§ 7-21. Operation of all vessels in safe manner required; violations.
(a)
All vessels being operated in any waterways or water body of the county shall be operated in a safe manner. No persons shall operate any vessel in a dangerous, reckless or careless manner so as to endanger the safety or welfare of any person or property.
(b)
No person shall operate any vessel at such a speed so as to cause a wake of such magnitude as to endanger the safety of any swimmer or diver, or as to endanger any other vessel (whether underway, anchored, or secured to a dock, seawall or other mooring device), or as to cause damage to any dock, seawall or mooring device, or as to cause damage to public or private property, or to cause appreciable erosion to any bank or shoreline.
(c)
No person shall operate any vessel in excess of any posted speed limit.
(d)
No person shall operate any vessel in any no entry zone or in any restricted area in violation of said restriction.
(e)
No person shall operate any watercraft within any seagrass regeneration special protection zone.
(f)
No person shall operate any vessel as to cause wake in any designated "Idle Speed—No Wake" zone which has been duly posted with appropriate signage or within three hundred (300) feet of any dredge boat. A dredge boat shall have appropriate "Idle Speed—No Wake" signage posted if it is not plainly visible with the naked eye that the vessel is a dredge boat.
(g)
No person shall operate any vessel as to cause excessive wake in any designated "Slow Down—Minimum Wake" zone which has been duly posted with appropriate signage.
(h)
No person may intentionally navigate any vessel across any dredge pipe or dredge piping which is floating on the surface and plainly visible with the naked eye during daylight hours or which pipe or piping can reasonably be seen floating with the use of a spotlight as to vessels operating between dusk and dawn. If the vessel is on a plane, or is operating the vessel fast enough to create noticeable to excessive wake, or is operating the vessel in a dangerous, reckless or careless manner, or is operating the vessel within any seagrass regeneration special protection zone, or is operating the vessel outside of any channel, canal or tributary containing navigation markings, then the operator of said shall vessel be "presumed" to have been acting intentionally for purposes of this provision. This presumption may only be rebutted (overturned) by the operator demonstrating to the trier of fact, by clear and convincing evidence, that the operator was not acting intentionally.
(i)
No person shall operate a vessel in violation of chapter 327 or 328, Florida Statutes.
(j)
No person shall operate any vessel in violation of any provision of this article or of any provision of article IV of this chapter.
The penalties set forth in Code section 7-22 herein may be imposed upon any plea or finding of guilt that a violation of any of the foregoing has occurred. Each violation shall constitute a separate offense.
(Ord. No. 2011-12, § I, 6-28-11; Ord. No. 2018-11, § I, 5-22-18)