LTC 167-2020 Flagler Memorial Island (Monument Island)M IA M I BEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Mi am i Beach, Florida 33139, www,miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF THE CITV MAN AGER
167-2020
LT C #
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Mayor Dan Gelber and Members
Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
May 7, 2020
the C~mission
SUBJECT: Flagler Memorial Island (Monument Island)
The purpose of this L TC is to inform the Mayor and City Commission of the City's
continued effort to enforce the newly amended speed limit for vessels around Flagler
Memorial Island, referred to hereafter as "Monument Island" or the "Isl an d".
Monument Island was commissioned by Miami Beach co-founder Carl G. Fisher in 1920.
Both the Island and the monument were donated to the City of Miami Beach in 1939. In
the years since the Island's founding, the City, Miami-Dade County, and private sector
have all contributed to its maintenance. Monument Island has become an integral part of
the Miami Beach community.
The immediate waters surrounding Monument Island are classified as a designated year-
round slow speed zone, which was established pursuant to Florida Administrative Code
Section 68C-22.025(1 )(a)22 and extends outward to 100 feet of the general contour of
the southwesterly, northwesterly and northeasterly shoreline of the Monument Island. The
slow speed zone around Monument Island is fully encompassed by a designated
watersports area, where boaters and jet skiers can legally speed up to 35 miles per hour
(or illegally exceed 35 miles per hour) pursuant to Florida Administrative Code Section
68C-22.025(1 )(i)2.
In recent years, Monument Island's popularity has surged due to its proximate position to
South Beach and luxury residential homes, and historical significance, which resulted in
an extensive amount of people visiting the designated watersports zone, which is a
popular area for tour boats, recreational boaters, and jet-skiers.
Alcohol consumption, drug use, and general reckless activities proliferated on both the
beaches of Monument Island and in the designated watersports area, as people drank
and partied on personal boats, tourist boats, and personal watercraft, often operating the
vessels under the influence of either alcohol, or other illegal substances. The year-round
presence of boats and personal watercrafts, many of which are operated under the
influence of alcohol and/or drugs, resulted in unsafe levels of vessel traffic congestion
that created a significant risk of collision, or a significant threat to boating safety.
O n June 5, 2019 , the M ayor and C ity C om m ission adopted R esolution No. 2019-30855,
urging the FW C to elim inate the 35 m iles per hour w atersport s area surro unding the
M onum ent Island and to expressly designate that area as a year-ro und slow -speed zone.
C ity personnel have w orked diligently w ith the Florida Fish and W ildlife C onserv ation
C omm i s sio n ("F W C"), an d other State agencies to am end the speed lim it aro und
M onum ent Island. O n O ctober 29, 2019, FW C held a public hearing regarding the C ity's
prop o sed draft ord inanc e, estab li sh in g a year-r o und slo w -sp eed zon e aro un d th e
M onum ent Island, w hich w as subsequently appro ved by FW C . O n D ecemb er 11, 2019,
the M ayor and C ity C om m ission adopted O rdinance No. 2019-4311, est ab lish ing a year-
ro und slow -speed zone aro und the M onum ent Island.
The A dm inistration is w orking to put into effect the new regulatory w aterw ay m arkers
aro und M onum ent Island. T he C ity has contracted w ith A E C O M , an A m erican
m ultinational engineer firm , as consultant to ensure that the new regulatory w aterw ay
m akers are put in place in an expeditious m anner.
O n A pril 6, 2020 C ity staff m et w ith A E C O M to start the pro cess of obtaining the necessary
w aterw ay m arker perm its fro m the FW C . A E C O M w ill w ork w ith several agencies,
including the FW C , U nited States C oast G uard, and the Florida D epartm ent of
E nviro nm ental P ro tection, to com plete the perm it application pro cess. This interagency
application pro cess is likely to take appro xim ately 45-60 days to com plete.
M onum ent Island continues to be a top priority fo r the C ity. W hile it is currently cl osed
due to an Em ergency O rder, as a result of C O V ID -19 , the A dm inistration is continuing to
prioritize this pro ject to ensure that the correct speed zone m arkers are placed.