Motorboats are banned from the lagoon at Coquina Key Park under an ordinance St. Petersburg City Council passed 8-0. Kayaks, canoes, sailboats and swimmers keep it.

Motorboats are now banned from the mangrove lagoon at Coquina Key Park. St. Petersburg City Council voted 8-0 on Thursday to make the lagoon a swim area open only to boats under oars or sail.

That means kayaks, canoes and small sailboats can still use it. Anything with a motor cannot.

The vote is recorded in the council’s action-taken agenda for Nov. 5. Ordinance 654-H adds a new Section 7-104, “Coquina Key Park Lagoon,” to the City Code.

What the new rule says

The ordinance, published in the Nov. 5 council agenda packet, says:

  • no one may operate a motorized vessel in the lagoon’s swim area
  • vessels powered only by sail or oars are exempt
  • government-owned vessels on official duty are exempt
  • a violation is a noncriminal infraction, with the penalties set in Florida’s boating law, Chapter 327

The ordinance’s Exhibit A maps the boundary of the swim area and vessel exclusion zone.

Why the city did it

The ordinance gives the city’s reasons. It says the park has been used since it opened as a public swim area and a launch point for kayaks, canoes and other small craft. It says larger motorboats create hazards for swimmers and paddlers.

It also points to the lagoon itself. Mature mangroves enclose it, and its opening to the bay is only about 25 feet wide. The ordinance says that limits water circulation, so fuel and oil from motorboats get trapped inside. It calls the lagoon ideal habitat for wildlife, including the West Indian manatee.

The city’s business impact estimate says the change should not hurt any private business, because the lagoon sits wholly inside a city park. It says the change may help businesses that teach paddling or sailing or run eco-tours. There is no new fee; the park stays free.

How it got here

Council member Gina Driscoll filed the idea as a new business item on March 5, 2026, according to a memo from the City Attorney’s Office in the packet. The council’s Public Services and Infrastructure Committee backed it on June 11.

The city first asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to approve a vessel exclusion zone. The memo says an FWC permit technician recommended a swim area instead, because a swim area does not need FWC’s approval in advance. The council can set one through its normal ordinance process.

All eight council members voted yes on the final reading Thursday, with none absent.

When it takes effect

The ordinance takes effect after the fifth business day following adoption, unless the mayor files written notice sooner that the mayor will not veto it. In that case it takes effect at once.

The city still has to post signs. The memo says the city will apply to FWC for sign permits for the lagoon’s entrances after adoption. The business impact estimate lists those signs as the city’s only cost.

What it means for you

  • Kayakers and canoeists: nothing changes. The lagoon is now reserved for you and for swimmers.
  • Small sailboats: still allowed, under sail.
  • Anyone with a motorboat or personal watercraft: stay out of the lagoon. Use the open bay instead.
  • Swimmers and families: the city’s stated aim is to keep the lagoon a safe place to swim and to learn to paddle, especially for children.

Coquina Key Park is on Coquina Key in south St. Petersburg. See our parks and trails guide for other places to launch a kayak, and who to call at City Hall with questions.