DUNEDIN — City commissioners have directed staff to draft an ordinance banning the launch of jet skis and other motorized watercraft from the Dunedin Causeway, where an ongoing closure for storm repairs has spurred a resurgence of seagrass and native wildlife.
Commissioners reached consensus at a June 2 work session, asking staff to work with the city attorney on the ordinance. Adopting it would still require two public hearings, City Manager Jennifer Bramley said.
The causeway is under active repair by Pinellas County, and committee members and residents have reported environmental gains since it closed to launches, Bramley told the commission.
“During the time that the Causeway has been closed to motorized watercraft launching, there has been a resurgence of seagrass, a resurgence of the native wildlife in that area,” she said. “The parking issues are no longer there. Trash issues are no longer there.”
The city’s Causeway and Coastal Waterways Committee asked the commission to prohibit launching from the south side of the causeway, Bramley said. The north side has been off-limits to launches.
Although the causeway falls under Pinellas County’s jurisdiction, the county confirmed in writing that the decision rests with the city, she said.
“They have given us that authority to make that call, and we have that in writing,” Bramley said.
The ban would apply only to launching from the causeway, not to operating motorized watercraft in the Intracoastal Waterway or St. Joseph Sound, which fall under the state and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, she said.
Adopting the ordinance would require two public hearings and two public notices, including legal advertising, Bramley said.
The county began the storm-related repairs in April and expects to finish in December or slightly earlier.
Tony Mulkey, the city’s parks and recreation director, noted that the south side has no paved ramps.
“This is not an improved boat launch. This is not any kind of infrastructure that’s been provided out there to allow for this activity. It is right from the shore,” he said.
Shoreline launching encourages bank scouring, bottom disturbance, prop scarring and jet wash that can damage seagrass beds for years, Mulkey said.
“It could take 10 years for boat scarring to recover in a seagrass bed, and those seagrass beds are vital habitat for the flora and fauna and the waterway itself,” he said.
Theresa Smalling, the city’s director of human resources and risk management, said the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office had fielded complaints about jet skis speeding through a no-wake zone. Sheriff’s data identified about 80 incidents involving jet skis from January 2022 to April 2026, including launching in unauthorized areas, operating in swim zones, entering no-motor zones, speeding, wake complaints and unsafe operation near other recreational users.
Fire Chief Michael Handoga pointed to safety. “Public safety concerns remain as to the compatibility of high-speed motorized launches within areas heavily utilized by swimmers, kayakers, paddleboarders and other passive recreational users,” he said.
Mayor Maureen Freaney recalled the controversy when the city restricted the north side in the ’90s.
“It was pretty controversial. City Hall was packed,” she said. “At the time the thinking was, ‘We’ve got to give them some area.’ So how do we respond to that?”
Bramley said the city would steer boaters to official ramps. “The answer is we will redirect them to a boat ramp — an official boat ramp, not a shoreline, but a boat ramp with the proper launching infrastructure, with the proper parking,” she said. “The little area that has been provided has been very detrimental to the environment.”
Bramley said staff also wants to explore restricting the city’s marina ramp to residents, charging nonresidents a prohibitive fee, though that would require legal review.
Commissioner Robert Walker, a captain on the Caladesi ferry, said the effort was not aimed at jet skis themselves.
“This isn’t anti-jet ski. This is about public use, this is about preservation of our natural resources for future generations, it’s about safety, it’s about quality of life here in Dunedin,” he said. “The infrastructure on the causeway does not support the launching of motorized craft.”
Walker said he was “actually shocked that we’ve only had two fatalities,” citing reckless operators, many from outside the city.
Commissioner Steven Sandbergen said the ban would simply require operators to launch elsewhere. “I will be very supportive of making these changes,” he said. “I know they’re big ... but I think it’s the best thing for our city.”
Commissioner Jeff Gow also backed the proposal. “We desperately need the sea grasses, we desperately need the oyster beds,” he said. “I certainly do support this. I think it is the right time.”
Commissioner Tom Dugard cited safety, noise and “our sense of well-being as a community.” He said he wished respectful operators could keep access but that “the edges will always be tested.”
Freaney summed up the board’s direction. “This is one time the creatures gotta win,” she said. “This is a very logical path, the right path.”
Public hearings on the ordinance could come before the commission in July. Bramley said the county has committed to keeping the area closed to launches until the city can adopt and enforce the ban.