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'Save Our Boating Rights Florida' spearheads fight to strengthen criteria for Springs Protection Zones

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Published  April 13, 2025 4:11pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

Fighting Spring Protection Zones

FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis explains the fight by one group to strengthen the criteria for Springs Protection Zones in Florida.

The Brief

    • One group is spearheading the fight to strengthen the criteria for Springs Protection Zones.
    • East coast-based group, Save Our Boating Rights Florida formed last fall in an effort to prevent SPZs in Silver Glen Springs in Marion, Lake, Volusia, counties.
    • A Springs Protection Zone bans vessels from anchoring, mooring, grounding, and beaching.

FLORIDA - A local grassroots group is spearheading an amendment to Governor DeSantis' 'Boater Freedom Initiative' to strengthen the criteria for Springs Protection Zones (SPZs).

Last Summer the Weeki Wachee River became the first spring to adopt SPZs and remains the only to have them. The area spans 5.5 miles between the Rogers Park Boat Ramp and State Park Spring Head.

A Springs Protection Zone bans vessels from anchoring, mooring, grounding, and beaching. A vessel is defined as a boat, houseboat, airboat, paddleboard, canoe, or kayak. Violators could face a $140 fine. It's an effort to preserve vegetation and protect wildlife like manatees. 

'Save Our Boating Rights Florida,' is spearheading a fight to strengthen criteria for Springs Protection Zones.

REALATED: New Springs Protection Zones aiming to protect manatees in Weeki Wachee River

East coast-based group, ‘Save Our Boating Rights Florida’, formed last fall in an effort to prevent SPZs in Silver Glen Springs in Marion, Lake, Volusia, counties.

Kris Wake Co-Founded the group. She said since being adopted Weeki Wachee, the FWC and HCSO have issued more than 200 warnings for SPZ violations, but no citations. 

"There's still a lot of community advocates over there [in Weeki Wachee] that they believed that the spring protection zones were going to be the answer, but now they have realized that the problem is still there," she says.

'Save Our Boating Rights Florida,' is spearheading a fight to strengthen criteria for Springs Protection Zones.

Wake said SPZs point the finger at the wrong group. She said, "One of the things they did in Weeki Wachee was they did an impact study, and they found that a majority of the degradation at that time was in-water use. Feet trampling was the issue in Weeki Wachee."

Wake cited a 2022 Florida Department of Environmental Protection impact study.

The group has since partnered with lawmakers to add an amendment to Gov. Desantis' 'Boater Freedom Initiative', also known as SB 1388.

"We are aware that there are multiple layers of degradation, there's multiple things that have caused harm to our springs. In the way that this particular law was written, the only harm that we are addressing at all is harm by vessels," she explained, "We in no way want to remove the spring protection zones off of the toolbelt of FWC. We just wanted to make sure the law isn't so narrow."

The amendment more clearly specifies the criteria for future Springs Protection Zones. She said, "One blade of eel grass could be constituted harm. So we need to make sure it's very clear what harm is."

The amendment states 'severe harm' to wildlife, water quality, and wetlands predominantly by vessels would qualify for a SPZ.

Wake said the bill has one more senate committee to go through before it makes its way to the House floor.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis.

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