Miami-Dade's seasonal manatee zones take effect November 15, and none of them touch Black Point Park & Marina. The speed rules at the Black Point basin apply every day of the year.
In late September, the Florida Inland Navigation District approved $1,455,700 for "Black Point Marina Floating Docks Ph II." The award took effect October 1, 2026. For anyone in Cutler Bay who trailers a boat to the end of SW 87th Avenue, that grant matters more than the date on the manatee signs.
November 15 applies to channels farther north
Florida's manatee protection rule for Miami-Dade, Rule 68C-22.025, sets out a category of zones that run at slow speed from November 15 through April 30 and allow up to 30 mph the rest of the year. Those seasonal zones are marked-channel sections in the northern bay: the Meloy or East Channel, Dumfoundling Bay, the Intracoastal from Broad Causeway to the John F. Kennedy Causeway, and the stretch from the JFK Causeway to the Venetian Causeway. None of them is close to Black Point.
The same rule handles the south end of the bay through zones that never switch. Around Black Point it sets three:
- Black Point to Turkey Point Area. Slow speed in all waters within 1,000 feet of Biscayne Bay's western shoreline, year-round.
- Black Creek Canal Area. Idle speed year-round in the Black Creek Canal and the Black Point Marina Basin, south of a line set at the basin entrance.
- Northern basin. A year-round no-entry area covering the waters of the canal and basin south of Salinity Control Structure S-21 and north of that entrance line.
So a run from the Black Point ramp out to open water follows the same pattern in December as it did in July: idle through the basin, slow speed along the shoreline band, then the bay. The rule dates to 1991. FWC's Miami-Dade manatee protection zone maps note that the zone configuration is accurate as of January 2015 and advise boaters to follow the regulations as posted on the water.
Lobster season is open, but not in the bay off the jetty
The pattern continues once the lines go in the water. Florida's regular spiny lobster season runs August 6 through March 31, with a daily bag limit of six per person. FWC's lobster regulations also say harvest is prohibited "at all times" in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary and in the five Coral Reef Protection Areas in Biscayne National Park. FWC's Biscayne National Park fishing page places the park's near-shore waters inside that sanctuary. The season stays open on the calendar all winter, but the bay off the Black Point jetty stays closed to lobster harvest.
The park has its own fishing limits too. FWC lists a 10-fish aggregate limit for specified species inside Biscayne National Park, plus a bonefish closure from March 1 through May 31. That makes spring, not winter, the period when the park's fishing rules tighten.
The change this winter is at the ramps
The County applied for the floating-dock grant in spring. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's April 21, 2026 memo to the Board of County Commissioners describes the project at 24775 SW 87th Avenue in plain terms. It covers converting the existing boat ramps to floating docks, raising the ramp apron "in accordance with the recommendations of the applicable engineering and resilience study," and redoing asphalt, striping and surfaces within the project limits. The County said the work would be scheduled for the 2026-2027 fiscal year if the grant came through. FIND's awards list, dated September 24, 2026, shows the full $1,455,700 requested and awarded. FIND lists the total project cost at $3,664,000, while the County's memo estimates $3,644,000.
The engineering detail is the one that will matter at the ramp. A floating dock moves up and down with the water, so the boarding height stays about the same at every tide. A raised apron puts the top of the ramp higher. The County tied that second change directly to a resilience study, so the rebuild is meant to keep the ramp usable over the long term, not only to repave it.
No construction start date has been posted, and the County has not announced any ramp closure. Miami-Dade posts closures and reopenings on its Marina Alerts page, which is where any lane closures would appear once work is scheduled. For now, the County's park page lists the marina and boat ramp as open 24 hours, the marina office as open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the park as open sunrise to sunset.
On cost, the most recent County marina fee sheet is labeled effective October 1, 2025. It lists a car, truck or SUV boat launch at $20 Monday through Thursday and $30 Friday through Sunday and on holidays, with an annual permit at $360, or $180 for seniors. The marina office can confirm whether those rates still apply this fiscal year.
On land, the park is unchanged
Everything away from the ramps runs as it always has, and that is what most people come for. The County describes a 1.5-mile jetty, bike and jogging trails, a bait-and-tackle store, docks, a fuel pump, wet slips and a canoe launch. Greater Miami's visitor bureau names the two paths. The Biscayne Trail loops around the marina, and the Black Creek Trail leads out to the sandy jetty.
For paddlers, the County maps three one-way Black Point canoe routes.
- Route 1 at 0.8 miles, the short option.
- Route 2 at 2.41 miles, the longest.
- Route 3 at 1.74 miles, in between.
A kayak in the idle zone and a skiff on its way out share the same basin, which is one practical reason the year-round idle rule works.
The County lists Black Point Ocean Grill as the park's dockside restaurant and bar. The visitor bureau describes it as open-air, tiki-bar style, with seating that looks out over the marina. Hours can shift by season, so calling ahead before a post-launch lunch is a good idea.
Next door, Convoy Point's busy season starts
The winter calendar sits a few minutes away at Biscayne National Park's Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point. The National Park Service says late November through the end of April is the visitor center's busiest time of year. The Convoy Point grounds are open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the visitor center 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here is what the park calendar lists from this week through the holidays:
- Fishing Clinic, Saturday, November 7, 2 p.m. The clinic repeats weekly.
- Fishing Clinic, Saturday, November 14, 2 p.m.
- Bark After Dark, Saturday, November 21, 1 p.m. This is a special event, and the clinic follows at 2 p.m. the same day.
- Fishing Clinic, Saturday, November 28, 2 p.m., the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- Park After Dark, Saturday, December 19, 2 p.m. This is a special event, and the listing's photo shows marshmallows over a fire pit in front of the visitor center.
Rangers also run "Ranger's Choice" talks on most days at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. With the Saturday clinics, a winter weekend can include a morning launch at Black Point and an afternoon of fishing instruction at Convoy Point. Both spots sit on the same stretch of shoreline, and the 1,000-foot slow-speed band runs along it all year.
The Town of Cutler Bay has its own December date. The Holiday Golf Cart Parade, Toy Drive & Winter Celebration is set for Saturday, December 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Cutler Ridge Park, and the Town says more details are coming. For more on what's changing in town, see our look at Cutler Bay's 2026 openings and Legacy Park and the Cutler Bay neighborhood page.
The boating and fishing rules above are summarized from FWC and state sources as general information, not legal advice. The posted signs on the water and the agencies themselves have the final word.
Water access shapes the value of many homes from Cutler Bay down to the Keys, including how close a home is to a ramp and how a canal connects to the bay. If you would like to talk through what the Black Point improvements could mean for your property or your next move, Kelli Farrell is happy to help. Let's Connect.
