Florida Anchor Ban Still Unsigned by governor

[Sailor Jer]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Tomfl in case you didn't notice I am from Washington state about as far away from Florida as you can get in conus. Washington is the number three when it comes to coastline we have an anchoring law here that seems to work quite well for everyone. Paraphrased here it nasicly says you can anchor in any legal area for up to thirty days at'a'time then you must move your vessel a minimum of 5 nm . With a maximum of total 90 days in a year in any one location.

...ordinances, laws like Wash St's are nice, but Wash St's weather makes that law work as it's not "paradise" like Florida is during "season" with all the migratory boaters which is how florida came to the terms with it's overcrowding anchorage issues...like D-day invasion (Florida during season) and Panama 89 operation just cause (Washington St year round)
Washington St. just doesn't have the volume Florida endures year round much less the invasion during season...

This people without means I feel is your focus/culprit, they can't afford to go ashore, much less spend $$$ doing business ashore/pay local fees. And people wonder why locals don't want them or their eye sore/questionable seaworthiness vessels in the harbor discouraging/detouring those with means, the Hinckley, Kadey-Krogen & Leopard crowds with their deep pockets and desire/willingness to spend money at local restaurants, tourist trap stuff...no rocket science there...

Wasn't long ago (2006ish) city of marathon florida realized how to fix their problem with the boot key harbor Wild West with it's derelict vessels/boat people without means...
They built a mooring field to assume control of the harbor...came at a cost which they shared with the state, did a percentage of balls to be deemed "city balls" (like 20%) where people wouldn't have to leave indefinitely, could assume city residency unlike the state mooring balls (80% of the mooring field) where after 180 days squatting are forced to leave the mooring field system for minimum 90 days before being able to lease a state/city mooring ball again...there is also a designated anchorage area to support the mooring field for those wishing to anchor legally in the harbor and or in season those waiting for a mooring ball when there is a waiting list or even those selecting to swing on their own hooks and use facilities possibly indefinitely for a 1/3ish discounted rate...but some of those boat people sneak ashore other places, mangroves etc...and show up at city marina after hours and steal water, ask people at city marina to open a shower door after hours when city marina staff isn't there etc...

These mooring field systems with dink docks/parking lots/mail services etc. seem like the sensible answer providing a viable solution to overcrowding and Wild West of lawless pirates IMO...it's people without means and without connections/friends that lose out access in these scenarios which in most cases is the desired effect for the greater good, leverage to get rid of squatters, undesirables, derelicts and loiterers (all subjective terms)..not a nice answer but a viable solution to overcrowding like what happened in marahon Florida's Boot Key Harbor...corruption begins to be the problem then, and the municipal dock master becomes city councils puppet like a lot of city projects in city public works...like marathon florida and it's pawn shop owner now mayor in public office...he essentially sets the tone for the city's municipal mooring field (city's biggest money maker cash cow) which manages said mooring field.
Lotta power...

The marathon mayor (then vice mayor/city council member) when Florida's anchorage ban/law was being crafted was very very attune to the laws intent/implications....even then he was in the process, keeping the city's director of ports and harbors (dock master) well versed about implications and outcomes of the law...and still is, as marathon florida is ahead or the game now, they have their mooring field in place and able to regulate legally who can squat, even in a derelict vessel on a city mooring ball (generally city trash workers and others seemingly connected business wise/socially to the harbor in town-local harbor clique) while yet others seemingly use the mooring field as wet storage conveniently? (which is against the rules) but hey, it's OK as the city dictates who, where, how long...works as long as people don't make an issue of the corruption, right? (southern and good ol boy system the south knows so well)

As progress moves on, the poor and those with limited means lose more and more as Marathon is losing a seasonal campground in the next year (re gentrification becoming condos which local business didn't like as condo owners won't outspend those $100K plus motor coach crowd now there) and they're losing the ghetto trailer-hood to RE gentrification (something local property owners wanted to see gone as it is a haven for those without means or contribute to local economy/hardly any residents there work n town, but use local do gooder orgs for substance/means)....so I assume miami dade transit will subsidize yet more commuter buses outta florida city to marathon Florida for upper keys workers displaced for lack of affordable housing....something marathon florida isn't keen on since what they have is a haven for anti social behaviors...never forget the one section 8 lady who came to city council meeting begging to have the bus shelter returned outside the section8 housing as the sun was too hot she said? The sheriff took the podium and explained the sheriffs dept won't allow it as that shelter was the scene of. 300plus calls for service in one year (911 calls) as a scene of criminal activity and after the shelter was removed the calls for service dropped to less than 60 for the year (next to the shelter is one of marathon Florida's lowest of lowlife bars)

To me that's what the anchorage law is about, limiting and controlling access...it's essentially part two of two tier problem...part one was the trailer house neighborhoods (trailer-hoods) which are so far and few between now in Florida...i met a lot of boat people who went and became "yachties" ( boat people) out of need for housing when their trailer park closed...