Help 100 Live Aboard Sailors Keep Their Homes By Offering Feedback on Mooring Field

[TPG]

Honestly, I'm surprised it took Miami Beach this long to do something about the problem they are faced with. Unfortunately, there are too many anchorages in Florida that are turning into floating dumpsters, and those of us who work hard to do things the right way bear the burden.

While the idea of living free on the hook has great appeal, problems arise when these flotillas turn into little more than floating groups of vessels that barely float much less function safely.

I get it, people are looking for cheap ways to live, but this isn't the answer. Stop being surprised when the rest of us don't support derelict vessels.

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by NorthCoastJoe

Question? If there are no docks or pump outs... where do you unload your waste and used food (the head filling product)?

Thanks, Joe. I had the same question. Would sailing pug please provide us with a full survey of the long term 'residents' of this mooring field, as to how they dispose of the human waste that they generate? I appreciate this is an almost impossible ask, but that makes the point as well. The truth is that these people are fouling a waterway with unprocessed sewage. Not acceptable.

[JoeRobertJr]

Originally Posted by lestersails

Thanks, Joe. I had the same question. Would sailing pug please provide us with a full survey of the long term 'residents' of this mooring field, as to how they dispose of the human waste that they generate? I appreciate this is an almost impossible ask, but that makes the point as well. The truth is that these people are fouling a waterway with unprocessed sewage. Not acceptable.

From the article linked in the 1st post:

“A big concern for these boats is that they never move,” Suarez explained. “And when they never move, they don’t have anywhere to pump their sewage, so they pump it into the bay.”

Local 10 News joined officers from the Miami Beach police’s marine patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as they investigated if human waste was being properly contained and disposed from the vessels that have long been anchored in this portion of Biscayne Bay.

“They’ll put a device in the toilet and they’ll see if the waste is actually going inside of the bay,” Officer Christopher Bess, a Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson, said ahead of the investigation. “Which is a violation and they will be cited.”

Of the 39 vessels tested that night, only two failed and were indeed cited.

“We normally have pretty decent compliance,” Sgt. Duane Rezende, an MBPD marine patrol office, said. “We saw today [that] we had just one or two that were in violation.”

[Montanan]

I welcome the conversion of a heavily occupied anchorage to a mooring because such is inherently a more sea worthy way of fixing to the ground and avoiding drifting. Also moorings can be designed to provide for many more boats than an anchorage as there is much less scope required, hence shorter swings and thence greater occupancy without endangerment of allisions. Third, if the mooring is an Eco-mooring then there is very little damage done to the sea bed by the rode as it is elevated so as to not cause anchor circles of denuded sea life and grasses. Also, navigating a mooring is eased by having properly established fairways that lead to channels instead of the helter skelter and changing positioning of boats at anchor in close proximity. There is never a too close situation.

A public mooring field is in my perspective similar to a public campground, limitations of its uses need to be established. By way of example, most National Forest and State campgrounds have a limit of the number of days one can occupy a space, say 14 days and then one has to depart and there is a cumulative number of days per year or camping season that one can occupy a designated space in the campground. This avails the use of the campground to a broader public and avoids the public space being utilized by a small group. Now I get that does not provide for the equivalence of "public housing" such as a government owned apartment complex but it does allow for community use of limited open space.

As to the fees, well the infrastructure, maintenance, administration needs to be paid for so a charge should be incurred. Some States provide taxation to provide for the parks, marina, boat ramps, shore facilities, such as bathrooms, pump outs, parking, etc. and others collect daily fees.

Ordinarily a public mooring establishes its rates so as to be equivalent to private operated moorings / marinas so as to not economically compete adversely with the private enterprises by offering a lower than market pricing for an equivalent service. Often the public pricing is charged at a somewhat higher level than the private because the private enterprise is paying taxations for its property tax and income.

A mooring typically is charged for its size of holding power and swing radius, moors established for larger and heavier boats paying more than smaller moors. A public mooring also typically has most of its spaces rented for a season and a lesser number allocated for accommodation of occupancy by short term transiting vessels. The mooring also includes for pump out and for dinghy dock and / or boat taxi services and sometimes fuel and for secure parking. All of which comes at a significant cost. Living on the water is NOT cheap. The pump outs can be a fixed shore station or can be a traveling pump out boat service. The pump out service is typically a public contracted service or franchise that involves a private marine service, similarly as to the boat taxi service which can include not only delivery of persons [marine version of Uber] but also of goods and supplies [think Door Dash], trash removal and disposal, potable water delivery and fueling. Full service mooring for which one selectively pays for the services offered and rendered.

There are many public marinas and mooring fields which can be evaluated as guides for how best to proceed with managing the public space for the beneficial use of many. A LOT more boats can be accommodated with a proper mooring field than any anchorage. But expect to budget a significant monthly expense to derive such.

I perceive many more "anchorages" should be converted to public moorings. I truly hate seeing the damage that anchors and rodes dragging on the sea bottom cause. My marine biology classes and Sea Scouting days taught me a lot about marine ecosystems and the massive damage that boating causes in an anchorage. It is quite similar to seeing a vehicle travel across a pasture and permanently damaging the landscape, except it is a seascape that is below eyesight and unseen and thus unthought of and unregulated.

The public moorings should come with the ordinary covenants and conditions of the boats being fit as to sea worthiness and safety and to have adequate insurance for third party liability and for salvage removal and environmental damage, say $1,000,000 comprehensive coverage. The insurance underwriters will cull out boats that they perceive are not seaworthy and also as to operator / owners that they perceive to be of "risk". That is private enterprise in effect regulating a public service as to risk transfer and risk pricing.

That is my two cents.

[GreenWave]

This is a tough one. The key arguments though center around:
1) is the boat seaworthy and movable and hence truly a boat?
2) are the boat occupants complying with all local and federal regulations?
3) is the local municipality willing to provide certain services to said boats in exchange for reasonable fees?

Putting your hook down long term and expecting to live for free, pollute the environment, and generally be disrespectful
Of the regulations is not ok. So I would support the mooring field and hope that the city provides some that are available for long term
Use with proper fees. If the current “boaters” cannot support such fees then move on.

[Trimaran Ken]

Originally Posted by SailingPug

they must grandfather the current sailors with an affordable rate

Terms like "affordable rate" are a red flag for me. Sounds like you are asking for a free ride. "Reasonable Rate" is something I could support.


To me "affordable" is based on nothing, "reasonable" is based on costs for the city to provide services. If you are not willing to to pay your fair share, you are asking others to pay it for you. If you are willing to pay reasonable costs, then I support your efforts.


"Grandfathered" is another loose term. I would support transitional help, but giving someone a free ride for the rest of their life (and maybe their children's lives) seems like a reward for something you never did anything to earn.


I admire someone who is cleaver enough to get something for free that others have to pay for. But all good things must come to an end, and getting something for free now, doesn't guarantee free or discounted for life.

[SmokedGouda]

Perspective from a born and raised Miami native.

If you think that the explosion of derelict boats in Florida in general and South Florida in particular over the last 10 years is a complete coincidence then you haven't been paying attention. Miami is the most rent burdened city in the country. The rent to income ratio as of this year is at 49.9%. I'm sure that most of these people would rather be living in an apartment on shore as living on a boat is a PITA. This is the nautical equivalent of clearing out a homeless encampment. The problem will just move somewhere else.

The City of Miami Beach is just making this another jurisdiction's problem(here's looking at you Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne), but I guess we would all rather just deal with paid moorings than figure out a way to provide affordable workforce housing.

I am foreseeing statewide paid anchoring permits in the next decade as Florida is becoming completely pay to play.

[lestersails]

Thanks to Joe for the info - although I would bet it is an underestimate, it does seem that sewage is not the biggest issue.
I would maintain my objection as noted by a couple other posters that individuals do not have the right to commandeer public spaces for private usage. Just as one cannot build a shack in a public park.
And no, it is not their "home" - it is a boat in a public waterway. They may be living there, but it is not their private space.
And they do not get to determine what is a reasonable rate. Just like millions of others, they need to pay for the services they consume. It was pretty jarring to read their demands for a dinghy dock and pumpout services and then say that they should be the determiner of what is reasonable for them to pay. And do they expect water ambulance service if they have a medical emergency while aboard? I could go on, but the point is made.
The homelessness problem is a really serious one. It can be very hard to distinguish people who just wish to live on a boat from people who want to spend money on things other than rent from those who are destitute and desperate. A civil and just society demands a lot from people, and it is their duty to meet those demands. Just as importantly, I am deeply skeptical that derelict boats are a proper and humane solution for true homelessness.

So, no, I would not support the OPs ask to weigh in against this proposal.

[Montanan]

City of Miami marina and mooring rates.

Not sure what the availability is but these are the prices.

[Morris Wilson]

In Canada we have a severe lack of marina space so it is VERY difficult for a beginner to get started. It's become a rich mans hobby. I paid $1800.00 dollars in the fall of 2022 for ONE month at Toronto outer Harbour Marina. Also Trying to spend any ammout of time living aboard is not cheap. It is a continuous expense. All spent in the local community. Most anchored boaters I know would be in Marinas if it were possible. Over regulation is a problem here. In Ontario it is simply not an option to anchor in winter (without extreme difficulty). Its been done with "bubblers". Marina size and number has not kept up to population. Maybe a different situation than Florida but on the west coast we have a similar situation to Miami. there just are no marina berths available.

[Sabinome]

This is our first time cruising down here and to say we are astounded by the number of junk boats floating and submerged is an understatement. We’re currently anchored in Martin county and they provide a free pump out all you have to do is call them. According to the crew it doesn’t cost the county anything but the time to fill out state/federal grant forms. Every county should be doing it. The mooring fields recently installed up here did indeed push the trash downstream. In our anchorage we’ve been 50/50 with derelicts and cruisers sometimes as high as 75/25. They drag through the anchorage presenting a serious hazard as most are unoccupied and have no way to power themselves.

[mcon12000]

Having passed through many times I’ve learned to avoid stopping in Miami. The boats anchored there have brought all this on themselves and will find little sympathy in the cruising community and zero from local residents.

Personally my boat has been damaged by a “wet storage” boat and the owner not only didn’t have insurance but was also not able to pay as in “homeless”. $12,000 later plus yard fees I was on my way again. If you can’t afford to maintain the boat and pay for insurance you should not be floating anywhere in Florida.

A mooring field is the right thing to do as it will create shore access for cruisers along with pump out boats.

As someone else pointed out most of Miami’s live aboards are no different than those living in there broken RV’s in Los Angeles.

Sorry not sorry for being blunt but it’s what you need to hear as your group is in an echo chamber.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by JoeRobertJr

From the article linked in the 1st post:

All that the 37 of 39 boats passing the discharge test is that on 37 the head discharged into a tank and not straight into the water. The question is - what happens to it after that?

But this is a US thing and 39 boats discharging into the water is all a smoke and mirrors thing.

Ever see a manatee poop???

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Cheyne

We spend several months each year in South Florida. We stopped going to Miami Beach. Way to many derlict boats. It is the only place I have actively locked up my boat. Put my support in for the mooring field. I know we will use it if completed. Hopefully they will make it all transit and not allow long term rentals.

Cheyne

Can you get to it without going under Julia Tuttle? I'm trying hard to picture the location.

[jkishel]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

Can you get to it without going under Julia Tuttle? I'm trying hard to picture the location.

Yes, south of the Juliet Tuttle, north and south of the Venetian Causeway, east of the ICW.