PALMA SOLA BAY – As captain of Anne’s Calmwater Charters, Anne Huber enjoys sharing her knowledge about manatees, dolphins and the local waters, but there is one question she’s often asked that’s difficult to answer.
On a recent boat tour of Palma Sola Bay, Huber pointed out a number of moored boats – some were taking on water, some partially sunken and many with registration numbers removed.
“Sometimes people will ask me about these boats,” Huber said. “I just tell them they’ll be removed eventually and crushed.”
Huber pointed out seagrass in shallow waters and mangroves lining the shoreline that can be destroyed by drifting unmanned vessels.
Residents of nearby Flamingo Cay ask the same question as Huber’s customers: Why do the apparently derelict boats remain?
“The derelict boats have been an increasing concern to our neighborhood, as well as other neighborhoods around the beautiful Palma Sola Bay,” Flamingo Cay resident Keith Burchett wrote in an email to The Sun.
“I would say that the problem appeared to be worse once the county started to make preparations to replace the Cortez bridge,” he wrote. “As of this morning, there is a sunk boat in the bay without lights that is causing a safety hazard and another boat drifted to the beach last week. It has since been removed from the beach, but I do not know when or by whom.”
Burchett said at least one of the boats was listed on a short-term rental website.
“Twice people came to my door asking how to get on the boat,” Burchett wrote. “We have never seen the rented derelict boats move. One has to wonder what is happening to the wastewater after the rental. I shudder to think they might be dumping the waste into the bay.”
Burchett said government agencies are aware of the problem, but do not claim jurisdiction over the derelict boats.
“Unfortunately, this is a problem for all of Manatee County. Palma Sola Bay has a long history of reported pollution creating unsafe conditions for swimming,” Burchett wrote. “These boats contribute to the problem due to human waste, gas, and oil being leeched every time a derelict boat sinks or comes adrift onto the beach. I am not an expert, but everyone knows if a boat has become too expensive for the owner, and it is legal just to anchor the boat in the water and leave it, the problem becomes the taxpayers’ problem at the end of the day.”
Another Flamingo Cay resident who asked not to be named spoke to The Sun.
“I’ve called FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), but nobody seems to want to do anything about this because they (the boats) are not blocking the channel,” he said.
Derelict boats come under the jurisdiction of the FWC and local law enforcement agencies.
“Derelict and at-risk vessels are a concern because they can endanger marine life and habitat, pose threats to public safety and cause property damage as they drift on or beneath the water’s surface. Derelict vessels that block navigable waterways can also pose a navigational hazard. Law enforcement officers with the FWC, as well as state, county and local officers, conduct periodic inspections and take appropriate actions to reduce the risk these vessels present,” according to the FWC website.
Derelict boats are tagged by local agencies and reported to FWC.
Intentionally dumping a vessel is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine, according to FWC. It can also result in restitution to the state for the cost of removal, along with fines.
