Ratickle
04-18-2012, 10:48 PM
So, you can drink all you want on your boat, as long as it's not touching the island....
Booze ban on Peanut Island won't stop party on the water
By Robert Nolin, Sun Sentinel
9:15 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2012
A move to ban booze at a popular South Florida spot for boaters will do little to curb the party on water.
Starting May 18, alcohol is off limits on Peanut Island in Palm Beach County, a decision made after years of complaints about rowdy behavior. But those anchored just a few feet offshore can keep the liquor flowing.
That's because there are no laws prohibiting drinking on the water, and unlike in cars, open containers are allowed on boats. From the Keys to Lake Boca, boating hot spots across South Florida's hundreds of miles of waterways can look like scenes from booze-fueled reality television.
"If people want to bring alcohol on their boat, I can't stop them," said Eric Call, Palm Beach County's parks and recreation director. "I do not have jurisdiction on the water."
On Peanut Island, just south of the Blue Heron Bridge, problems began when boaters began to bring their booze ashore. Five years ago, 19 youths were arrested for underage drinking. Often it was boaters who ferried the raucous activity from ship to shore.
"Some of the individuals from the water have come up to the island and some of the individuals who pull up and hang out on the island have displayed undesirable behavior," Call said.
To cut down on the onshore drunkenness, only registered campers will be allowed to drink on the island.
Any booze-fueled, offensive behavior that occurs on boats anchored offshore will be handled by police because "it's up to law enforcement to patrol the waters," Call said.
Police say most boaters abide by the rules. Those that don't can face fines and are subject to the same DUI laws that apply on land.
On any weekend, more than a dozen vessels from county, state and municipal police agencies are on the water, checking that boaters have the proper equipment — and aren't boating under the influence.
However, it appears South Florida boaters may be learning to sail sober, or at least have a designated driver, marine patrol officers say.
"It's more the passengers that are drinking and having open containers than the operator," said Officer Brian Meo, who for five years has patroled with Fort Lauderdale's Marine Unit.
Sunny days will see boaters flocking to several areas along South Florida waterways, such as Lake Boca in South Palm Beach County or Lake Sylvia on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway, south of Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale.
Wahoo Bay near Hillsboro Inlet is another popular spot for boaters to lash vessels together to cook out and swim. "They'll raft up, but that's more of a family atmosphere," said Sgt. Joe Capua, head of the Broward Sheriff's Office Marine Unit.
Gatherings at Lake Sylvia can also be more idyllic than hedonistic. "Sometimes you'll find several boats rafted to each other and they're having a party, nothing really out of hand," said Meo, whose Fort Lauderdale unit fields three to four patrol boats on weekends. "They're actually pretty calm about it."
Drinking and boating may go "hand in hand," Capua said, "but the majority of our boater owners, they do the right thing. They're not operating impaired."
The sergeant said his unit, which fields up to nine patrol boats on weekends, has only made one BUI arrest so far this year. "It's not as prevalent as driving under the influence," he said, noting that boats are expensive, and owners may not want to lose their investment in a drunken boating accident.
Marine officers with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office have a similar arrest rate. "I don't think there have been any BUI arrests made this year by PBSC members," Lt. Sean Murray said. "Although the numbers don't reflect an obvious problem, the potential is always there."
Florida leads the nation in boat registrations, with more than 900,000 recreational vessels. And though the number is relatively small, the state also leads the country in the number of alcohol-related accidents: 39. Among those accidents, there were 15 deaths and 27 injuries, according to Coast Guard figures for 2010, the latest year for which statistics are available.
South Florida tops the state in boating accidents in general, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission figures for 2010. Monroe, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties had the highest number of accidents that year, followed by Pinellas, Lee and Broward.
To try to rein in such accidents, marine officers check for drunken boaters when they see a vessel operating in an erratic manner.
"If we see any boats swerving or somebody reports that they are intoxicated, we're going to detain them and wait for the local authorities to come," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Sabrina Elgammal. "We have zero tolerance for boating under the influence."
But marine officers, unlike their land-based counterparts, can't easily detect a drunken boat operator. "We can't tell by driving patterns," said Lt. Dave Bingham, a Broward-based supervisor with the wildlife commission.
But then, boaters might just be getting the message.
"Out of all the hundreds of boats that we stop, we're just not running into the drunks as often," Bingham said. "Maybe the fact that we're out there so much, people have kind of slowed down."
rnolin@tribune.com or 954-356-4525
Booze ban on Peanut Island won't stop party on the water
By Robert Nolin, Sun Sentinel
9:15 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2012
A move to ban booze at a popular South Florida spot for boaters will do little to curb the party on water.
Starting May 18, alcohol is off limits on Peanut Island in Palm Beach County, a decision made after years of complaints about rowdy behavior. But those anchored just a few feet offshore can keep the liquor flowing.
That's because there are no laws prohibiting drinking on the water, and unlike in cars, open containers are allowed on boats. From the Keys to Lake Boca, boating hot spots across South Florida's hundreds of miles of waterways can look like scenes from booze-fueled reality television.
"If people want to bring alcohol on their boat, I can't stop them," said Eric Call, Palm Beach County's parks and recreation director. "I do not have jurisdiction on the water."
On Peanut Island, just south of the Blue Heron Bridge, problems began when boaters began to bring their booze ashore. Five years ago, 19 youths were arrested for underage drinking. Often it was boaters who ferried the raucous activity from ship to shore.
"Some of the individuals from the water have come up to the island and some of the individuals who pull up and hang out on the island have displayed undesirable behavior," Call said.
To cut down on the onshore drunkenness, only registered campers will be allowed to drink on the island.
Any booze-fueled, offensive behavior that occurs on boats anchored offshore will be handled by police because "it's up to law enforcement to patrol the waters," Call said.
Police say most boaters abide by the rules. Those that don't can face fines and are subject to the same DUI laws that apply on land.
On any weekend, more than a dozen vessels from county, state and municipal police agencies are on the water, checking that boaters have the proper equipment — and aren't boating under the influence.
However, it appears South Florida boaters may be learning to sail sober, or at least have a designated driver, marine patrol officers say.
"It's more the passengers that are drinking and having open containers than the operator," said Officer Brian Meo, who for five years has patroled with Fort Lauderdale's Marine Unit.
Sunny days will see boaters flocking to several areas along South Florida waterways, such as Lake Boca in South Palm Beach County or Lake Sylvia on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway, south of Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale.
Wahoo Bay near Hillsboro Inlet is another popular spot for boaters to lash vessels together to cook out and swim. "They'll raft up, but that's more of a family atmosphere," said Sgt. Joe Capua, head of the Broward Sheriff's Office Marine Unit.
Gatherings at Lake Sylvia can also be more idyllic than hedonistic. "Sometimes you'll find several boats rafted to each other and they're having a party, nothing really out of hand," said Meo, whose Fort Lauderdale unit fields three to four patrol boats on weekends. "They're actually pretty calm about it."
Drinking and boating may go "hand in hand," Capua said, "but the majority of our boater owners, they do the right thing. They're not operating impaired."
The sergeant said his unit, which fields up to nine patrol boats on weekends, has only made one BUI arrest so far this year. "It's not as prevalent as driving under the influence," he said, noting that boats are expensive, and owners may not want to lose their investment in a drunken boating accident.
Marine officers with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office have a similar arrest rate. "I don't think there have been any BUI arrests made this year by PBSC members," Lt. Sean Murray said. "Although the numbers don't reflect an obvious problem, the potential is always there."
Florida leads the nation in boat registrations, with more than 900,000 recreational vessels. And though the number is relatively small, the state also leads the country in the number of alcohol-related accidents: 39. Among those accidents, there were 15 deaths and 27 injuries, according to Coast Guard figures for 2010, the latest year for which statistics are available.
South Florida tops the state in boating accidents in general, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission figures for 2010. Monroe, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties had the highest number of accidents that year, followed by Pinellas, Lee and Broward.
To try to rein in such accidents, marine officers check for drunken boaters when they see a vessel operating in an erratic manner.
"If we see any boats swerving or somebody reports that they are intoxicated, we're going to detain them and wait for the local authorities to come," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Sabrina Elgammal. "We have zero tolerance for boating under the influence."
But marine officers, unlike their land-based counterparts, can't easily detect a drunken boat operator. "We can't tell by driving patterns," said Lt. Dave Bingham, a Broward-based supervisor with the wildlife commission.
But then, boaters might just be getting the message.
"Out of all the hundreds of boats that we stop, we're just not running into the drunks as often," Bingham said. "Maybe the fact that we're out there so much, people have kind of slowed down."
rnolin@tribune.com or 954-356-4525