What is the current FL anchoring policy?

[lesterbutch]

Oh Lord, please, AMEN!

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by soverel

Towns in fla are required to lease the sea floor to install a mooring field.

That transfer of funds allows them to regulate the mooring field,....only.

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That's not true.

Take Monroe County (Key West) for example, the ordinance created via the Pilot Program includes Boca Chica Basin. Each area has a 'buffer zone' where they can regulate anchoring.

I believe all the ordinances are in this document:

http://myfwc.com/media/2704721/Findi...mendations.pdf

[soverel]

The point is...that in order to construct a mooring field a town must first obtain the consent from the state of florida to lease the submerged lands. The fee to lease CAN be forgiven by the state. It varies by county and/or use.

Monroe county was chosen to be included in pilot program after initial mooring field went in. Which included the execution of a submerged land lease from Florida state.

Its interesting to read these documents. In short..the state of florida is concerned that these areas are maintained for public use. And remain open to the public. And be not for profit.

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[avb3]

Originally Posted by zboss

There is a list because there are so few places for deep drafted vessels to stop (Maybe 8 within 150 miles of miami?) in the keys.

Having just completed this trip, we purposely avoided that mess in Marathon. We would have been #7 on that list yesterday but we decided to stay elsewhere.

Key West is a mess because the city doesn't have a proper plan for cruisers. The moorings are in the middle of a huge fetch. The associated city mooring system here is really bad. Showers/restrooms through the city mooring field is like being in prison and it makes me feel like a criminal. All that is missing is a misfiring fluorescent light. The dinghy dock is a free for all, not clean (covered in bird poo), and the place you process your paperwork is different from where you dock you dinghy. There is no convenient place for fuel. On top of all of that, its at least a mile walk to attractions and a $4 one-way bus ride. Plus, I don't think there is any kind of cruisers net to create a sense of community, which this whole argument for and against anchoring restrictions and mooring ball systems fails to take into account. Give people a chance to participate in a cohesive community system and they will self-police.

They want people to pay a premium for that?

Dinney Key is another poorly managed s-hole.

Taken all together, you can see why many cruisers are reluctant to participate in the mooring field program.

These cities should take a queue from St. Augustine.

Dinner Key poorly run?

I spent a month there last spring after buying my boat getting some upgrades.

I could not ask for a friendlier and accommodating staff. They are upgrading the facilities as we speak. In not sure why your perspective is so negative.

Showers and laundry facilities were clean and easily assessable. I didn't have a dink, and one just needed to order up the shuttle, which came on the hour.

You must be thinking of a different Dinner Key.

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[zboss]

Originally Posted by avb3

Dinner Key poorly run?

I spent a month there last spring after buying my boat getting some upgrades.

I could not ask for a friendlier and accommodating staff. They are upgrading the facilities as we speak. In not sure why your perspective is so negative.

Showers and laundry facilities were clean and easily assessable. I didn't have a dink, and one just needed to order up the shuttle, which came on the hour.

You must be thinking of a different Dinner Key.

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Are you kidding me? All we GOT was bad attitude. I could barely get them to get off their butts to check to see if we had any mail, which is so close to their office desk that they could have scooted their chairs over to look.

The dinghy docks are junk and too small given the size of the field, the showers and bathrooms too far a walk. The trash cans too small and not enough of them, too few dock carts. A pretty poor cruisers lounge, etc.

We heard raves about dinner key but we just did not see it.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by RTB

Free dinghy landing on the beach at N. Lake Worth.

RTB, do you know anything about the "ownership" of that little beach? I mean the one on the E end of that little roadway bridge just down the block from the Publix? We've been using it for years, and I used to think it was somehow associated with that big house alongside where the tie up wire is. No one has ever bothered us there. Just curious...

[RTB]

Yes, that's the same spot I used. I have no idea about ownership, honestly. Maybe owned by the city? Interesting about West Marine maybe putting in some mooring posts (on Active Captain), though there were none last spring.

"The bridge by the dinghy landing is being widened as of 12/7/2012. Be careful of the construction. The new local West Marine has plans to add mooring posts for dinghy's when the construction is complete. Note: As of 11/15/12 the landing is still in use. Lot's of construction ongoing so space is tight and the beach is underwater at high tide. Do not use any other landing nearby as the locals are really up in arms about dinghy's being left at their docks."

[letsgetsailing3]

Practical Sailor (January 2014) has an article about Florida anchoring rules. They share the few of many of us - that we should keep a watch on representatives from Dade and Broward, who seem influenced by waterfront property owners that would love to make the coastline of Florida a patchwork of "paid mooring fields and docks".

Yes, we question their motives.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by zboss

Are you kidding me? All we GOT was bad attitude. I could barely get them to get off their butts to check to see if we had any mail, which is so close to their office desk that they could have scooted their chairs over to look.

The dinghy docks are junk and too small given the size of the field, the showers and bathrooms too far a walk. The trash cans too small and not enough of them, too few dock carts. A pretty poor cruisers lounge, etc.

We heard raves about dinner key but we just did not see it.

Interesting that we have two totally different experiences.

As I said, I was there for a month. Were you there for a few days only? Perhaps you ran into bad staff?

I would go back in a heartbeat, and recommend it to others.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

Practical Sailor (January 2014) has an article about Florida anchoring rules. They share the few of many of us - that we should keep a watch on representatives from Dade and Broward, who seem influenced by waterfront property owners that would love to make the coastline of Florida a patchwork of "paid mooring fields and docks".

Yes, we question their motives.

Should say "share the view"...

[zboss]

I am not opposed to a few strategically located and implemented mooring fields. In fact, I think you really need to separate the mooring field thing and the anchoring thing because they are two separate concepts, each with their own issues.

I keep going back to the idea of community. If you look at the only mooring field I consider worthwhile, the STA field, they have gone out of their way to accommodate the cruising and sailing community by tightly integrating their message and services with the local cruisers net, neighborhood, and local businesses. They have leveraged their resources to create and grow business that goes beyond just a place for boat to pick up a mooring or a slip. Its very homey and at the same time very professional. Boaters are not considered a scourge on the community but a group that is recognized for their participation in the STA city at large.

If politicians want to smooth the waters with boaters to build anchoring rules on behalf of homeowners and boaters want to ensure that their rights are being taken into consideration, each side needs to recognize the values that are important to each others communities and build a system that works for both sides. I am generally against anchoring restrictions as a whole and believe that the heart of the issue is that dirt-dwellers do not see the anchoring, mooring, and derelict boat issues as being separate with different solutions, so they are trying to craft rules that address these facets with a one large brush.

We need to keep reiterating that these issues are distinct, involve peoples lives and livelihoods, safety,etc.

Besides, in 20 years all those houses will be uninhabitable due to rising water levels and they will be begging to live in a floating home!

[Sailingcouple13]

Don't come to Florida...way to crowded, no good anchorages anymore...whew glad i got that out there before they got to all my good spots. My anchor log is password protected. ....just like any good fisherman won't tell you where he really catches fish!

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[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by zboss

I am not opposed to a few strategically located and implemented mooring fields. In fact, I think you really need to separate the mooring field thing and the anchoring thing because they are two separate concepts, each with their own issues.

I keep going back to the idea of community. If you look at the only mooring field I consider worthwhile, the STA field, they have gone out of their way to accommodate the cruising and sailing community by tightly integrating their message and services with the local cruisers net, neighborhood, and local businesses. They have leveraged their resources to create and grow business that goes beyond just a place for boat to pick up a mooring or a slip. Its very homey and at the same time very professional. Boaters are not considered a scourge on the community but a group that is recognized for their participation in the STA city at large.

If politicians want to smooth the waters with boaters to build anchoring rules on behalf of homeowners and boaters want to ensure that their rights are being taken into consideration, each side needs to recognize the values that are important to each others communities and build a system that works for both sides. I am generally against anchoring restrictions as a whole and believe that the heart of the issue is that dirt-dwellers do not see the anchoring, mooring, and derelict boat issues as being separate with different solutions, so they are trying to craft rules that address these facets with a one large brush.

We need to keep reiterating that these issues are distinct, involve peoples lives and livelihoods, safety,etc.

Besides, in 20 years all those houses will be uninhabitable due to rising water levels and they will be begging to live in a floating home!

Good post.

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by zboss

I am not opposed to a few strategically located and implemented mooring fields. In fact, I think you really need to separate the mooring field thing and the anchoring thing because they are two separate concepts, each with their own issues.

I keep going back to the idea of community. If you look at the only mooring field I consider worthwhile, the STA field, they have gone out of their way to accommodate the cruising and sailing community by tightly integrating their message and services with the local cruisers net, neighborhood, and local businesses. They have leveraged their resources to create and grow business that goes beyond just a place for boat to pick up a mooring or a slip. Its very homey and at the same time very professional. Boaters are not considered a scourge on the community but a group that is recognized for their participation in the STA city at large.

If politicians want to smooth the waters with boaters to build anchoring rules on behalf of homeowners and boaters want to ensure that their rights are being taken into consideration, each side needs to recognize the values that are important to each others communities and build a system that works for both sides. I am generally against anchoring restrictions as a whole and believe that the heart of the issue is that dirt-dwellers do not see the anchoring, mooring, and derelict boat issues as being separate with different solutions, so they are trying to craft rules that address these facets with a one large brush.

We need to keep reiterating that these issues are distinct, involve peoples lives and livelihoods, safety,etc.

Besides, in 20 years all those houses will be uninhabitable due to rising water levels and they will be begging to live in a floating home!

I agree with what you are saying, well maybe not the last part of floating homes in 20 years!

Although most on this forum understand the difference between anchoring, mooring, and derelicts, that distinction gets blended in the eyes of a waterfront landlubber. To the most ardent of the landlubbers, all boats are derelicts, it's just a matter of time.

Since derelicts are the 'bottom line' that landlubbers like to cite as reasons for anchoring restrictions, I'm curious how rules could change to take care of derelicts more expeditiously than current law allows?

[smj]

I as a boater hate it when I anchor in a nice spot, just to have the view ruined by a couple of unkept houses. You know the type, unkept yards, missing roof shingles and maybe some peeling paint. Is there a government program that can remove these derelict house eyesores from my front yard?