Cocoa Beach wants to raise speed limit for boaters on Banana River

The Cocoa Beach City Commission passed a proposal asking Florida wildlife officials to review local manatee speed zones to give boaters faster transit routes through some parts of the Banana River.Cocoa Beach wants to raise the ocean speed limitCocoa Beach Mayor Keith Capizzi wants state officials to re-examine water speed limits across local waterways in his town.Capizzi said current restrictions turn the entire city into a slow-speed preservation zone, adding at least 30 minutes to travel times for residents trying to navigate the area. He wants to identify specific channels within the ocean where boaters would be able to travel a bit faster.Commissioners have asked the FWC to conduct a study on the potential of creating those channels and whether increasing the speed limit would impact the manatees. "We’re just asking for specific channels that are navigated more regularly be used for navigation rather than a preservation area," Capizzi said.Right now, the City Commission approved a