Nassau Bay delays floating dock at David Braun Park after boater safety concerns

NASSAU BAY, Texas — Nassau Bay city leaders and volunteers paused plans to install a floating dock at David Braun Park and a narrow portion of Clear Creek after public safety concerns from local boaters and additional review by the city and its maritime panel.

The dock proposal, advanced by Parks & Recreation staff and discussed repeatedly at the March council meeting, drew objections from boaters who warned it would disrupt traffic in a tight, heavily used channel. "The presence of that structure is gonna disrupt the natural flow of the recreational boating in this area of the creek," Omar Abatine, a resident and active boater, told the council during the public-comment period. He also said the petition opposing the dock had 65 signatures as of March 21.

Why it matters: The creek segment is a primary access route for kayakers, small boats and boaters heading to Galveston Bay. Safety concerns mounted in public comments and during committee discussion because the channel is narrow, heavily trafficked and already requires maneuvering near shallow rock edges.

City and committee review: The city’s Maritime Safety Committee reviewed signage, buoys and the prospect of a no-wake zone near the existing kayak launch. Audrey Hervey, vice chair of the Maritime Safety Committee, said the committee voted 4–1 against recommending a new no-wake zone in the proposed dock vicinity, and instead recommended additional signage and buoys to mark the cove and reinforce existing rules. "In a 4 to 1 decision, we decided that recommending a no wake zone in this area is not in the best interest of the residents of the city and those who use the waterway," she told council.

Parks staff and the mayor said the proposed floating structure is significantly smaller than some petitioners feared and that safety design choices remain under review. The Parks & Recreation director said the final dock design is "only 30 feet" and that earlier, larger plans had been reduced. "The final one's only 30 feet…it's not even close to being anything like a no wake zone," the director said, adding the design would include marker lights so boaters could see the structure at night.

Mayor comments and next steps: The mayor said the dock is on hold pending additional reviews. He emphasized local, state and committee input will be sought and that the Texas General Land Office (GLO) would be consulted. "There's still a lot of review that is gonna go on for the dock," the mayor said, and added explicitly that "there is no way that that's…a no wake zone is being considered" at this time. He also said the project had been included in the David Braun Park budget package earlier in the city’s capital planning process and that detailed drawings had been presented during the budget cycle.

Enforcement and legal context: Council members noted existing city ordinances that govern headway speed, no-wake behavior and rafting distances, and pointed to adjacent jurisdictions. Councilmember Chase (as cited in council discussion) referenced comparable provisions in League City and Nassau Bay’s own code (Chapter 22, Article 2) that define headway speed and distances from docks or people in the water. Committee members said new buoys marking the 100-yard anti-rafting zone would help enforcement and data collection.

What remains unresolved: The city manager and mayor said the city will seek technical input on structural resilience to storms, exactly where pilings and anchoring would be placed, whether the dock should be removable for hurricanes, and how notifications from any surveillance or monitoring would be handled. Parks staff said the vendor described several options, including removable or floating-anchored installations that could be taken in ahead of storms, and that emergency-services access had been discussed as an option for part-time use.

Votes and formal actions: No formal council vote on the dock issue was taken. Council placed the project on hold pending further review by staff, the Maritime Safety Committee, the General Land Office and consultation on engineering and safety details. Parks staff said the project remains in the David Braun Park budget but that specific design approvals would return to council once the city has completed the additional technical and jurisdictional reviews.

Bottom line: Council and staff signaled willingness to consider a small, engineered floating dock at David Braun Park but paused the project after substantial public concern and a mixed committee record. Officials said they will pursue further site engineering, jurisdictional review and safety analysis before any final decision or installation begins.