Residents and business owners have voiced concerns to Commissioner Meiner's Office regarding the City’s marinas and waterways.  Commissioner Meiner placed a referral to the Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee on the October 14, 2020 Commission Agenda to discuss two specific aspects:

1. certain waterborne vessels currently endanger the Miami Beach waterway’s public use by not following no-wake signage and excessively speeding in residential canals with limited space.
   
   
2. the issue occurs at marinas, where resident complaints indicate high alcohol consumption often leading to unwanted behavior.

This item is inclusive of all waterborne vessel types, including jet skis.

The Miami Beach Police Department’s Marine Patrol Unit deploys along the waterways around the City, conducts enforcement of all Florida Boating Statues and the prevention of criminal activity. As a result of residential complaints and law enforcement observations regarding hazardous use of waterborne vessels on waterways, the Marine Patrol Unit has generated arrests and the following boating citations from September 1st through October 13th, 2020.

Arrests

• 12 livery violations (illegal jest ski rental)
• 1 fisheries (under size snapper)

Uniform Boating Citations

• 100 speed/restricted area violation
• 100 miscellaneous violations (no boater ID, no sound producing device, etc)
• 34 livery violations (illegal jet ski rental)
  
  

The Police Department has also responded to various complaints at the Miami Beach Marina to include noise, intoxicated behavior, and loud music caused by patrons in this area or returning from charters. As a result, the Department has taken the following action to reduce incidents of unruly behavior:

• Conducted 361 daily “park and walk” details from September 14 – October 13, 2020

• Hired off duty officers recently over a two-week period
• Hired armed security on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings from 5:00pm until 1:00am – supplemented by the aforementioned “park and walk” details (begins 10/30/2020)