JUPITER’S NO-WAKE ZONE STILL ON AGENDA
A female leatherback turtle had to be euthanized on May 8 after suffering five propeller cuts, each 24 inches long, that became infected with meningitis. One slice was so deep that it severed the turtle’s spinal cord, causing her to become paralyzed, according to the preliminary necropsy.
The turtle, that was “loaded with eggs,” was believed to be struck by two different boats, said Dr. Charles Manire, director of research and rehabilitation at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in June Beach. He said the first boat strike most likely occurred a couple miles off the beach and the second in the Intracoastal Waterway, where there is a proposed no-wake zone.
“There was no way this turtle could have survived,” Manire said.
The Loggerhead Center gets about 40 to 50 sea turtles a year that are hit by boats and currently it has three turtles recovering from propeller strikes.
When it comes to how fast the boats are going when the turtles are hit, Manire said “there is no way of knowing.” He said 85 percent of boat strikes are fatal and could be prevented if boaters slowed down.
Getting boaters to slow down has been on the agenda for Jupiter, Tequesta and Jupiter Inlet Colony for more than a year.
Last May, Jupiter joined the other two towns when it unanimously voted to support a plan to extend a no-wake zone in the 1-mile stretch of the Intracoastal north of Cato’s Bridge. The council members say the fast-moving boaters are endangering swimmers and paddle boarders.
Boaters now can go up to 25 mph in the 125-foot-wide, 10-footdeep channel reserved for watercraft. A no-wake zone would limit boaters to about 5 mph.
“A no-wake zone would do more than just help prevent accidents and injuries of people. It would also help the turtles and manatees that are in the waterways,” said Betsy Munson, Jupiter resident and vice-chair of the town’s beach committee. “A no-wake zone helps with shore erosion, too. Jupiter is a beautiful place. Boaters should slow down and enjoy the scenery.”
However, to make the no-wake zone official or get a lower speed limit, it has to be reviewed and approved by Palm Beach County, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which ultimately makes the final call.
“Currently, the FWC does not have a public hearing scheduled on this issue,” said Carol Lyn Parrish, FWC’s public information coordinator, in an email about the proposed no-wake zone.
County Commissioner Hal Valeche said he met with the FWC and officials from Jupiter, Tequesta and Jupiter Inlet Colony to discuss the no-wake zone in March.
“The cities, as well as the county, are starting to collect more records,” Valeche said. This is because FWC needs to determine if speeding really is an issue in this area.
Valeche said the plan is for any speeding citation — no matter what law enforcement agency issued it — to be added to FWC’s database so the agency can see the scope of the issue.
Recently, there have been additional no-wake zone signs and more law enforcement officers in the area around Cato Bridge, according to Valeche.
Standing on Castaway Marina’s floating dock one can see a very small white-and-orange sign that says “no-wake zone.” But Matt Carter, Jupiter resident and professional boat captain, said there aren’t enough signs. On the weekends, Carter said countless boats speed past the signs and the marina on Love Street, where his boat is docked.
“Day in and day out, it’s not the professional captains. We know we are responsible for our wake,” Carter said. “It’s mostly recreational boaters that aren’t paying attention.”
George Gentile, a Jupiter resident and chairman of the Jupiter Inlet District, told The Palm Beach Post in the past that he is opposed to extending the no-wake zone. He said boaters should stay in their channel and swimmers and kayakers stay in their area.
“They keep whittling away the areas where boaters can go the legal speed. If they keep adding no-wake zones, it’s going to take two hours to get to Port St. Lucie,” Gentile, who often boats in the area, said last year.
Tequesta resident Fletcher Booker, who was sitting on Coral Cove Inlet beach reading on a recent day, said he is in favor of the no-wake zone because in general boaters need to slow down.
“Boaters just don’t pay attention. I don’t think they want to intentionally harm wildlife or anyone, but they don’t think about their actions,” Booker said. “They need to think a little bit more, slow down and try to be good citizens.”