BUI Crackdown In Full Force This Weekend
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - South Florida law enforcement is out in full force this Labor Day weekend.
A boating under the influence (BUI) checkpoint, involving 10 agencies, was set up in an attempt to cut down the number of boating accidents.
"Right now we're in ground zero, if you will, this holiday weekend. There's a lot of boats out. We're trying to make sure that people are doing the right thing," said Jorge Pino with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We're patrolling specific areas to target boating under the influence."
The plan calls for marine units from every Miami-Dade coastal city along with the Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). They will saturate areas over the weekend in an operation that can best be described as a DUI checkpoint on the water. The operation is personal to Key Biscayne's Police Chief Charles Press.
"Just under a year ago my life hit ground zero, when my daughter was hurt out there on those waters, in that party atmosphere, that we are talking about," Press said.
Officials want boaters to be able to enjoy their time on the water safely, they responded to five minor safety calls while CBS4 was riding along with FWC.
Authorities are searching for boaters that may have had too much to drink in popular party areas such as Nixon Beach. Fireboats from the City of Miami monitored the activities at the boating spot Saturday.
"Have fun, don't drink but enjoy the day with your family and friends or whatever, go back and be safe," said Jorge Machete.
"Common sense is the main focus of what you should have when you're out here on the water," said Lt. Ignatius Carroll from the Miami Fire Department.
READ: BUI Crackdown Over Labor Day Weekend
Miami-Dade's Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced the increased patrols Wednesday at PortMiami.
Gimenez hopes this concentrated effort, that will happen once a month in targeted problem spots, will be the answer to preventing boating accidents.
"It's much better to prevent an accident than to respond to one. Once your responding, the damage is already done," Gimenez said.
"You have a lot of people that come out here and party and that's when things tend to get out of hand," said Carroll.
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