Motorized boats on Stevenson Creek will soon face a year-round slow-speed, minimum-wake rule after the Clearwater City Council approved a Manatee Protection Zone ordinance on Monday, Aug. 31.

The vote caps more than two years of resident advocacy. 10 Tampa Bay first reported that the Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group (SCAG), a local nonprofit, documented six manatee deaths in the estuary and recorded more than 250 manatees, including calves, using the creek.

"We've documented six deaths in the Stevenson Creek estuary," Mike Foley, SCAG vice president, told 10 Tampa Bay.

The zone stretches from Clearwater Harbor inland toward Overbrook Avenue, according to Fox 13. Much of that stretch is only one to three feet deep, according to residents and city officials, leaving manatees almost no room to dive beneath a passing boat or jet ski. Violators of the new speed rule could face fines.

The ordinance is not enforceable yet. Under Florida law, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) must review and approve the measure. FWC staff had already provided an initial review of the ordinance language to city staff before the vote, Bay News 9 reported Aug. 26. The agency said there is no statutory timeline for completing that review. Once approved, the city must obtain permits and install regulatory markers on the water before enforcement can begin.

The council unanimously advanced the ordinance on first reading Wednesday, Aug. 26. No individual vote tally from the final reading has been published.

Clearwater's marine and aviation department director, Mike MacDonald, told Bay News 9 on Aug. 26 that the creek's sheltered, flat water attracts jet skis and boaters. SCAG's citizen-science surveys in 2025 logged 161 adult manatees and 26 calves reported to SaveTheManatee.org. FWC data cited in a 2025 SCAG presentation showed five of nine manatee deaths around the estuary between 2016 and 2022 were caused by watercraft collisions.

The protection push gained momentum during a dispute over a proposed nine-dock project at the Serena By The Sea apartment complex. Developers Valor Capital used a state process to satisfy an environmental public-interest requirement through a monetary donation of about $24,300, according to a 10 Tampa Bay investigation. A Serena By The Sea spokesperson told 10 Tampa Bay on the day of the vote that the complex supports the protection zone. The dock project is in its final approval phase with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

SCAG member Sherry Day told 10 Tampa Bay the zone matters regardless of the dock project. "But there's more work to do," Day said. "We're not going away."