MBNA is concerned about the 63rd street bridge opening times, the loud opening/closing horn blasts at all hours, and the large number of illegal and unruly Charters along the Indian Creek Waterway.
The 63rd Street Bridge across Indian Creek, mile 4.0, at Miami Beach, Florida, is a double-leaf bascule bridge with an 11 foot vertical clearance at mean high water in the closed position. The operating schedule for the drawbridge is set forth in 33 CFR 117.293. Navigation on the waterway is commercial and recreational. SITUATION:
The 63rd street bridge schedule, currently opening on the hour and half hour on weekends and on demand during the week, poses major traffic issues for residents and emergency vehicles as well significant pollution hazardous to the environment while hundreds of cars wait twice an hour when the bridge is open.
The majority of the times, the bridge gates come down about 2.5 minutes before bridge opens. This results in traffic congestion on both Alton Rd. and Indian Creek Drive when the approaching vessel is not even visible.
Videos taken show thatthe bridge is open and traffic is stopped for about 8 minutes for ONE boat and for about 10 minutes when there are two or more boats passing.
This issue is also a safety concern as fire trucks and police get stuck in traffic when the bridge is open.
The bridge opens for pleasure boats and charter boats that cruise down to 41st street and back since there’s no outlet at 41st street.
The bridge is not the Intracoastal Waterway. It is a section of Indian Creek. The City of Miami Beach has no control over the bridge which is operated by FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) over a waterway controlled by the USCG (US Coast Guard.)
Residents may contact Pablo Orozco at the FDOT ([email protected]) and Jennifer Zercher at the USCG ([email protected]) to express their concerns.
CONCERNS WITH CHARTER VESSELS
Many Charter vessels often request bridge openings during late hours of the night; (see videos below.) The loud music and loud repeated horn blasts to open and close the bridge in the middle of the night disrupts the sleep and the peace and quiet of residents in this area of Collins Ave. and Indian Creek Drive.
Many of the Charter vessels causing the unnecessary bridge openings are operating illegally. "Licenses are required in order to legally carry passengers for hire. This includes charters for fishing, sightseeing, diving, transportation, teaching or any use which is considered a “passenger for hire” situation."
Charter staff often park illegally on the street blocking Collins Ave. traffic.
Guests crossing street from hotels to board charter vessels jaywalk regularly which is a safety concern.
Littering on the public grass swales is also a concern.
The MBNA supports Commissioner David Suarez's efforts to curtail illegal and out of control Charter Operations on the Indian Creek Drive Waterway and City Wide.
The MBNA supports Items R5 AE (Charter Vessels to return to their marina by 9:00 p.m.) and R5Y (termination of parking on grass swales off ICD.)
March 3, 2024 COMMISSION MEETING UPDATE: Thank you to Mayor Steven Meiner and all CMB Commissioners for unanimously approving the Ordinance restricting charter operations on Collins Ave. from 41st to 63rd street. Only Hotel guests of the Eden Roc and the Fontainebleau Hotel (hotels with more than 350 rooms), and City of Miami Beach Residents, will be able to charter a boat docked at their marinas. All other charters are prohibited on the Indian Creek Waterways.
VIDEO SHOWING TRUCK BLOCKING COLLINS AVE TO DROP OFF ITEMS FOR A CHARTER DURING RUSH HOUR:
2-19-24 TRAFFIC BACKING UP ON INDIAN CREEK DRIVE & 63rd STREET FOR BRIDGE OPENING FOR ONLY ONE CHARTER YACHT:
2-20-23 BRIDGE OPENINGS Below are timed video clipsshowing excessive bridge opening times, loud horn blasts, and traffic back-ups as a result. This inconconvenience to drivers and emergency vehicles, is many times caused just to open the bridge for one vessel. VIdeos were taken by Dr. Manny Corrales looking down from Akoya Condo.
January 14, 2024 at 3:28 a.m. Photo below shows bridge opening at 3:28 a.m. for only ONE charter vessel going southbound.
Photo below shows bridge opening again at 4:00 a.m. on same day, Sunday, January 14, 2024, for the same vessel going NORTHBOUND. (This demonstrates that they opened bridge for a Charter vessel to drop off guests at a Hotel and then turned around to leave northbound 32 minutes later.)
January 24, 2024 at 3:59 a.m. Video and pics below show bridge opening for just one vessel. The excessive loud horn blasts can be heard in background, disrupting the peace and quiet of neighbor communities.
BRIDGE OPENING/CLOSING HORN BLASTS The current horn signals at the 63rd street bridge are TWO LOUD BLASTS prior to bridge opening and FOUR or FIVE LOUD BLASTS prior to bridge closing. These can take place at all hours during day and night, even when bridge is opening for just one vessel. The loud blasts create a nuisance and interrupt the peace and quiet of residents in the area.
The MBNA urges the CMB to work with the USCG and the FDOT to find a solution to reduce the noise decibels or the amount of horn blasts from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT BRIDGE OPENING SCHEDULE? § 117.293 Indian Creek. The draw of the 63rd Street Bridge across Indian Creek, mile 4.0 at Miami Beach, FL, shall open on signal except that: (a) Each day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Federal holidays, the draw need open only on the hour and half-hour; (b) From 7:10 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. to 6:59 p.m., Monday through Friday except Federal holidays, the draw need not open for the passage of vessels. (c) In February of each year during the period seven days prior to the City of Miami Beach Yacht and Brokerage Show and the four days following the show, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the bridge need not open except for 10 minutes at the top of the hour. At all other times the bridge shall operate on its normal schedule.
WHAT CHANGES TO THE CURRENT SCHEDULE IS THE MBNA RECOMMENDING? (see edits in green) The draw of the 63rd Street bridge across Indian Creek, mile 4.0 at Miami Beach, FL, shall open on signal (on demand) except that: (a) Each day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Federal Holidays, the draw may only open ONCE on the hour if there are vessels approaching that have requested an opening. (b) From 7:10 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays, the draw cannot open for the passage of vessels. The draw may only open on signal during these times if there is an emergency. (c) From 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily, noise decibels will be lowered and the amount of horn blasts will be reduced.
PAST PETITION On November 17, 2022, MB Resident Ellen Helman initiated the collection of online petitions. A total of 1,731 petitions were signed asking for the bridge to open on the hour only. Although the MBNA is not asking for signatures at this time, the MBNA supports that initiative.
WHO CONTROLS DRAW BRIDGES? The Coast Guard has jurisdiction over bridges which cross the navigable waters of the United States. Our authority relates to the location, clearances of bridges, bridge permits, construction activities, navigation lights and signals at bridges, and the regulations which govern the operation of drawbridges.
WHO DECIDES WHEN BRIDGES OPEN? Some South Florida drawbridges, including in Miami-Dade, operate under special regulations that let them have set times (also known as “peak times”) for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. For some drawbridges, the special regulations reduce or delay the frequency of bridge openings for boats during a specific time-frame like rush hour. Basically, tenders can prioritize drivers, pedestrian and bicyclist traffic over boat traffic during peak times. It’s worth noting that bridge tenders can open a span for a boat during peak times, but they’re not required to, except in certain situations such as an emergency, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/curious305/article258165073.html#storylink=cpy