Bill Type and Number: Ordinance 2006-949

Sponsor: Council Members Self, Copeland and Graham at the request of the Jacksonville Waterways Commission:

Date of Introduction: August 22, 2006

Committee(s) of Reference: ECID; JWW

Date of Analysis: August 25, 2006

Type of Action: Ordinance Code Amendment

Bill Summary: This ordinance amends Section 387.103 (Manatee Protection Zones), Ordinance Code, to change manatee protection motorboat speed zones from year-round to seasonal.

Background Information: Initially, the manatee protection motorboat speed zones were adopted as year-round zones because industrial power plants discharged warm water into the St. Johns River attracting manatees during cold weather. The industrial plants no longer discharge warm water into the river; manatees are no longer in this area during winter months. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s manatee refuge regulations impose speed zones on the Lower St. Johns River that are year-round because the current county and state zones are year-round, even though manatees are not in the river between December 1^st and March 31^st. This ordinance acknowledges that manatees are not in the river during the winter months and therefore the reason for the year-round speed zones no longer exists. This ordinance lifts the speed restrictions during the period when the manatees do not inhabit the Lower St. Johns River on a regular basis, that is, between December 1^st and March 31^st.

Policy Impact: Manatees/Jacksonville Waterways Commission/Ordinance Code

Fiscal Impact: None

Analyst: Jackson