Active cruisers needed to take FL anchoring survey this week
- Thread starter sea_casper
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I lived and anchored along Florida's west coast for eleven years between 1987 and 1998; I know something of the controversy. The core problem in my view is that the privilege of being able to anchor wherever you might wish along the vast expanse of Florida's coastlines does not not alleviate one's obligation to good citizenship, as some boaters evidently believe. Having a trashy, junk cluttered, ill-kept sailboat outside your window facing the canal is no different than having a neighbor with a beat up old car in his front yard getting repaired. Or, having a bunch of loud, drunk revelers 200 ft away from your door is no different than having them in the house next door. You call the cops to shut down the bad neighbors next door, but who do you call to shut down the boat party out back in the canal or ICW? Plus, in the latter case it's a moving target-- different groups of party hounds every other week or so, etc. We have ordinances to stop dogs barking all night for neighborhoods, but who goes to deliver the barking dog citation to the owners of the boat that just left after a week's stay, etc. Only recourse-- make a law that says they cannot be there at all. Sad-- very sad.
I think they do; but in any event I'm not referring to abandoned vessels. The Long Beach Municipal Marina "fixes" the abandoned vessel problem by impounding them and then auctioning them off. However, some cities or counties have to send crews to drag them off the beach at taxpayer expense, etc., when anchored off shore and then abandoned. In either case, ordinances are involved. Too much "free, unlimited anchorage" in nice areas accumulates its own float community and culture that even the cruisers themselves fighting for the privilege of lingering there may wish to avoid!!! One does not have to live in or near a gated community to experience it; there are many waterfront (canal) homes in Florida, some quite modest. If this were not a big (i.e., widespread) problem, then I don't think there would be so many people involved in its "resolution."
These same munis allow all manner of crazy vessels to accumulate in their waters. Anyone remember that liveaboard houseboat nonsense on the approach to Key West back in the 80's? The solution is to use the existing boating regulations that require financial responsibility (insurance) and up-to-date vessel registration. Ask FWC to patrol the anchorages and check the documentation. Require viable MSD's, enforce the rules. But when you tell me that I need to be some arbitrary number of feet from someone's waterfront in order to prevent damage, I call shenanigans. I've been struck by a boat that drug anchor 500 feet...and it continued on through the mooring field.
The only requirement for insurance that I'm aware is that which marinas or lenders impose; i.e., not statutory for recreational vessels. Documented vessels do have not external registration numbers, so the only way to know would be to "board" every one, etc. FL does not require both. And, so what if they have all of that stuff?; how would that solve the issue of reported bad behaviors which include, variously--trespassing, nudity, loudness, barking dogs, "public" urination, and theft? Cruisers with "good citizen cards" may stay, but those without must move on?
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Last time I checked all of those bad behaviors were subject to local ordinance. The anticipation of, or hypothetical possibility of...not so much.
Re: Active cruisers needed to take FL anchoring survey this
as I understand it, a city can declare and a large area a mooring field. then put a few moorings in, thus restricting the entire are to a handful of boats, where many used to anchor.
I don't think there are any rules for the number of moorings per sq mile. So the city could put in say, 5 moorings, rent them annually to home owners, and thus close the area.
I also don't think there are rules for how much anyone could charge...
State wide rules are the way to go...
as I understand it, a city can declare and a large area a mooring field. then put a few moorings in, thus restricting the entire are to a handful of boats, where many used to anchor.
I don't think there are any rules for the number of moorings per sq mile. So the city could put in say, 5 moorings, rent them annually to home owners, and thus close the area.
I also don't think there are rules for how much anyone could charge...
State wide rules are the way to go...
In any muni in fla there are rules for installing mooring fields including a mandatory requirement to provide shoreside facilities including a dink dock, showers, etc and the field layout has to be approved by fwc
Re: Active cruisers needed to take FL anchoring survey this
I took the survey some time back.
As a long time resident I think that limited statewide regulations that can be adjusted to meet the county needs are the way to go. Anyone that has been in South Florida and other parts of the state can tell you that Apalachicola does not need the same level of regulation as Fort Lauderdale. Just as we don't need parking lot marking in an empty farm field......
On the other hand it will be necessary to make sure that the groups that decide what regulations "fit" aren't made up solely of gold spoon types and those that feed off those gold spoons.
As for free and unfettered anchoring, the people that abandon or live aboard boats that resemble dumpsters (look and smell) have fixed that. My experience with that would be like someone parking clapped out campers in your neighborhood and have the toilets empty on the ground so everyone can enjoy it.
Try fishing for your dinner or gathering clams for chowder with that little picture in your head.
I took the survey some time back.
As a long time resident I think that limited statewide regulations that can be adjusted to meet the county needs are the way to go. Anyone that has been in South Florida and other parts of the state can tell you that Apalachicola does not need the same level of regulation as Fort Lauderdale. Just as we don't need parking lot marking in an empty farm field......
On the other hand it will be necessary to make sure that the groups that decide what regulations "fit" aren't made up solely of gold spoon types and those that feed off those gold spoons.
As for free and unfettered anchoring, the people that abandon or live aboard boats that resemble dumpsters (look and smell) have fixed that. My experience with that would be like someone parking clapped out campers in your neighborhood and have the toilets empty on the ground so everyone can enjoy it.
Try fishing for your dinner or gathering clams for chowder with that little picture in your head.