Authorities promise crackdown on personal watercraft in Palm Beach County
When a Royal Palm Beach man, 27, died Sunday in a personal watercraft collision on Lake Osborne, he became the latest casualty of the fast-moving vessels flooding the area's waterways.
Palm Beach County last year had more personal watercraft accidents than any other Florida county. One reason for the 20 accidents: the county's lakes, canals and Intracoastal Waterway increasingly are becoming congested with vessels from Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where lakes and canals are more restrictive to personal watercraft vessels, officials say.
As a result, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials Monday announced a crackdown to stop vessel speeding, require proper registration and reduce a rise in vessel theft. Police will educate riders on safety.
Personal watercraft vessels "are misunderstood when they are purchased," Sheriff's Office Sgt. Larry Gamage said. Many riders assume "they don't require the skill needed to operate them."
Like operators of other recreational motorized water vessels, owners of personal watercraft vessels don't need to take safety education classes in Florida if they are older than 21.
It wasn't clear if the two men involved in Sunday's collision at John Prince Memorial Park west of Lake Worth took classes.
Paulo Regis was on his 2006 Bombardier, following his brother-in-law's 2006 Bombardier, according to a preliminary Fish and Wildlife report. They were westbound on the lake when the other watercraft struck Regis around 4 p.m.
He died an hour later at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis.
Both men were drinking alcohol earlier in the day, Fish and Wildlife officials said. What impact, if any, alcohol had on the collision is under investigation. Blood was drawn from Regis' brother-in-law, whose name was not released, for alcohol-level testing.
Regis was the first person to die in a watercraft vessel accident in Palm Beach County since 2005, according to Fish and Wildlife data. Last year, 21 people were injured in accidents, up from 11 in 2005.
Many accidents occur because of operator inattention and lack of experience, officials said. Collisions mostly happened in lakes and ponds, Sheriff's Office officials said.
"These vessels are getting faster, and vessel traffic is increasing," said Fish and Wildlife Lt. Ed Cates, an assistant boating safety coordinator. "Operators are just not paying attention. It takes just a second for something to go wrong."
The beefed-up law enforcement of personal watercraft vessels will continue through the busy summer boating months and pick up on major holidays, officials said.
Deputies and officers will target Lake Ida, Lake Osborne, Pine Lake and the Intracoastal Waterway's speed-restricted zones.
By Leon Fooksman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
