By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City homeowners sometimes have to deal with destructive wakes of water that crash again their garage doors and wipe out their flower beds.
Although the wakes occur during flooding, it’s not necessarily Mother Nature that is to blame. They are often churned up by careless, joyriding motorists who speed through flooded neighborhoods during storms, city officials say.
After growing tired of seeing motorists zipping through floodwaters, City Council approved a new ordinance in 2019 that essentially declared the entire city to be a “no wake zone” and backed it up with heavy fines for violators.
Now, Council is revising the ordinance to clear up some ambiguity with the language. The change includes a “legal distinction” that will help out Sea Isle’s police officers when they issue tickets to drivers who create the damaging wakes, City Solicitor Paul Baldini said.
The original ordinance was written to prohibit motorists from discharging “a wave which carries beyond the edge of the street or curb line” when flooding is at least 6 inches deep.
Baldini said police officers have been giving warnings to motorists but not necessarily tickets because they are unsure exactly where the curb line is when it is covered by flooding.
“They didn’t want to get out and stand in the water to find out where the curb is,” he said in an interview Saturday.
The proposed change simplifies the ordinance by stating motorists are breaking the law if they create “a wake that exceeds 6 inches.”
City Council introduced an ordinance that includes the revised language during its Nov. 24 meeting. A public hearing and final vote are scheduled during the Dec. 22 Council meeting.
Council President William Kehner, who was the chief proponent of the “no wakes” ordinance, explained in 2019 that homeowners in his neighborhood have had their garage doors damaged by drivers recklessly speeding through floodwater. At his house on 33rd Street, Kehner once had three flower boxes swept away by wakes of water.
Kehner’s neighborhood surrounding 33rd Street and Landis Avenue is one of Sea Isle’s flood-prone areas. Some homeowners intentionally leave their garage doors open several inches to try to lessen the destructive force of wakes of water. They would rather have water seep into their garages instead of having it slam into the doors and causing structural damage.
Some Sea Isle residents have taken matters into their own hands by posting their own “No Wake” signs in front of their homes in hopes of protecting their property. Private signs are not backed up by any laws or enforcement action. They are more of an appeal to common courtesy.
Under the ordinance, violators face a maximum fine of $1,250 and up to 90 days in jail. Kehner said in 2019 that the stiff penalties will “let the people know that we’re serious about damage to private property.”
The slight revision in the language to clarify the law does not change the fines or penalties.
“We’re not trying to make it more severe,” Baldini said.
Sea Isle is among a number of shore towns that have created “no wake zone” laws to protect homes and other property from damage. North Wildwood and Ship Bottom have adopted ordinances to deal with a similar problem.
Sea Isle’s ordinance says that damaging wakes of water “pose a real and present threat to the public health, welfare, and safety.”
“Council deems it prudent to protect the public health, welfare, and safety during periods of flooding by regulating the manner and speed of operation of motor vehicles driven upon the public streets and roadways during such flooding conditions,” the ordinance states.
