An executive order by Governor Ron DeSantis is stepping up enforcement by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) for recreational boaters to keep at least 50 feet apart and not have more than 10 people on board.
On Saturday afternoon, the FWC cleared the famous Sandbar near the Sebastian Inlet as well as the islands. The Sandbar is where boaters like to anchor to swim and socialize.
The FWC tells Sebastian Daily it is enacting the order to reflect direction from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Dept. of Health, and the Center for Disease Control.
This move comes after several complaints about crowd sizes on boats, the Sandbar, and the islands. Some boaters are worried that a few people not taking the rules seriously are ruining it for everyone else.
“I’m directing FWC to issue an emergency order to enforce the social distancing rules on the waterways,” DeSantis said in a news conference Friday.
The boat ramps in Sebastian are still open, but boaters will have to follow the emergency order if they plan to go out.