Years of work to bring added safety to a narrow channel — which many boats traverse as a shortcut off Lower Matecumbe — came to fruition on April 9, as new buoys were placed to mark a new slow speed/minimum wake zone.
Installed by TowBoatUS Islamorada/Poseidon Marine Towing and Salvage, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission also assisted in the installation, ensuring vessels remained at slow speeds while the work was underway in the channel. Marine deputy Nelson Sanchez was busy educating boaters passing by during the installation.
“Each side of the channel has a set of buoys,” said Peter Frezza, village environmental resources manager.
Frezza said the village’s Nearshore Water Advisory Committee discussed issues at Starck’s Wheel Ditch for at least three years. According to Frezza, the narrow channel — less than 100 feet in width — is used by many boaters as a shortcut to avoid a longer run around the “swash” area off the Lower Matecumbe bayside. However, due to increasing traffic, boat size and poor visibility through the channel, the new regulatory zone was recommended to the council by the committee to slow things down.
“It’s 100% for safety,” Frezza said. “There have been a number of accidents that occurred in that area over the years — even one fatality. Boats go through there at high rates of speed, and the boats are bigger of course.”
Tie that in with poor visibility and a blind turn halfway through, and it makes for a dangerous situation.
In early 2025, the advisory committee formally recommended to the council a new zone. An ordinance was proposed and passed on second reading last October.
Per Florida law, a vessel is operating at slow speed, minimum wake only if it is fully off plane and completely settled into the water and proceeding without wake or with minimum wake.
“A vessel that is required to operate at slow speed, minimum wake may not proceed at a speed greater than a speed that is reasonable and prudent to avoid the creation of an excessive wake or other hazardous condition under the existing circumstances,” the law states.
