shoreline slow speed zone within 300 feet of shore (except in 

 marked channels) , rather than a county wide 20 MPH speed limit. 



A representative of the Commission attended the 24 October 

 1989 meeting of the Florida Governor and Cabinet and provided 

 comments in support of the actions proposed in the Department's 

 Report. Among other points, the Commission's comments expressed 

 the view that the shoreline slow speed zone was preferable to the 

 non-channel 20 MPH speed limit as an interim measure. This view 

 was put forward because manatees often prefer shoreline areas and 

 because a slow speed requirement (e.g. , about 7 MPH) is far more 

 likely to allow manatees to avoid oncoming boats than is a 20 MPH 

 speed limit. 



During its meeting, the Governor and Cabinet acted on two of 

 the Department's proposals. It approved new rules to establish 

 two new boat speed zones and to create a year-round motor boat 

 exclusion area at a warm-water outfall at Port Everglades. It 

 also adopted the interim boating facility siting policy 

 conditionally limiting new development to one power boat slip per 

 100 feet of shoreline. 



Regarding interim speed restrictions in the 13 key manatee 

 counties, the Department was directed to work with county 

 officials to develop proposed interim boat speed rules for 

 Cabinet consideration in the spring of 1990. The counties were 

 given the options of establishing: (1) a 300-foot county-wide 

 shoreline slow speed zone (excluding marked channels) ; (2) 

 county-wide speed limits of 3 MPH in marked channels and 20 MPH 

 in all other waters accessible to manatees; or (3) submitting, 

 within 60 days, locally developed ordinances which provide 

 acceptable site specific protection to manatees. At the end of 

 1989, draft county proposals from most of the 13 counties either 

 had been submitted to the Department or were expected to be 

 received early in 1990. Their adoption will be considered by the 

 Governor and Cabinet in 1990. 



Most of the remaining recommendations would require 

 authorization from the State Legislature (e.g. , for requiring 

 vessel operator licenses, amending the Florida Manatee Sanctuary 

 Act, and increasing funding and staff for the Florida Marine 

 Patrol and Manatee Recovery Program) . At the end of 1989, it was 

 the Commission's understanding that proposed bills to address 

 those needs were being developed by the Department for 

 consideration during the spring 1990 session of the Legislature. 



Conclusion 



During 1989, the plight of manatees in Florida became more 

 serious. Known vessel-related mortality and total manatee 

 mortality reached new record levels. Although substantial 

 progress towards creating an effective response was made in July 



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