Speeding boats a concern for boaters in Naples Bay

Boats are speeding by with no one to keep other boaters safe. This is what some people say is going on in Naples Bay.

People there say they have seen boats going by faster than they should, and there should marine sheriffs and FWC there, but since Ian, they are nowhere to be found.

There are signs in the water that indicate slow zones and a speed limit of 35 miles per hour in the bay.

Captain Jay Clark believes a lot of boaters are driving faster than normal.

“If you want to remain safe on a boat, you do everything slow,” said Clark. “They just want to look good. They want to go really fast. I mean, then, it’s really not that far of a stretch. So it doesn’t make much sense.”

Speed, in his view, is absolutely a safety issue. Especially now, three months after Hurricane Ian.

“We definitely see some debris that floats around from runoff. And it can be dangerous if you’re going at a very high speed. You can crash into it, or your wake can cause other damage or danger to other boaters,” said Clark.

According to a report done by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in 2021, four out of the 28 boating accidents were from speeding in Collier County. None of them were fatal.

Captain Jaddyn Procacci said with a lot more people coming down for season and renting boats, it’s important to emphasize the importance of safety.

“People who want to see the water, just gotta keep it safe, you know, like a road stop at a stop sign in case, you know, there’s they’re shallow, right outside the channels. There’s manatees and dolphins,” Procacci said.

“You have a lot of docks that have been damaged. So there is a lot of floatsem. And then you have a lot of workers like barges that are trying to repair those docks. So these guys flying back and forth, just, you know, creating a dangerous situation that someone’s gonna get hurt,” said Clark.

WINK News asked FWC if its agents have noticed an increase in speed-related crashes on the water. A spokesperson said those reports are not yet available.

If there’s one clear word of advice from the captains, it is to go slow.