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

[SailingPug]

We are asking for the support of the boating community. The City of Miami Beach is planning a mooring field WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION for the 100+ sailors living aboard their vessels. Worse is that they want to permit the entire area without any guarantees that the mooring field will be built. We are a group of 100 live aboards who have been living in Miami Beach for many years. We have jobs, families, and ties to Miami. There are better ways to address the real issues with a minority of derelict boats than to simply kick everyone out. The issue is that they are not willing to work with us on the Mooring Field - we are willing to pay a market rate for a long term mooring that would allow live aboards. Only a minority (10%) of the boats out here are derelicts and we want to help them address those issues as well.

The City of Miami Beach has engaged in a coordinated harassment campaign against us - removing a public dock, cutting off access to shore, food, water, and basic supplies, installing 100s of no docking signs and cameras pointing at us, spreading false information about us on social media, and basically treating us like criminals for living on the water. See the link below for local news coverage on the issue:

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2...ach-officials/

We need your help to write some public feedback about this mooring field that they must permit the area in phases (not the entire area), they must allow long term live aboards, they must grandfather the current sailors with an affordable rate, and they must provide basic services including a dinghy dock, pump out station, and water.

If you can please take 5 minutes, go to the link below, scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see a form to submit your feedback, which becomes part of the public record. Thank you for your time and consideration.


https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/residen...mooring-field/