City Proposing Ordinance to Prohibit Launching of Motorized Vessels
Published on June 24, 2026
The City of Dunedin is drafting an ordinance to prohibit launching of motorized watercraft on the south side of the Dunedin Causeway. Commissioners provided consensus direction to City staff at the June 2 workshop to move forward with drafting the ordinance to address environmental and safety concerns.
The first public hearing of this ordinance is scheduled for the July 23 Commission Meeting, 6 p.m. at Dunedin City Hall. The public is encouraged to provide input in person, through e-comment available on the website once the agenda is posted, and by emailing the City Commission at: CityCommission@Dunedin.gov The Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) meeting scheduled for July 1 was canceled at their last meeting on May 6 for the Committee’s summer recess.
The Dunedin Causeway has been closed since 2024 due to damage that occurred during Hurricane Milton. Pinellas County is actively repairing the damage and expects construction to be completed by December. While the Causeway has been under repair, the ecosystem has been thriving.
“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,” said City Manager Jennifer Bramley. “The parking issues are no longer there, the trash issues are no longer there.”
The new ordinance only prohibits launching of motorized watercraft from the south side of the Causeway and will not impact the operation of motorized watercraft in the Intracoastal Waterway or the St. Joseph Sound. The launching of motorized vessels is already prohibited on the north side of the Causeway, west of the drawbridge.
Because there are no paved ramps on the south side of the Causeway, the public has to launch right from the shore.
“Shoreline launching has a lot of negative effects on the environment,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Tony Mulkey. “It can take ten years for boat scaring to recover in a seagrass bed. And those seagrass beds are vital for flora and fauna of the sound and the waterway itself.”
In addition to environment impacts, the ordinance will also address public safety concerns. Banning the launching and retrieving of motorized watercraft lowers the risk of collision with kayakers, paddleboarders and other people in the water. According to Fire Chief Michael Handoga, there have been two jet ski fatalities since 2020. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has also reported 80 jet ski related incidents between January 1, 2022, and April 30, 2026.
Instead of launching from the Causeway, the public will be directed to launch from public and private boat ramps(PDF, 264KB) located between two and 12 miles from the Causeway.
The ordinance has received support from Pinellas County, Causeway and Coastal Waterway Committee, Sierra Club, Tampa Bay Estuary, Dunedin Windlasses, and Dunedin Youth Sailing.
The ordinance requires two public hearings and two public notices. The first public hearing is scheduled for July 23 with the second one to be scheduled for August or September.