FL boaters get ready to fight again.....

[Davy J]

Florida House to hold anchoring regulation public workshop in October

Florida House to hold anchoring regulation public workshop in October located in General | Waterway Guide News Update

[S/V Illusion]

That anyone would "fight" any attempt to monitor or control measures to better manage derelict vessel anchorage with a committee which wants to balance the desire of boaters is unfortunate. They are trying to do the 'right thing' considering all perspectives. No need to feel threatened and create a knee-jerk over-reaction.

[CaptMarc]

Derelict boats were dealt with last session. If you read paragraph 3 :

Now, the Florida House of Representatives plans to explore anchoring restrictions – a public workshop in Tallahassee is slated to be held sometime during the week of October 5-9, 2015. This workshop's focus is squarely on whether to restrict anchoring in public waters adjacent to waterfront residences, according to an email from the Chair of the State Affairs Committee or the Florida House of Representatives:

Marc

[Group9]

If I really believed this had anything to do with removing derelict vessels, I would support it. But, living in Florida and investigating politicians for corruption for a living, has pretty much jaded me on stuff like this. This is all about servicing wealthy land owners and real estate brokers, in return for campaign (and other) money paid.

[Davy J]

That anyone would "fight" any attempt to monitor or control measures to better manage derelict vessel anchorage with a committee which wants to balance the desire of boaters is unfortunate.

I attended the FL senate hearings on SB 1548 last year and can tell you there is an attempt to restrict anchoring by any boats near waterfront property. They are just using the derelict problem as their excuse.

[a64pilot]

They feel as though they own the water too, and they don't want people setting up in their backyard, be a much nicer view if all those boats weren't out there.

[zboss]

There has to be a compromise - otherwise we lose this until it finds its way to court.

I would propose an anchoring license. Seasonal, weekly, yearly license to anchor anywhere you can currently anchor.

The politicians would like the extra money and a hundred or two a year would not break the bank for most cruisers.

I mean, if you take an RV to a state or National park you have to pay a fee to park right? If you park your car you have to feed a meter. Where it gets problematic is that if you use the same analogy, you could find that just like there is "residents only" parking, you could have "residents only" anchoring areas.

[IdoraKeeper]

Sounds like it could be a disaster. I hope Florida boaters can succeed in keeping the waterways open. It just keeps coming up over and over.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by zboss

There has to be a compromise - otherwise we lose this until it finds its way to court.

I would propose an anchoring license. Seasonal, weekly, yearly license to anchor anywhere you can currently anchor.

The politicians would like the extra money and a hundred or two a year would not break the bank for most cruisers.

I mean, if you take an RV to a state or National park you have to pay a fee to park right? If you park your car you have to feed a meter. Where it gets problematic is that if you use the same analogy, you could find that just like there is "residents only" parking, you could have "residents only" anchoring areas.

Don't even go there. What maintenance is required to anchor in the ocean? None. You comparing it to a national park or an RV park is a false analogy.

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[FSMike]

Originally Posted by zboss

----
I mean, if you take an RV to a state or National park you have to pay a fee to park right? If you park your car you have to feed a meter. Where it gets problematic is that if you use the same analogy, you could find that just like there is "residents only" parking, you could have "residents only" anchoring areas.

The difference is that the government built/improved the parks. They have not built/improved the anchorages. If they had, such as building a government owned dinghy dock/shower facility/garbage disposal etc., paying appropriate fees to use those facilities would be ok with me. But NOT until they do so, and NOT just for anchoring.

The stupid part about the state trying to control anchorages in navigable waterways is that to the best of my knowledge that is a power reserved to the federal government. Sooner or later the water police will piss off some retired lawyer with a lot of money who will take the state to court and win. Of course our friendly local politicians don't care how much that costs the taxpayers in a losing battle, because that money doesn't come out of the politician's salaries.

Boaters don't make campaign contributions as large as people with multi-million dollar waterfront houses. The politicians do what the big campaign donors want, and when the courts overturn the law, they say "Gee, it wasn't my fault. By the way, I'm running again next year. Can I count on your support?"

What can we do? Vote.

End of rant.

[a64pilot]

I believe the Federal Government may have ceded the rights of at least some of the Navigable waters to the State, or at least that is my understanding, it's one way for instance that Municipalities can set up mooring fields and require you to pay or leave, or at least that is my understanding anyway.
Somehow we need to fight this, I do not believe we can just sit back and think that when it blows up some Lawyer will make themselves famous by overturning it. That may not happen.
I'm not smart enough to tell you how to fight it, but I believe we must or accept that we can no longer anchor near "waterfront property"


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[ka4wja]

I usually steer clear of these discussions on-line, 'cause I feel a bit insulted by the plethora of comments about Florida property owners....(remember I'm one of YOU, too!)

But, thought I'd just try and remind some that we Florida property owners are trying to fight these restrictions, too...

Having grown up in Florida (and still a resident and voter here), as a longtime property owner in Florida (and payer of Florida property taxes), and as someone who pays the darned State of Florida every year for a "submerged land lease", I can assure you that while some short-sided (and "greedy") residents may wish to restrict anchoring rights in Florida, I am NOT one of them....AND..

And, let me tell you that there are MANY, MANY of us out here who are what are know as "native Florida boaters", and I've never met one who supports restricting anchoring!

Remember, not only do I vote in Florida, and pay property tax here ($$$$), but I also pay a submerged land lease....as well as everything else that everyone else pays...

So, when you all spout off about greedy property owners trying to restrict anchoring, you should remember that there are many of us that ARE boaters/sailors/etc....and we do NOT support these restrictions....
Forgetting that we are one of you all too, makes some of you look a bit short-side too...



Fair winds...

John

[avb3]

Well, I'm one over those who can't vote in Florida, because I happen to live in Canada, but I do have property there, & I will pay for property taxes and not get a homestead exemption. You darn right I'm going to make my voice known. I might not be able to vote, but my neighbors do and they know me a lot better and like me a lot better than they do the representatives up in Tallahassee.

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[laika]

I don't think the park analogy is too far off.

Originally Posted by avb3

Don't even go there. What maintenance is required to anchor in the ocean? None. You comparing it to a national park or an RV park is a false analogy.

People said the same thing about the National Parks on first inception.."Why should money be appropriated when a canyon or a volcano is perfectly suited to taking care of itself, as it always has before?

The government built or "improved" upon the parks to try and strike a balance between wilderness and the management of those "resources" for "the benefit and enjoyment of the people [in perpetuity]", who were in increasing droves beginning to lay waste to it all.

I don't know how that corresponds exactly to waterways. And personally, I would not like to see the waterways go the way of the national parks. Teddy Roosevelt: "Leave it alone. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it."
Luckily cruisers are still relatively few in number compared to car campers and RVers. Tho less luckily when it comes to having a voice.

[slowpoker]

What is it that we cruisers are supposed to do when going from one place to another after some 16 hours of transit and we are tired, need rest and it's getting dark?.
We need to stop and sleep, otherwise it will be unsafe for us and others to continue, specially on the Intracoastal Waterways and that's where those residences happen to be located. There are not many places to anchor along the Waterway and those with some depth usually lead to....those residences!.
How can we fight this? Who do we contact? Who do we complain to, besides each other here? Any ideas?