Florida manatee zones and boating speed zones: a plain guide

What the signs mean, when they apply, what a ticket costs, and where to check the official maps before you leave the dock. Last checked against the official rules on October 16, 2026.

What a manatee zone is, and who creates it

Manatee protection zones protect manatees from boat strikes and harassment, and protect habitat such as seagrass. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) adopts them under the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act (s. 379.2431(2), Florida Statutes), county by county, in Chapter 68C-22 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). The FWC's open GIS layer holds 633 such zones in 26 counties.

Boating restricted areas exist for public safety: traffic, blind bends, bridges, ramps. The FWC adopts them in Chapter 68D-24 F.A.C., and counties and cities can adopt some by ordinance under s. 327.46 F.S., after FWC review.

Local and federal zones. Counties and cities can also adopt manatee zones by ordinance, with FWC approval, except in the marked channel of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and within 100 feet of it (s. 379.2431(2)(p) F.S.). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designates federal manatee refuges and sanctuaries (50 CFR 17.108); the sanctuaries are closed to all waterborne activities from November 15 to March 31. Some national parks, such as Biscayne, post their own slow speed zones.

Where rules overlap, the most restrictive applies and is the one posted (Rule 68C-22.004). According to the FWC, a manatee rule cannot be enforced until its signs are on the water.

The zone types and what they mean on the water

Definitions from Rules 68C-22.002 (manatee zones) and 68D-23.103 (wording on all regulatory markers).

Idle Speed / No Wake

No faster than needed to keep steerageway and headway. You are never required to go so slowly that you lose control of the boat or of what you tow.

Slow Speed / Minimum Wake

The boat must be fully off plane and completely settled into the water, at a reasonable and prudent speed with little or no wake. The rule states that there is no specific numerical speed, because boats reach this condition at different speeds. A boat on plane, or still coming off plane, is not at slow speed.

Numbered limits: 20, 25, 30 or 35 MPH

A maximum in statute miles per hour over the bottom: the mph speed on your GPS, not knots (25 mph is about 21.7 knots). A posted limit never allows careless operation. Some zones lower the limit at night, such as the “30 MPH/25 MPH Nighttime” zones of Volusia County (Rule 68C-22.012).

Motorboats Prohibited

In manatee zones, a boat with a motor may enter only with the motor off and, where possible, tilted up (Rule 68C-22.002(3)). Paddle craft may enter. Other exclusion signs, such as “No Motorboats”, can be stricter: follow the exact wording.

No Entry

No vessels and no people, including swimmers and waders (Rule 68C-22.002(11)). These are small safe havens where manatees rest, feed and nurse (s. 379.2431(2)(o) F.S.), some only in winter.

Words that change where and when a zone applies

• Channel exempt / channel included. “Excluding the marked ICW channel” means another limit applies inside the channel, often 25 or 30 mph. “Channel included” means the zone covers it.
• Shoreline buffer. Many zones cover only the water within a set distance of shore, for example “within 1,500 feet of the general contour of the shoreline” of Lake Dexter (Rule 68C-22.012).
• Weekends and holidays. A few zones apply only on those days, sometimes only at certain hours. The holidays are listed in Rule 68D-23.103 (see the FAQ below).
• Seasons. Many zones are stricter in the cooler months, when manatees gather near warm water; some are stricter in summer. Common periods in the FWC data are November 15–March 31, November 15–April 30 and April 1–November 15. Out of season, a zone may switch to another limit or lapse.

How to read the signs

Every regulatory, danger and information marker in Florida is white with international orange symbols and black lettering (Rules 68D-23.108 and 68D-23.109). The orange shape tells you what kind of message it is (Rule 68D-23.103(1)(i)):

Marker buoys are white cylinders with two orange bands. Each regulatory sign also shows, in its lower right corner, the rule or ordinance number and the agency that placed it (Rule 68D-23.109): 68C-22 means a state manatee zone, 68D-24 a state boating restricted area, a county or city code a local ordinance.

Why signs can be confusing. In Fort Pierce, one FWC officer wrote 28 warnings and 10 citations in manatee zones between November 2021 and March 2022, and told the state: “I feel the majority of these violations occurred because of poor signage.” One sign gave the idle speed rule only for waters outside the ICW, which some boaters read as permission to speed inside it (WPTV, WFLX, 2022). In a 2006 University of Florida study near Blue Spring, 45% of 1,669 timed boats complied, while 84% of boaters surveyed said they did; the top reason given was difficulty reading the signs.

Fines and penalties

• Exceeding a posted limit in a manatee zone or boating restricted area is a noncriminal infraction: a $100 civil penalty plus court costs (s. 327.73(1)(k) and s. 379.2431(2)(s) F.S.).
• If you contest it and lose, the court may impose up to $500 (s. 327.73(5)).
• A conviction requires a boating safety course at your expense, with proof sent to the FWC within 90 days; you may not operate a vessel until then (s. 327.731(1)).
• Two or more infractions within 12 months add a $500 fine (s. 327.731(2)).
• Entering a No Entry or Motorboats Prohibited zone is a misdemeanor, and can be treated as harassment of manatees if willful (s. 379.2431(2)(s)2).
• Federal law (Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act) also applies. In 2012, a boater cited seven times before was fined $7,500 in federal court for speeding in a Biscayne Bay manatee zone (NBC Miami).

Why it matters

From 2014 to 2023, the FWC's manatee carcass database records 995 deaths from watercraft collisions, about 100 a year, with a peak of 137 in 2019. That is 16% of the 6,357 carcasses recovered, about 27% of those with a determined cause, and 84% of human-related deaths. These are minimums: many carcasses could not be examined. As Save the Manatee Club explains, the hull itself, not only the propeller, can cause fatal injuries, and the energy of an impact grows with the square of the speed. The FWC cites a study by its own scientists that concludes slower boat speeds reduce the risk to manatees (Calleson and Frohlich, 2007).

Practical tips

• Check before you leave: the FWC county map, seasonal dates, and any local or federal zones.
• Slow down before the sign, so you are already settled when you pass it.
• Wear polarized sunglasses and have a passenger watch the water.
• Look for a snout, back, tail or flipper, or a swirl or flat spot on the water.
• Stay in deeper channels and avoid seagrass and shallow feeding areas, but stay alert: manatees use channels too.
• Keep at least 50 feet from a manatee; to watch one, turn off the motor.
• If you hit or see an injured manatee, call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922 (*FWC or #FWC from a cell phone). The FWC states that you will not be cited for an accidental collision if you were obeying the speed restrictions.

Tips adapted from Save the Manatee Club's Boater Tips and the FWC's guidance for boat operators.

Where to find the official maps and rules

• FWC: Manatee data and maps: county PDF maps of state and federal zones. The FWC notes that other zones may exist and that posted regulations apply.
• FWC: Manatee protection zones: rulemaking, local ordinances, permits.
• FWC open GIS data: state manatee protection zones and state boating restricted areas.
• Rule texts: Chapter 68C-22 F.A.C. (manatee zones by county), Chapter 68D-24 (boating restricted areas), Chapter 68D-23 (waterway markers), and the federal list 50 CFR 17.108.
• County and park pages: Volusia, Lee (and its waterways map), Manatee County, Miami-Dade, Biscayne National Park.

Frequently asked questions