Commission backs expanding no-wake zone at Percy Miller Park in Jackson County

The Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources voted to recommend that the director establish an expanded no-wake (idle-speed) zone on Fort Bayou adjacent to Percy Miller Park in Jackson County.

Lieutenant Colonel Jex of the Office of Marine Patrol presented the proposal, describing a roughly 1,250-foot extension of the existing state no-wake area eastward from the park. Staff said the waterway narrows in places to less than 45 feet and is shallow, producing wakes that cannot dissipate before reaching private docks and structures. The proposed extension would keep traffic at idle speed through the constrained area and reduce wake-related impacts to shoreline property and people using the shoreline.

Marine Patrol estimated the extension would require vessels to operate at idle speed — approximately eight and a half minutes of transit time for the full length of the proposed zone — and noted the state already requires a 100-foot no-wake buffer around public ramps. Patrol staff said the request followed constituent complaints and social media posts documenting safety and wake issues.

Commissioners discussed whether a no-wake designation is already implied in narrow residential bayous; staff replied that while vessel operators are responsible for their wakes under state law, a posted no-wake zone provides clearer regulatory authority for enforcement in places where narrow, shallow conditions prevent wake mitigation. After brief discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the recommendation; the motion carried on voice vote.

The commission’s recommendation will go to the director for a final decision and, if adopted, would be posted and enforced by Marine Patrol.