Recreational boaters may soon get the can on Beer Can Island.
Longboat Key officials are working to establish a prohibition zone for motorboats on the southeast side of Greer Island, more commonly known as Beer Can Island.
In recent years, sand has accreted along the eastern shore of the island, creating a spit of land that extends from the northern part of the key under the Longboat Pass Bridge and into the Intracoastal Waterway.
Sand swept around the Longboat Key point by the current has continually settled under the bridge over time — slowly closing off the Greer Island lagoon from its natural water movement, according to an April 19, 2021, report on the town website.
In a video with that report, the town indicated the accumulation of sand extended the Greer Island side of Longboat Key closer to the private Land’s End dock, putting recreational boaters in close collision with private property.
That brought the Longboat Key town commission to approve a motion June 6 advancing an ordinance that would create a public bathing zone and restrict some boating.
The proposal will create a continuous zone from the Greer Island lagoon to the beachfront along the southeastern portion of the county-owned park, which ends near the Land’s End property.
Also, Longboat Key police earlier this spring raised concerns about the safety of swimmers in the area due to currents in and around Longboat Pass.
Town staff reached out to Manatee County Marine Rescue Chief Joe Westerman, who advised that Longboat Pass is best avoided as a swim area.
The ordinance specifies the use of the Greer Island bathing area for wading, lounging and congregating in shallow water.
The swim area will be policed by the Longboat Key Police Department’s marine patrol, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine patrol and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, which also has jurisdiction.
The area for swimmers would be designated with buoys that read, “Motorboats prohibited.”
The city is working to have the ordinance in effect before July 4.
A special meeting on the ordinance will be at 1 p.m. Monday, June 20, at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.
For more information, go online to www.longboatkey.org.