The Dunedin Causeway spent nearly two years without motorized watercraft launching from its beach.
That was not the plan. Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the Causeway in 2024, forcing shoreline closures while Pinellas County repaired the roadway and erosion damage.
Jet Skis and other motorized vessels stopped crossing the beach to reach the water. City officials say wildlife increased, shoreline disturbance declined and some of the parking and trash problems tied to launching disappeared.
Dunedin has now decided not to bring that use back.
City commissioners voted unanimously Sept. 3 to prohibit launching or landing motorized watercraft along the south side of the Causeway, ending a months-long debate that drew personal watercraft enthusiasts, environmental groups and residents to City Hall.
The ordinance does not prohibit Jet Skis or other motorized vessels from operating in St. Joseph Sound or the Intracoastal Waterway. It closes roughly 1,000 feet of shoreline that had been available for launching directly from the beach. The north side of the Causeway, west of the drawbridge, was already closed to vessel launching.
The long closure gave city officials a chance to see what changed when motorized launching stopped.
City Manager Jennifer Bramley pointed to those changes when the ordinance was introduced this summer.
“During the time that the Causeway has been closed to motorized watercraft launching there has been a resurgence of seagrass, a resurgence of the native wildlife,” Bramley said. “The parking issues are no longer there, the trash issues are no longer there.”
The city later included those observations in the ordinance, citing increased marine and shore wildlife, less shoreline disturbance and improved pedestrian and cyclist safety after the closure.
Research cited by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program added to the environmental case.
A University of Florida study mapped vessel-induced seagrass scarring around the Causeway, including some of the heaviest impacts just south of it near Caladesi Island. Propeller cuts, groundings and wake-driven turbidity can damage seagrass and reduce habitat quality for fish and wildlife, with scars sometimes taking years or decades to recover.
The Suncoast Sierra Club also backed the restriction, arguing that keeping motorized launches off the shoreline would help protect beach renourishment work after the hurricanes. The group said the closure had aided habitat recovery and suggested portions of the Causeway could eventually support a living shoreline.
But seagrass was not what first pushed the city’s Causeway and Coastal Waterways Committee toward a ban.
Committee member Nancy Schmidt said the group had spent years dealing with traffic disruptions, police presence, Jet Ski rentals and other problems tied to the volume of personal watercraft using the Causeway.
“Our decision had absolutely nothing to do with seagrass,” Schmidt said. “I know that’s come into this, but it was really related to a lot of problems that we’re experiencing on the Causeway because of the volume of the Jet Skis and the manpower that was being involved taking care of these issues.”
Safety became another part of the city’s case. Dunedin Fire Chief Michael Handoga reported two Jet Ski-related fatalities since 2020, while the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office documented 80 Jet Ski-related incidents between Jan. 1, 2022, and April 30, 2026.
Vice Mayor Robert Walker said the storms also changed the waters around the Causeway. Walker, who said he captains the Caladesi Island Ferry, described expanded sandbars, shoaling and a tighter area where riders had launched from the beach.
“This is really about two issues,” Walker said. “Number one, safety and number two, lack of infrastructure.”
The former launch area is not a paved boat ramp. Watercraft were driven across the beach and launched directly from the shoreline.
“There’s no infrastructure there,” Walker said. “That’s just pure beach and it’s … just the wrong place.”
Opponents have argued that eliminating the launch punishes responsible riders for problems caused by a smaller group.
At the ordinance’s first reading in July, Cycle Springs PowerSports General Manager Nick Wadell urged commissioners to focus on individual behavior rather than eliminate access.
“I believe the fairest approach is to address specific behavior through clear expectations and individual accountability while preserving access for responsible riders,” Wadell said.
Others proposed permits, registration or user fees instead of a ban. Commissioners discussed those options during both hearings but ultimately decided the Causeway was not the place for a formal motorized launch.
The potential effect on nearby businesses also came up Sept. 3.
In a state-required business impact statement, Dunedin estimated that zero businesses would be directly affected. Commercial activity on city-owned land was already prohibited, and the city said it did not expect the change to hurt surrounding businesses serving Causeway visitors.
Commissioner Jeff Gow asked staff whether the city had conducted an economic analysis of nearby restaurants, shops, gas stations and other businesses.
Staff said it had not conducted an in-depth analysis. Officials said they had heard from Glen Steinke of High & Dry Grill, which staff considered among the businesses most likely to be affected, and that Steinke supported the ban.
Personal watercraft advocate Sean Spencer predicted a different outcome.
“We’re spreading the word to stay out of Dunedin,” Spencer said. “Don’t go to your gas stations, don’t go to your hotels. Instead, we’re moving our people to Pasco.”
When commissioners explained their votes, the discussion kept coming back to how much activity the Causeway can handle.
Commissioner Tom Dugard described the issue as a balance between individual rights and those of the larger community. The ordinance would not stop Jet Skis from operating in surrounding waters, he noted, but the city could control what launches from its shoreline.
Mayor Maureen “Moe” Freaney remembered when the city set aside space on the Causeway for motorized launching decades ago. At the time, she said, it made sense.
Since then, more personal watercraft, trailers and traffic have added to the number of people competing for space.
“I just think we’ve outgrown it,” Freaney said. “There’s too much going on. There’s too many safety issues, too many traffic issues that we’re dealing with.”
The storms forced Dunedin to see the Causeway without one of its longtime uses. When the city finally had to decide whether to bring it back, commissioners chose not to.
“I always like to say Dunedin likes to be everything to everyone,” Freaney said. “And I think this is just a situation where we just can’t be.”
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