Thousands of boats are hitting the Intracoastal Waterway for a day of fun on the water this Memorial Day, but there's a very busy stretch in Jupiter that has people on edge.
The residents that live nearby Coral Cove Park believe there are too many boats and too many paddle boarders and swimmers crammed into the narrow waterway.
From her Jupiter dock, resident Debbie Johnson has seen too many close calls on the channel behind her Waterway Village neighborhood.
"This waterway here has become a drag strip of boats," she said. "People are not obeying the 25 mph speed limit. They're exceeding it. We need to address this before there's a serious accident here."
During our interview with Johnson, we saw countless boaters zipping through the tight channel. Marine units with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office pursued some boats. Deputies on board told WPTV one of the main issues of the day was getting people to slow down.
Johnson's neighbor, Fred Seleman, said he has to paddle board or swim earlier in the day just to avoid the barrage of boats. He's seen swimmers and paddle boarders get swept too close to the boat traffic by the large waves generated by speeding boats.
"It's so populated here. I mean look across here with all the people hanging out. Paddle boards, kayaks, people swimming all day. And you're right next to where the boats are going," he said.
We also watched as one paddle-boarder attempted to cross the channel, with fast boats dodging him on both sides. Neighbors and our crew witnessed at least two near-collisions between boats and jet skiers traveling at high speeds.
"I understand that the boaters want to have fun and that's great. It's part of our life style. But you'd hate for somebody to get hurt out here before it got lowered to a no-wake zone. And it's probably just a matter of time before that would happen," said Seleman.
That's why the town of Jupiter voted to support a plan extending a one mile no-wake zone from Cato’s bridge heading north. Currently, boaters can go up to 25 mph.
The channel is about 125-foot-wide and 10-foot-deep, but gets crowded on busy days. If a no-wake zone is established, boaters would be limited to travel at 5 mph, which would results in a longer trip from Coral Cove Park heading north.
"Protecting our wildlife, environment and human life is a lot better than trying to get out on the fishing spot that quickly," said Johnson.
Boaters are against the change, saying more police patrolling is the better answer.
"I know they're doing the best they can. I'm sure of that. But there's a lot more boaters than we've ever seen in the last five to 10 years up here. If they had a little bit more enforcement in key areas, I think that it would cut down on some of the accidents and bad areas," said local boater, David Zide. "I think it's OK the way it is. And we just have to enforce when people get a little crazy out there. And a few bad apples are ruining it for the rest of us."
Zide also lives on the Intracoastal in Jupiter. He believes boater education is another possible piece of the solution.
"There's a lot of us who know the rules and regulations, and we abide by them. But you always have that bad element that are speeding through here, are reckless and don't know the waterways and they scare all of us," he said. "But another long stretch of no wake is really going to put the brakes on travel and traffic through here."
Johnson believes the increase in boat traffic stems from the boom in population growth in the area.
"This community has grown so rapidly that this is what's happened. We're just having way to many boats. They're enjoying our beautiful blue water," she said.
Either way, neighbors along Waterway Village said they are afraid the situation is an accident waiting to happen.
"There is going to be a fatality. There is going to be a major accident here one day if this is not addressed," said Johnson.
Johnson also fears for the animals that frequent the waters outside their homes. She said she and her neighbors have seen injured dolphins and manatees hugging the shoreline to avoid the fast boat traffic.
"It's not just a human issue, it's an environmental and wildlife. This is a threat to all three of those categories -- because of the recklessness of some of those boaters," said Johnson.
In addition to the Town of Jupiter council, Tequesta, Jupiter Inlet Colony and the Beach Road Association also support the no-wake zone plan.
The outcome of the no wake plan lies in the hands of the Palm Beach County Commissioners and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. No dates have been set for public hearings or a vote by the FWC.
