Keys are mainly patrolled by the FWC, but the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office also has marine patrol deputies, who will be out in force over the holiday weekend, sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.

Monroe County had the highest number of boating accidents and injuries in 2023, with 87 accidents involving three fatalities and 62 injuries, the FWC said in its annual report on Florida boating accidents.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Key Biscayne to promote safe boating for National Safe Boating Week and during the Memorial Day weekend.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks during a press conference Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Key Biscayne to promote safe boating for National Safe Boating Week and during the Memorial Day weekend.

The deputies will be working closely with FWC officers looking for water safety issues, especially boating-under-the-influence. While open container laws don’t pertain to boats like they do cars, and it’s legal to consume alcohol on vessels, boat operators are held to the same legal standards as drivers on the road and must be sober.

If a boating operator’s blood- or breath-alcohol level is .08 or higher — the same level as a driver on the road — then they are boating under the influence and violating state law.

Higher traffic levels

Road traffic throughout the Keys is expected to be heavy, as it always is over busy weekends and holidays, and deputies will also be out in high numbers along U.S. 1 with the Florida Highway Patrol. As on the water, Linhardt says deputies will be looking for intoxicated drivers.

With the increased traffic, the sheriff’s office expects boat ramps to be crowded with people launching their vessels. Deputies are urging these boaters ahead of time to be patient.

Key boating safety tips

▪ Check emergency equipment before an outing to make sure they function properly

▪ Ensure there are enough life vests — and they are size-appropriate — for the people on board

▪ Wear the boat’s emergency cut-off lanyard to stop the boat in the event the operator goes overboard

▪ Confirm that flares, fire extinguishers and boat whistle or horns are working

▪ Make sure the boat has a throwable device, like a life-preserver ring

▪ Urge everyone on board to serve as a lookout, and scan 360 degrees at all times

▪ Pilot at “safe and prudent speeds,” following speed zones posted on the FWC website

▪ Avoid littering and disturbing habitats, especially in no-wake and manatee zones

▪ Monitor the weather, use sunscreen and bring enough water and medications

▪ Call 911 in event of an emergency