Florida Administrative Code › 68 - FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION › 68D - Vessel Registration and Boating Safety › Chapter 68D-23 - UNIFORM WATERWAY MARKERS IN FLORIDA WATERS › Section 68D-23.108 - Specifications for Markers

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) A marker placed
				in, on or over the waters of the state or shores thereof may be displayed as a
				buoy bearing letters, numbers or a symbol on its surface, or as a sign mounted
				on a buoy, piling or other structure, or as a sign on the shore.
(2) Buoyed signs and markers must extend not
				less than 36 inches above the surface of the water. A sign suspended above the
				water must have a minimum of 25 feet clearance from the mean high water mark to
				the bottom of the sign.
(3) A buoy
				whose sole purpose is to carry a sign above it shall be marked with three
				horizontal bands of international orange alternating with two horizontal bands
				of white, each band placed completely around the circumference of the buoy and
				occupying approximately one-fifth of the total area of the buoy's surface above
				the waterline. All markers shall be made of materials which will retain,
				despite exposure to weather and other elements, their color, shape, legibility
				and position.
(4) All letters on
				green or black backgrounds shall be white. All letters and numerals on red or
				white backgrounds shall be black, except that white retroreflective letters and
				numerals may be used on a red background. All letters and numerals shall be of
				block characters of good proportion, spaced in a manner which will provide
				maximum legibility and of a size proportionate to the size of the
				marker.
(5) Retroreflective
				materials must be used for all displays on markers that are required to be
				international orange and as otherwise required in the United States Coast Guard
				Aids to Navigation Manual - Technical (COMDTINST M16500.3A). The white
				background dayboard film material for all information, danger, exclusion, and
				regulatory signs installed or replaced after July 1, 2006, shall be
				retroreflective. Retroreflective materials may be used for any other portion of
				a marker.
(6) Every pile used in
				waters of this state to support signs for waterway marking purposes must have
				two bands of white tape placed around it. The bands of tape must be placed
				separately around each pile for dolphins, clusters, and other structures using
				multiple piles for support. The tape must be six inches wide and made of
				self-adhesive (pressure sensitive), diamond-grade, white, retroreflective
				material. The top of the first band must be placed six inches from the bottom
				of the sign; the top of the second band must be placed eight inches from the
				bottom of the first band. The tape must be installed with a minimum overlap of
				one inch over the entire six-inch width of the band. On wooden piles, the tape
				must be additionally secured using not less than four stainless steel, one inch
				staples driven through the area of the overlap. If the tape becomes
				delaminated, cracked, checked, weathered, or abraded so as to have a dull or
				roughened surface, it must be replaced. Any existing tape must be removed
				before applying the replacement tape.
(7) All buoys other than mooring buoys must
				be attached to the water body bottom using anchors, sinkers, chains, shackles,
				swivels, and bridles that meet or exceed the specifications in the United
				States Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Manual - Technical (COMDTINST
				M16500.3A).
(8) Mooring buoys are
				white cylindrical or spherical with a blue band located near the top of the
				buoy. All mooring buoys must be attached to the water body bottom using
				anchors, chains, shackles, and swivels, and must be equipped with pennants that
				are of sufficient size, strength, and holding power for their intended purpose.
				Anchors or anchoring systems for mooring buoys must be embed in the water body
				bottom. The use of a sinker (a weight, usually metal or concrete, that rests on
				the bottom without embedding) to anchor a mooring buoy is
				prohibited.
Rulemaking Authority
					 327.40,
					 327.41 FS. Law Implemented
					 327.40,
					 327.41
					 FS.
New 12-23-01, Amended 10-5-06,
					 10-6-10.