Fort Lauderdale's New Slow-Speed Zone: What Intracoastal Boaters Should Know

The Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal Waterway is a busy stretch of water in South Florida, and it now has a new speed rule. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a permanent year-round slow-speed, minimum-wake zone between the Oakland Park Boulevard Bridge and the Sunrise Boulevard Bridge.

Signs were installed in early February 2026, and enforcement began in early March 2026. This article explains the zone, what slow speed means, and the other rules that apply on the same waters.

The new zone runs on the Intracoastal Waterway between the Oakland Park Boulevard Bridge and the Sunrise Boulevard Bridge, shoreline to shoreline. It replaces the seasonal manatee zone that previously covered that stretch, and it is in effect year-round.

The zone is marked with posted signs. When you see them, slow down to idle speed and hold your wake to a minimum until you are past the markers.

Slow speed means the boat is fully off plane and fully settled in the water. Minimum wake means the boat's wake does not create a rolling or wake-surfing hazard to other vessels, docks, or moored boats.

The rule protects docks, seawalls, and moored boats on a stretch of water lined with waterfront homes. Wakes from faster traffic are a common cause of dock and seawall wear, and of lines parting on moored boats.

The new zone replaces one seasonal manatee zone, but others remain. In Broward, manatee protection zones include idle-speed areas on the North New River Canal and South New River Canal, and seasonal zones that run at idle speed from November 15 to March 31, with slow speed at other times.

In Palm Beach County, seasonal idle-speed zones also run from November 15 to March 31, including parts of Lake Worth, and year-round idle-speed zones cover areas such as the Jupiter River and Lake Worth Creek. The FWC's manatee zone maps are the definitive source for exact boundaries.

On the Intracoastal, the U.S. Coast Guard Inland Navigation Rules apply: head-on meetings pass port to port, and the overtaking vessel is the give-way vessel. Florida law also requires idle or no-wake operation near docks, piers, moored vessels, and under bridges, and prohibits reckless operation such as jumping wakes within 100 feet of another vessel.

Operators born after January 1, 1988 must carry a Florida Boating Safety Education Card. It is a good idea for every operator to take the course, whatever their age.

Speed zones and restricted areas change, so check the FWC's current maps and the local notices before you run a new stretch of water for the first time. The FWC publishes manatee zone maps and boating restricted area information online.

When in doubt, slow down. A slow pass costs a minute; a wake violation or a collision costs far more.

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