County eyes slowdown on Crooked Creek

WEST BAY — Boaters would have to abide by a low-wake zone by the new Crooked Creek county boat ramp under an ordinance Bay County Commission are scheduled to consider Tuesday.

Commissioners are expected to consider an ordinance that would establish a “slow-speed minimum wake zone” on Crooked Creek near the recently opened county boat ramp and State 388 bridge area.

The area of enforcement would include a 1,263-foot-long portion of Crooked Creek stretching from 300 feet south of the State 388 bridge to a point 300 feet north of the county boat ramp. The ramp is on TiTi Road, off State 388, near the entrance to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

The ordinance does not outline a specific speed limit for boats. It states that a slow-speed minimum wake is one in which a boat must travel at a speed that is “reasonable and prudent” to avoid the creation of an “excessive wake or hazardous condition which endangers or is likely to endanger other vessels or other persons using the waterway.”

“At no time is any vessel required to proceed so slowly that the operator is unable to maintain control over the vessel or any other vessel or object that is has under tow,” the proposed ordinance states.

Last month, the county opened the first phase of the Crooked Creek project that includes the boat ramp with a fixed dock and one floating dock, a parking area for 21 boat trailers, four additional vehicles and two handicapped parking spaces and stormwater facilities. The second phase of the project, to be completed at a later date, is proposed to include a handicapped-accessible fishing pier and a picnic area.

Tony Bryson, who lives on the creek not far from the new ramp, said at the grand opening ceremony that the ramp is an amenity for residents, but he was hoping boats don’t go too fast down the creek.

“Five of us have posted ‘no wake’ signs,” he said at the time. “They’ve been there for years. We hope that [Florida] Fish and Wildlife [Conservation Commission] will post no-wake zones, and that our county commissioners will make sure that that is indeed the case.”

Violators of the new county ordinance could be subject to a $50 fine.

County Commissioner Guy Tunnell said Monday the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has approved of the low-wake zone, but the agency would not agree to extend the low-wake zone farther south along Crooked Creek as one resident had requested.

Tunnell said there does not seem to be a problem with boats speeding in the creek near the new ramp since it opened. He said the creek has natural features that deter high speeds.

“That creek has a lot of bends and shallow areas,” he said. “It has deep holes, but suddenly there are real shallow areas. You have to be real careful going through there. Most folks who frequent that creek for the most part know where they need to be careful.”

Tunnell said it makes sense for safety reasons for boaters to travel slower through the area with the new boat launch.

“There is more of a likelihood for there to be a concentration of boats offloaded or onloaded in the ramp portion,” he said. “It’s just a precautionary step to make it safer for everyone concerned.”

Tunnell said residents who live in the nearby RiverCamps neighborhood on Crooked Creek have requested a low-wake zone at the mouth of the creek. Their request is pending review by FWC. Should it be approved, the County Commission would be asked to approve of it, Tunnell said.

“Ultimately, it would have to go through the same process,” he said.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Bay County Government Complex, 840 W. 11th St.