Dunedin city commissioners voted 5-0 Thursday night to permanently ban launches of Jet Skis and other personal motorized watercraft from the south side of the Dunedin Causeway.

The designated launch area has been closed since back-to-back hurricanes damaged the Causeway in 2024. The new ordinance ensures it will not reopen. The spot has served as a free public launch since the 1960s.

A petition opposing the ban gathered more than 1,500 signatures. Several residents spoke at the meeting, asking commissioners to keep the longstanding access point open. Alternative public and private ramps sit two to 12 miles away; some require paid parking.

Commissioner Tom Dugard captured the core tension during debate. “I hate to see the rights of the individual hampered. It always bothers me,” he said. “But then again there’s the rights of the collective, and we’ll have to weigh that. I think in this particular instance, we find that the rights of the collective have to supersede the rights of the individual.”

City officials cited safety and environmental concerns. Dunedin Fire Rescue responded to more than 3,200 calls for service in the broader Causeway area over five years. Those calls included boating incidents, water rescues, and many kinds of medical emergencies. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office records show 80 jet-ski-related incidents from January 2022 through April 2026. Two people died in Jet Ski incidents in the area since 2020.

Officials and supporters also pointed to environmental recovery during the storm-related closure. Seagrass beds showed less scarring and more wildlife appeared, according to residents and groups including the Sierra Club and Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Non-motorized users such as kayakers and paddleboarders have continued to use the shoreline.

Under the ordinance, a first illegal launch draws a warning. Repeat violations can bring a fine of nearly $100 and eventual trespass from the area. Motorized vessels already in the Intracoastal Waterway or St. Joseph Sound remain unaffected. Launching from the north side of the Causeway, west of the drawbridge, was already prohibited.

The decision follows months of workshops and two public hearings. Supporters of the ban framed it as protecting a shared resource. Opponents viewed it as closing a traditional, no-cost recreation option that families and local riders have used for generations, shifting them to more distant or fee-based sites. The vote makes the post-hurricane status quo official.

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