Who: Coast Guard and partner state and local law enforcement and first response agencies
What: July 4th Boating Safety news conference
Where: Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, 100 MacArthur Causeway, Miami Beach, Florida
When 10 a.m. Thursday
MIAMI — There will be an enforced regulated navigation area with an enforced 15-knot speed limit in the Intercoastal Waterway, extending from Buena Vista, Miami, to Black Point, Miami, from 7 p.m. July 4, 2015, until 2 a.m. July 5, 2015.
All vessels within the regulated navigation area are:
- · Required to transit the area at no more than 15 knots.
- · Subject to control by the Coast Guard.
- · Required to follow the instructions of all law enforcement officials in the area.
The regulated navigation area is one part of the multiagency effort aimed to ensure the safety of the public during a time of heightened vessel traffic that occurs in conjunction with local firework displays. Each year, numerous vessels congregate in the waters of Biscayne Bay during launching of the 4th of July fireworks displays. The close proximity and increased vessel traffic in the area during 4th of July creates a potentially hazardous condition.
The regulated navigation area requires vessel operators transiting at a reduced speed, thereby significantly reducing the threat of vessel collisions. Requiring vessels within the regulated navigation area to transit at no more than 15 knots will also enable law enforcement officials to identify, respond to, query, and stop operators who may pose a hazard to other vessels in the area. Nothing in this regulation alleviates vessel operators from their duty to comply with all other federal, state, and local laws in the area.
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