House panel clears bill upping penalties for owners of derelict vessels

A vessel sits wrecked after colliding with a right whale calf. Image via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee unanimously approved a bill enhancing penalties for boat owners whose vessels go adrift in Florida waters.

The measure (HB 1149), sponsored by Miami Beach Republican Rep. Fabian Basabe, still needs to go before the House Natural Resources and Disasters Subcommittee and House State Affairs Committee for review.

The proposal would require new registrations for long-term anchoring of vessels through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The FWC would also issue no-cost permits for long-term anchoring of vessels. The state could also declare a vessel a “public nuisance” if it becomes derelict after repeated citations within a 24-month period.

The measure also says that boat owners who don’t have a permit will end up with law enforcement “providing penalty for long-term anchoring without a permit.”

The bill has a companion measure going through the Senate. That legislation (SB 164), sponsored by Doral Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, has already received preliminary approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government. The measure still has to go before the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee.

The bill also takes aim at boat owners who fail to round up their vessels after they go adrift during storms or natural disasters. The FWC issued multiple advisories about derelict vessels in the Fall of 2024 in the wake of hurricanes.

Derelict vessels have long been the bane of many local waterways. Along the Intracoastal Waterway or any one of hundreds of tributaries that run through the state, errant boats can go adrift and be found aground.

Some municipalities have already taken matters into their own hands. Indian River County, for instance, has a derelict vessel removal program that partners with the FWC to get those boats out of the way and allows residents to report such disabled watercraft.

And municipalities within that county have gotten increasingly aggressive about removing derelict boats, in cities such as Vero Beach and Indian River Shores.