Nassau authorities conduct boater safety checks throughout Memorial Day weekend

It’s been a busy Memorial Day weekend for the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.

Hundreds of boaters were out, and so were the sheriff’s office marine units, looking for those breaking the laws.

“We’re looking for idle speed, wake zone violations, overloaded boats, people going south to the sandbars and stuff for the weekend and they take a lot of friends with them,” said Detective Ken Clements.

Action News Jax took a ride with Clements as he conducted safety checks.

He said 25 to 30 checks were conducted over the weekend, and the sheriff’s office continued to do them Monday.

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Boater David Adams and his family passed their safety check.

“Without safety, we can get out here, catch on fire, start having a leak and if you’re not prepared to keep your family safe, it’s no longer safe on the water,” said Adams.

According to AAA, fuel prices are more than 40 cents cheaper this memorial day compared to last year, just one of the reasons there are more people out on the water.

Clements said there was a boat crash over the weekend. A boat carrying six people hit a sandbar. One person was injured.

Cox Media Group