FORT LAUDERDALE — A personal watercraft accident in August that led to the death of a 14-year-old, and the hospitalization of her sister, was just one impetus in creating a restricted boating area along Broward’s Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).

The Boating Restricted Area (BRA) is along the ICW between the Oakland Park Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard bridges. Currently, the stretch is between two existing year-round idle-speed, no-wake zones.

Major Bill Holcomb, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Boating and Waterways Section Leader, led a Broward County workshop in September and a meeting in November, to explain that this zone was determined necessary to address documented public safety concerns, resulting from several criteria including:

High levels of marine vessel traffic congestion

A ‘washing machine effect’ — a hazardous condition where wakes bounce and collide due to the width of the waterway and the concrete seawalls along this stretch of the ICW

Additional accident reports for the area

Holcomb noted that safety violations often go unaddressed because the area is unsafe for officers to stop vessels.

To initiate the proposal, FWC gathered representatives from Fort Lauderdale Police, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), and the Broward Marine Advisory Board for an onsite visit.

Once proposed, public feedback included enforcement concerns, lack of rule continuity along the ICW, and a suggestion to name the zone after Rachel Aliza Nisanov, the teen who died in the August accident. Additional discussions considered the option for seasonal and year-round restrictions in an effort to choose the safest and least restrictive option.

However, at its November meeting, the FWC approved the final ruling to go forward with the original restriction.

Since the usual landmark names were previously used, the area is named Lauderdale Beach ICW Zone.

New signs will state, ‘Slow Speed, Minimum Wake’ and FWC patrol officers plan to take an educational approach with boaters during the initial stages of the new zone.

For more information about waterway management, visit MyFWC.com/boating and myfwc.com/ news/all-news/broward-boating-zone-1125.