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Old 21-11-2014, 13:33   #16
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

I haven't read the legislature. That's why I'm asking.


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Old 21-11-2014, 15:07   #17
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

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Have you actually read the proposed rules?

This is federal and modest income cruisers vs. state and super wealthy issue. The only reason you are now saying "what's the big deal" is that cruisers stood up and did something about it last time the anchoring issue came up.

If this legislature is allowed to pass it's going to put a serious hurt on anchoring in florida. Where your pops is, for example, may be off limits to anchoring or be seriously limited. You would not be able to stay put in a place you like, and you would be faced with constant bangs on the hull for inspections by the local police. Heavy and steep fines that are legit or etc. etc.

This is bad legislature.
Bad legislature? Maybe, but controlling anchorages is a must if you want to remain an attractive venue, and I think that most of Florida's coastal towns would rather loose a little "freeloader" business than be turned into uncontrolled nautical parking lots during the Winter months.

I'm all for freedom of anchoring, just as long as there's enough room and resources for everyone involved, but let's face it; Florida is already dealing with major runoff and water supply issues thanks to it's industrial farms, lawns and golf courses, and having more people pooping in the ICW and other bodies of water isn't going to help.

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Old 21-11-2014, 15:40   #18
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

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Bad legislature? Maybe, but controlling anchorages is a must if you want to remain an attractive venue, and I think that most of Florida's coastal towns would rather loose a little "freeloader" business than be turned into uncontrolled nautical parking lots during the Winter months.

I'm all for freedom of anchoring, just as long as there's enough room and resources for everyone involved, but let's face it; Florida is already dealing with major runoff and water supply issues thanks to it's industrial farms, lawns and golf courses, and having more people pooping in the ICW and other bodies of water isn't going to help.

Jacques
It's already illegal to poop in the ICW and other bodies of water controlled by the state of Florida. How many laws do we need to prevent it? If someone is already violating a state law and a federal law by doing so, why would they be inclined to obey another one? When the cops start pulling over RV's to make sure they aren't dumping their crap on the highway, maybe I'll approve of being stopped in my boat to check my MSD. In the meantime I'm tired of being treated like a 5th class citizen. This whole thing is about wealthy waterfront home owners wanting to control the waters.

I just got a survey request from the FWC. I took the survey but it's a stacked deck. The survey assumes that anchoring restrictions are going to be enacted and left up to the whim of local city and county governments. While I do understand that in some cases anchoring restrictions might be necessary for safety or ecological reasons I think the locals should have to make their case to the the USCG and justify restrictions to navigation.
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Old 21-11-2014, 15:52   #19
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

There is apparently a lot of education left to be completed.


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Old 21-11-2014, 16:07   #20
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

The rules in Palm Beach are actually pretty simple, your boat should be worth the same or more than the houses in the area to which you are providing their owners an all day view of your boat.
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Old 21-11-2014, 16:08   #21
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

Can someone please send me a link to the proposal?


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Old 21-11-2014, 17:02   #22
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

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It's already illegal to poop in the ICW and other bodies of water controlled by the state of Florida. How many laws do we need to prevent it? If someone is already violating a state law and a federal law by doing so, why would they be inclined to obey another one? When the cops start pulling over RV's to make sure they aren't dumping their crap on the highway, maybe I'll approve of being stopped in my boat to check my MSD. In the meantime I'm tired of being treated like a 5th class citizen. This whole thing is about wealthy waterfront home owners wanting to control the waters.

I just got a survey request from the FWC. I took the survey but it's a stacked deck. The survey assumes that anchoring restrictions are going to be enacted and left up to the whim of local city and county governments. While I do understand that in some cases anchoring restrictions might be necessary for safety or ecological reasons I think the locals should have to make their case to the the USCG and justify restrictions to navigation.
As a relatively impoverished "waterfront home owner", I'm convinced that if there were more MSD checks, I'd probably get less turds stuck in my snorkel when scraping the run-off-nutrient-nourished barnacles that cover my copper-clad rudder, but that's beside the point.

The point is that certain waterfront communities in Florida have to deal with specific local, ecological and/or safety issues that others do not. And yes, they do make their case to the powers that be on a regular basis, but they're not often heard.

I maintain that whenever a waterway has an appreciable impact on the community it crosses or fronts, local restrictions should be just that. Local.

Jacques
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Old 21-11-2014, 19:17   #23
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

Isn't the poop in water a major red herring?

Southwinds magazine regularly reports on all of the VERY regular untreated municipal sewage spills. A few million gallons here a few million there.....

Seriously, in an area like boot key, sure holding tanks make a difference. But a few boats dumping sewage per town are more of a problem than the million of gallons that are spilled annually in Florida?
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Old 21-11-2014, 20:24   #24
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

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The rules in Palm Beach are actually pretty simple, your boat should be worth the same or more than the houses in the area to which you are providing their owners an all day view of your boat.
Nicely Put!
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Old 21-11-2014, 20:56   #25
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

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As a relatively impoverished "waterfront home owner", I'm convinced that if there were more MSD checks, I'd probably get less turds stuck in my snorkel when scraping the run-off-nutrient-nourished barnacles that cover my copper-clad rudder, but that's beside the point.

The point is that certain waterfront communities in Florida have to deal with specific local, ecological and/or safety issues that others do not. And yes, they do make their case to the powers that be on a regular basis, but they're not often heard.

I maintain that whenever a waterway has an appreciable impact on the community it crosses or fronts, local restrictions should be just that. Local.

Jacques

That is somewhat like saying that a local community should be able to set the speed limit on an interstate highway. They can make a case to the state that the speed limit should be 55 or even 50 instead of 70 and often get it approved, but they can't set the speed limit themselves. Can you imagine the chaos if every piss-ant little town could just go out on the interstate and put up a 20 mph speed limit sign just to raise revenue, or perhaps some wealthy individual bought and paid for the local city commission and didn't like the traffic noise after he bought a house fronting the interstate.
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Old 21-11-2014, 21:51   #26
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

Hm... marine sanitation issues are covered ad nauseum by existing regulations. The cities themselves dump millions of gallons of raw sewage in the waters every year.No need to add another layer to the onion.

I don't know of any sailors dumping sewage into the waters of Florida.... not sure where you get that idea. Also, I've never seen a cruiser fertilizing a deck full of corn and sugarcane.

Neeltje - no offense, because I do like your vessel and we are kinda neighbors right now - but you are keeping your 64 foot boat on a premium dock in one of the most expensive marinas in northern florida, maybe not so impoverished compared many sailors on significantly more limited funds.

Guys, I get it. By all means, we are not impoverished. I'm lucky to own beach front caribbean property in one of the most desirable anchorages in the world. I was there when there was no boats at all, and now there are tons of boats and lots of moorings all the time 24/7/365. The transformation was difficult for sure but - we don't own the water. We have the option to LEASE the ground from the state and we do so for a few moorings. We have learned that the boaters add vibrancy to the community and we have learned to live to the fact that people can watch me take a dump in the morning.

If the wealthy owners want to control anchoring, then they should have to lease the seabed from the state at a significant cost.

FYI - here is a link to the lastest "survey":

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AnchoringSurvey
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Old 22-11-2014, 04:44   #27
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

Captain Bill -- We already have draconian speed limits (we like to call them "Manatee Zones"), but what I was referring to was the "parking" issue, and unless I'm mistaken, that's usually dealt with on a local basis.

ZBoss -- O.K., so I spent my formative years in Marseilles and acquired the local taste for fish stories. But I do know a few small boat owners who have spent months at fixed anchor in front of the fort with no more than a Port-a-Potty aboard. I never had the gall to ask them where they dumped these, but I seriously doubt that they took them to the nearest pump-out twice a day.

Like you said, it's a drop in the ocean when compared to what the cities dump in our waters, on top of the fertilizer run-off that makes our barnacles look like steroid junkies. However, if you multiply that by the number of boats that would potentially be "enjoying" our fair city in the absence of anchoring regulations, mooring fields and mobile pump-outs, you might not like the smell.

Jacques
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Old 22-11-2014, 07:18   #28
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

Go head and shut her down.


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Old 22-11-2014, 07:37   #29
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

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Can someone please send me a link to the proposal?
I don't have the link but I do know there was an ongoing debate about anchoring when I was in West Palm Beach the last couple of weeks. According to the news articles I read, there were some wealthy homeowners who were complaining there were ratty looking boats anchored in Lake Worth and ruining their view. Local politicians immediately reacted and began to propose restrictions on anchorages. The masses got up in arms in a 1% vs 99% battle.

Before I left I did not see any resolution that had been made but I wasn't following it closely. Nowhere did I see or hear any mention of sanitation. It was primarily about ruining the view of the wealthy.

I do recall there being some talk about adopting a 300' rule - no anchoring any closer than 300' from a residence. From that came the cries, "They don't own or have any rights to that water so what's with the 300" rule?"

That was the last I heard.
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Old 22-11-2014, 07:45   #30
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Re: What is the current FL anchoring policy?

Stay away from St. Petersburg, they are all about advertising one thing and then nailing you with double the quote.
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