Sarasota County is making a renewed request to slow motorized watercraft in the waters off South Lido Beach, following state rejection of a stricter no-wake proposal earlier this year.
County commissioners on Sept. 22 authorized staff to ask the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish a slow-speed, minimum-wake boating zone in Big Pass, between Lido and Siesta keys, adjacent to Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach.
The request follows more than a year of complaints from Lido Key residents and park users about boats and personal watercraft operating near swimmers. The county adopted an ordinance in December 2025 for an idle-speed/no-wake zone, but it cannot be enforced without FWC approval.
County staff submitted that ordinance to FWC on April 9, 2026. FWC replied May 20 that the cited conditions did not support an idle-speed/no-wake zone. After staff submitted video of personal watercraft activity, the agency issued a second denial dated June 3.
The revised proposal would seek a less restrictive slow-speed, minimum-wake designation. Commissioner Tom Knight supported pursuing the change but raised concerns that the term “minimum wake” could be subjective in enforcement. Commissioner Mark Smith, whose district includes Ted Sperling Park and Lido Key, said a slower-speed zone would be an improvement for the area.
The debate follows a fatal June 2025 crash in which Baltimore Orioles minor league player Luis Guevara was killed after the jet ski he was operating collided head-on with another personal watercraft.
