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Indian River Lagoon No-Wake & Manatee Zones (Vero to Sebastian)
5 min read·Local BoatingRegulationsManateeIndian River
FWC writes a lot of $90+ tickets in the lagoon for one reason: people don't slow down at the white signs. Here's a plain-English map of where speed actually matters between Vero and Sebastian.
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The four zones you'll cross most
- Vero Beach city limits — slow-speed minimum wake, year-round, both sides of the 17th St. bridge
- Wabasso channel — slow-speed minimum wake within 100 ft of the causeway
- Sebastian River mouth — idle-speed Nov 15 to Mar 31 (manatee season)
- Sebastian Inlet basin — slow-speed minimum wake inside the park boundary, year-round
Reading the signs
- Orange diamond = warning, no speed limit
- White diamond, 'IDLE SPEED' = literally idle, no plane, no wake at all
- White diamond, 'SLOW SPEED MIN WAKE' = off-plane, fully settled in the water
- Seasonal signs say MANATEE ZONE with dates — those rotate by year, read them
Need this done on your boat?
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