Southern Boating: Inside Florida’s Controversial Boat Law And The Surprising Truth About PERMANENTLY Anchored Vessels!
Southern Boating has produced an excellent PodCast on the Florida anchoring issue. You should find it interesting and well-researched. It provides a balanced view of the issue and the need for a solution.
In this special episode of the Southern Boating Podcast, hosts Ian Sneed and James Anderson dive into House Bill 481 and the growing boating crisis in Miami Beach. After meeting with City Commissioner Suarez and Miami Beach Police – Marine Unit, we saw firsthand the issues that have led to the push for new anchoring regulations.
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Comments from Cruisers (2)
Our organization, the Boaters' Rights Advocacy Coalition, is a joint effort of the America's Great Loop Cruisers Association, Marine Trawler Owners Association, Seven Seas Cruising Association, and DeFever Cruisers, and these constituent organizations have about 20,000 active boating members. We disagree with some provisions of HB481/SB866. These bills were not written by boaters in spite of the claims in this video.
In Florida the bottomlands are held in the Public Trust, and managed for the benefit of all. Bottomlands are not the property of local municipalities, nor of wealthy waterfront landowners. These bills seek to grant local municipalities control of the bottomlands, and permit landowners to ban anchoring in front of their houses. We strongly disagree with those provisions.
Derelict boats are a problem throughout Florida. Existing state law (327.4108) allows counties to create Anchoring Limitation Areas up to 100 acres in size with the intent that long term anchored boats are not permitted in those areas. In Miami Beach more than ten ALAs are needed to get control of the derelict boat problem. Instead of local control we favor increasing the size of ALAs to allow Miami Beach to establish a workable ALA. We also favor increased enforcement of ALAs and increased funding for efforts to remove the derelict boats in these waters.
Please visit our website for more information on this topic.
Thank you for sharing this podcast from Southern Boating! The discussion around House Bill 481 and permanently anchored vessels in Miami Beach is certainly a pressing issue, balancing the rights of boaters with environmental concerns and waterfront community interests.
While the primary focus of OPA 90 is oil spill prevention, liability, and response, its core principles—environmental protection, regulatory compliance, and responsible maritime operations—are relevant to this discussion. The presence of long-term anchored vessels raises concerns about pollution, waste management, and navigational safety, all of which align with the broader goals of OPA 90. Proper oversight and sustainable anchoring regulations can help mitigate environmental risks while ensuring fair access for responsible boaters.
I look forward to listening to the podcast to gain further insight into how Florida’s evolving maritime laws are shaping the future of anchoring regulations. Finding a solution that upholds both boater freedoms and environmental stewardship will be key.
Would love to hear other perspectives on this!
https://resolvemarine.com/