See also Florida Wildlife and Fish Commission Proposed Anchoring Program and Lobbyists’ Report: Florida Legislation Sessions.

Florida Anchoring Update March, 05, 2017

Capitol Access is contacting other Lobbyists that have an interest with the navigable waterways, to understand each of their positions relative to ours. So far, the groups are synchronized in their positions fairly well … they are not promoting any issues or amendments that are averse to ours. This process of collaboration among all similar (and dissimilar) groups must take place continually, on a day-to-day basis, throughout the session.

Currently, Capitol Access is tracking House and Senate bills to identify any amendments that might get filed … they are ready to take a position on them as the bills get scheduled for hearings throughout the committee process. We are well-positioned with this. Capitol Access will keep us updated as amendments may be filed and as the bills get scheduled for hearings.

Survey: A lobbyist for Rybovich Superyacht Marina in Palm Beach County (http://www.rybovich.com/directions) has mentioned interest in anchoring restrictions at or near their entrance channel to ensure adequate ingress/egress/turn-around for the large vessels that they service. We not familiar with that channel. Presumably there are areas in this proximity where cruisers commonly anchor. If an amendment is filed to create a no-anchoring zone, we need local knowledge to assess the scope/breadth of the language relative to the
facts on the water.

Please advise if any boater can offer information relating to anchoring on the ICW between West Palm Beach and North Palm Beach. Respond to Mike Bodin mbmtoa@gmail.com

See also Florida Wildlife and Fish Commission Proposed Anchoring Program and Florida Anchoring Update March, 05, 2017.

Capitol Access, Jerry Paul, Esq. Lobbyists at Florida’s State Capitol; News Release

Today marks Day 1 of the annual 60-Day Legislative Session. Although the House and Senate Committees have been meeting fairly continuously since December, the actual session, including consideration of bills on the full chamber floors, begins today. The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m. and the House convenes at 10 a.m.

The opening day will largely be consumed with ceremonial events. Thereafter the pace will pick up quickly. This should be an interesting session. There are many newly-elected legislators following the recent elections and the conclusion of term limits for many past members. Of course many officials are already looking to their next election so some policy positions tend to be colored by that. (Remember, all of Florida’s Cabinet members – Governor, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Chief Financial Officer – are up for election in just 20 months). But, there are also many serious matters on which the chambers will ultimately come together to resolve, not the least of which is the State Budget which will exceed $82 Billion. Although the State is expected to have a small surplus, the funds are largely already obligated so it is expected that it will ultimately be a tight budget year, particularly in the context of pending requests filed by members totaling more than $100 Million.

Today also marks the deadline for filing bills. The House and Senate bills on anchoring have both been officially filed. They are essentially identical and still reflect the provisions that we previously circulated. These bills will now move through the committee process including 3 committee hearings in the House and 3 committee hearings in the Senate. Then the bills will be heard on each of the full chamber floors and, if passed, would then go to the desk of the Governor for his consideration. The lead on these bills is Representative Holly Raschein (RFlorida
Keys) who has invited me to attend a Stakeholder Meeting on Thursday during which all represented interests will sit together and go through provisions of the bill(s) to discuss any opposition. I will also be meeting with Senator Lauren Book who is the Senate Sponsor. We will provide a debrief to you thereafter.

Submitted by Mike Bodin
MTOA Public Advocate

Derelict and abandoned vessels are a huge factor in the increasingly restrictive anchoring regulations in Florida. See Derelict Boats Accumulating along Central Florida Coast and MTOA Anchoring Florida Legislative Update 2/24/2017

FWC announces final opportunity for municipalities, counties to apply for derelict vessel removal funds
CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT

Our thanks to Mike Bodin of Marine Trawler Owners Association for this updated perspective on Florida’s anchoring restrictions. See Florida Wildlife and Fish Commission Proposed Anchoring Program and Anchoring Rights Lobbying Volunteers Needed. 

Anchoring Florida Legislative Update 2/24/2017
Presentation of the Proposed Committee Bill (“PCB NRPL 17-01 – Vessels”) was positive. The Chair of the committee and its members have been accessible to us and responsive to our positions. Our lobbyists, Capitol Access have been in constant contact with committee members prior to the drafting of the bill and continuing.

So far, the team effort lead by MTOA along with AGLCA, SSCA, DeFever and many others has worked well to help shape the initial draft of the Bill that has been filed in the House as a Committee Bill by the House Natural Resources & Public Lands Subcommittee The Bill itself is consistent with the input from our team, which collectively considered all provisions recommended by the FWC (Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission). All positions
of our cruisers groups are reflected in the bill as it is currently drafted. Good job to all and appreciate your thoughtful, timely response.

On Wednesday, the Committee meet to hear the bill publicly and vote on whether the Committee itself would move forward as its official sponsor. Our lobbyists, Capitol Access, attended and represented us including Jerry Paul, our lead lobbyist, who provided comments to the committee stating our general agreement with the provisions and thanking the committee for excluding provisions that would have created no-anchoring set-backs from residential
property; excluding provisions that would carve out specific no-anchoring zones; and including provisions ensuring that anchoring regulations remain in the jurisdiction of the State rather than allowing local jurisdictions to create a confusing patchwork of anti-anchoring ordinances.

Mr. Paul also mentioned our intent to seek a reduction of the 300-foot buffer around mooring fields which is a provision in the current version of the bill. The committee voted unanimously to proceed forward with the bill.
Next, it will receive referrals to multiple committees that will hold hearings and consider amendments that may be filed. Chair of the originating committee has agreed to meet with us and continue working with us. We will be vigilant in all committees to review and represent ourselves as to any amendments that may be adverse to our interests. There may be a need for cruisers to attend such hearings in Tallahassee.

Also, we are anxiously awaiting the filing of a bill on the Senate side. The process there will repeat that of the House as described above. The committee hearing process will continue until a final bill on the House and Senate reach their respective chamber floors for final votes which will occur sometime prior to the end of the official 60-day Legislative Session which begins on March 7.

We will continue to keep you updated. For now, you can be proud of the success you are having as a team that took the time to step up and speak out. However, we have future challenges ahead, and your presence at Florida’s Capitol may be requested for one (1) day. If you can attend you are requested to bring a burgee attached to a wooden rod aprox.3/8” Día X 24” Long. This will give committee members an additional visual demonstration of the boating
community’s support for unnecessary new anchoring regulations.
Mike Bodin
MTOA Public Advocate
mbmtoa@gmail.com

Our thanks to Mike Bodin of Marine Trawler Owners Association for this updated perspective on Florida’s anchoring restrictions. See Florida Wildlife and Fish Commission Proposed Anchoring Program . 

MTOA Florida Legislature Update 2/16/2017
Enclosed is the latest review from Capitol Access in Tallahassee representing the following Boating
consortium: SSCA, Standing Watch, AGLCA, MTOA, CFFW.
We are promoting safe and considerate use of anchorages, and opposed to unjustified regulations of
Florida’s waterways.
The Boating consortium has had great success with the initial bill that was filed last night. The provisions
of the bill are consistent with essentially all components of the consortium’s position:

1. The STATE reserves all authority to adopt anchoring and mooring regulations (therefore avoiding a
patchwork of differing regulations at the local level).

2. There are no anchoring setbacks measured from residential waterfront properties.

3. The setbacks from boat ramps, launch facilities and marinas is 150 feet.

4. The buffer around existing mooring fields is 300 feet (as-recommended by FWC

5. There are no additional anchoring limitation areas throughout the State
This bill will be filed by the House Committee on Natural Resources and Public Lands, Chaired by Rep. Holly Raschein whose district covers the Florida Keys. The next step will be for the Committee to vote on whether the Committee itself will file this as a bill sponsored by the Committee (rather than a bill filed and sponsored by an individual member). Following that vote, the bill (called a PCB or Proposed Committee Bill) would then receive referrals to multiple committees and be heard in each one successively. Of course, Capitol Access would be in attendance at every step and provide their input.

Capitol Access will watch for any amendments that are filed. There may be a need for our boaters to appears and give testimony.

There is no Senate bill filed yet. Capitol Access is lead lobbyists.

Mike Bodin
MTOA Public Advocate

The Concerned Cruisers’ Committee (CCC) of Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) has, for many years, supported the rights of cruisers to navigate, anchor and enjoy the “Seven Seas” both in the U.S. and abroad. We have had recent success in Annapolis and in Georgia, and we are engaged in South Carolina, Washington and California.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOTE: Ignore the “Log In to Donate” and go directly to name/address form.
 

1/23 A good news update from MTOA Public Advocate, Mike Bodin:

But as of now (1/23/2017), SSCA, AGLCA and MTOA have raised over half of the funds from their membership for the Lobbyists. Capital Assets has agreed to represent the boating community and their office is in Tallahassee.

And this from Mike Bodin:

Mates,
As you know Florida’s legislative session has started. The Environmental Preservation and Conservation committee heard the first presentation by The Fish and Wildlife Conversation commission (FWC) on the Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program. [See /161714] Anti-anchoring representatives were present and offered presentations.

The window is closing for us to be effective with ongoing legislation. Capitol Access team did a great job representing our anchoring concerns in 2014,and 15. Without professional representation I fear legislation will be made and passed into law prohibiting anchoring by county designation with state approval. This Florida law can be the basis of others to follow along the ICW corridor. Like cancer, a small start than it spreads and very difficult to stop.

Time is against us to raise monies for a professions lobbyist. MTOA donation survey results are very promising, AGLCA is now surveying their members and results will be available shortly.

SSCA CCC has lead the boating community in the past. Anti-Anchoring is a pain in every boater’s thoughts. Future state laws to prevent anchoring along the ICW surely can be compared to the spread of cancer. We must unite and knock it out before it gains traction.

Enclosed is a boaters rights donation form to your GoFunfMe site. Due to the tremendous time limitation now in place we request SSCA blast email the form to your membership. Within a couple of days, we will have a good idea if a lobbyist can be added to our anti-anchoring efforts.

Thank you for consideration and hopefully participation.

Mike Bodin
MTOA Public Advocate

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM MTOA

And from America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association:

Boater’s Rights Interest Survey
Florida’s 1,000-mile intracoastal waterway has often been called the boaters’ highway. Wealthy waterside residents in conjunction with several counties want to enact anti-anchoring laws. Last year Florida’s governor signed into law temporary nighttime anti-anchoring restrictions in several counties. Boaters must unite to stop the spread of anti-anchoring legislation.

CLICK HERE FOR AGLCA’s SURVEY ON BOATERS’ RIGHTS

CLICK HERE for more information on Seven Seas Cruising Association

MTOA is joining other boating organizations in requesting donations toward lobbying for boaters’ rights in Florida. See /162138 for more information on anti-anchoring regulations.

CLICK HERE FOR MTOA’S REQUEST FOR FUNDS

This discussion comes from Kevin Wadlow on keynoter.com.

Boaters operating in Florida Bay waters of Everglades National Park must complete an online education course under a new regulation expected to take effect within months.

That pending rule prompted advisers to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to ponder whether a similar educational requirement could be adopted to help protect oceanic resources in the 2,900-square-mile sanctuary. he question returns to the volunteer sanctuary council at its next meeting, Oct. 18 in Ocean Reef on North Key Largo.

In August, Everglades National Park planner Fred Herling briefed the sanctuary council on the park’s new Florida Bay boating rules scheduled to “roll out in late 2016.” Those will require completion of a free one-hour online boat-operator course that focuses on “resource protection, safety [and] respectful boating.”

The course must be completed before boat owners can get an annual or seven-day permit to operate in park waters. Park boat permits likely will cost $50 per year or $25 for seven days, but fees may be phased in over a period of months. When enacted, fees to launch at the Flamingo ramp will be dropped.

Boat-permit proceeds, estimated at $500,000 annually, would help increase funding for on-the-water enforcement rangers, marker maintenance and marine research, Herling said.

Everglades National Park has authority to enact boat permit fees and operator-education requirements for Florida Bay waters that lie in its jurisdiction. The marine sanctuary lacks such authority.

With an updated management plan for the Keys sanctuary taking shape, now may be the time to seek a new boating-education rule, some council members suggested in August. Others expressed doubt, pointing to a complex maze of regulatory approvals needed at the state and federal level.

Advocates of boater education for sanctuary waters, largely intended to keep vessels from striking reefs or scarring shallow seagrass flats, have made their case since the national marine sanctuary’s inception in 1990. But enacting a sanctuary boating license remains little more than an uncertain concept.

The Oct. 18 agenda item, “Boater Education in the Florida Keys,” is scheduled for approximately 2:15 p.m. at the Ocean Reef Cultural Center.

“It’s essentially a continuation of the earlier discussion on the potential to seek something like Everglades National Park, whether it’s mandatory or voluntary,” Deputy Superintendent Beth Dieveney said Thursday.

Council members could ask for more specific information on the process or vote on a resolution.

The Sanctuary Advisory Council, comprising 20 appointed Keys representatives from community, business and conservation sectors, does not have rule-making authority. However, sanctuary staff generally give the council’s recommendations and guidance considerable weight.

Missing managers

Kevin Wadlow: 305-440-3206

This is one very important survey that cruisers definitely will want to take. We can only keep our fingers crossed that the right questions will be asked and that our answers, observations and suggestions will be heeded, unlike past conversations with the FWC.

FWC seeks public input on anchoring and mooring rules, pilot program
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is seeking feedback from cruising boaters, local boaters and other residents in evaluating the state’s Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program and related ordinances.

The FWC has posted a brief online survey to accept this feedback. It should take approximately five to 10 minutes to complete and will be available to the public Oct. 1-9. Survey

Any input is greatly appreciated in evaluating and improving boating in Florida.

The Florida Legislature established the Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program in 2009. The intent was to explore potential options for regulating the anchoring or mooring of non-live-aboard vessels outside the marked boundaries of public mooring fields throughout the state.

After public input, the FWC selected the cities of St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Stuart (in conjunction with Martin County) and the cities of Key West and Marathon (in conjunction with Monroe County) as five sites for the pilot program. They were granted temporary authority to regulate mooring in their jurisdictional waters through local ordinances.

All ordinances enacted under authority of the pilot program will expire on July 1, 2017, and will be inoperative and unenforceable thereafter, unless re-enacted by the Legislature.

Participation in the survey will help determine the effectiveness of the program, developed ordinances, and a variety of concepts related to specific restrictions on anchoring of vessels which may be considered in the future.

To access the survey and for more information, go to MyFWC.com/Boating.

And this from Glen Moore on the AGLCA Forum:

The Florida anchoring issue will be with us every year. This survey is part of the planning for next year’s legislative session and more legislation limiting anchoring. More communities will be vying to be included in the anchoring bans that were granted in two south Florida counties last year.

As a life-long resident of Florida, I have watched the law-making process over many decades. It is ironic that a state legislature with the majority of its members being elected on the platform of less government continue to issue laws regulating all forms of personal choice, including where one might anchor. Sorry if this sounds political, but this is a political issue and I have attempted to craft words in a benign manner.

If any of you are Floridians, and have decided to provide input through this survey, please take your time in studying each question (and there are many, particularly if you have anchored in a pilot project area since 2011) before answering. As an example, some of the questions refer to the appropriate distance to be anchored from residences or marine structures such as boat ramps. While you might have a great opinion of how far you believe is appropriate, any answer of a distance could result in laws regulating how far you must anchor. Any distance required could be difficult to follow given how large your swing circle could be. You could anchor at the appropriate distance, the wind direction change resulting in your boat swinging into an illegal spot. In many areas, laws regulating how far one can anchor from a residence will create overlapping illegal areas that essentially bans anchoring.

Last year, I wrote my State Senator questioning the proposed, and eventually passed law for south Florida. He responded that the anchoring law was needed for safety – that people water skied in the area and boats at anchor are a safety issue. I responded that they law did not prohibit anchoring in the day time, when there were people water skiing, only at night when people did not water ski – so the proposed law had no impact on the safety of skiers. He did not respond and voted for the anchoring prohibition.

We have some tough battles ahead. Our fight in Florida is not just for reasonable anchoring laws in Florida. Legislatures tend to copy laws from other states. As anchoring laws in Florida get legislated, other states will soon follow – Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina . . .

My recommendation on the survey is to use the comment box at the end of the survey to build your case that no additional anchoring laws/restrictions are needed in Florida.

Be aware that waterfront homeowners will also be responding to the survey.

Glen Moore
Last Dance, DeFever Passagemaker 40
Flagler Beach, FL