St. Lucie County and Fort Pierce want all those live-aboard sailboats that indefinitely anchor in the Fort Pierce Inlet between Wesley’s Island and South Causeway Beach to clear out.
Effective June 1, new Anchoring Limitation Areas prohibit boaters from anchoring a vessel for over 45 consecutive days during any six-month period without leaving for at least 24 hours in these areas:
They analyzed historical aerial images and determined the area with the highest-density of anchored vessels, said Port, Inlet and Beaches Director Joshua Revord said.
Crews have been erecting signs in the area and educating the public through flyers with QR codes that link to a new webpage with more details.
New Fort Pierce Inlet anchoring regulations
There’s been a noticeable increase in long-term anchoring in the area, which increases navigational hazards that threaten public safety and water quality if boats don’t pump out their sewage properly, Revord said.
It also affects Derecktor Shipyards, a megayacht maintenance, repair and overhaul operation, he said.
Through day-to-day interactions with boaters in these areas, city and county staff can educate them about pump-out services and identify vessels that are at risk of sinking or becoming abandoned by their owners, Revord said.
Derelict boats can endanger marine life and habitat, pose threats to public safety, and cause property damage as they drift away, according to the FWC.
Removing sunken and abandoned vessels has been an expensive problem for local governments and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. When vessel owners can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars to remove their vessel, taxpayers foot the bill.
Legacy mega-yacht sunk, refloated in Fort Pierce port
The Legacy is one vessel that won’t have to abide by the new rules. The sailing yacht has been moored in front of Derecktor Shipyards, but outside the new limited-anchoring area, since 2022.
The 158-foot yacht sank and was refloated last month, and FWC is still investigating the incident, officials told TCPalm.
Before the yacht sank, FWC inspected it multiple times and had several conversation with county officials about it, but has been unable to deem it derelict, county spokesperson Erick Gill said.
Famed Italian yacht builder Perini Navi built the Legacy for $16 million in 1995 for Wall Street mogul Peter Halmos, a longtime Palm Beach County resident. Halmos previously had the Legacy in Key West.
Hurricane Wilma blew the yacht onto the seagrass flats about 4 miles off Key West on Oct. 25, 2005.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment and fisheries reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New Florida boat anchoring law bans indefinite sailboat mooring
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Timothy O'Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
