JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Abandoned and damaged boats are cluttering Florida\u2019s waterways, costing the state roughly $6 million a year to remove \u2014 and frustrated boaters say the cleanup process moves far too slowly.<\/p>\n
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Capt. Robert Lentz has spent years identifying derelict vessels on the St. Johns River and other state waters. <\/p>\n
On a recent trip through the Arlington area of Jacksonville, he and a News4JAX crew spotted several in quick succession.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis vessel has fallen into a derelict vessel category,\u201d Lentz said, pointing to one of the boats.<\/p>\n
What makes a boat \u2018derelict\u2019?<\/p>\n
Under Florida law, a vessel is classified as derelict if it is sinking or run aground, stripped or junked, or if two of its three core systems \u2014 steering, propulsion, or hull integrity \u2014 are broken or non-functional.<\/p>\n
Once FWC agents identify a derelict vessel, they attach a bright red sticker and begin the process of tracking down the legal owner. That process alone can stretch on for months \u2014 or longer.<\/p>\n
Once FWC agents identify a derelict vessel, they attach a bright red sticker and begin the process of tracking down the legal owner. That process alone can stretch on for months \u2014 or longer. (Ciara Earrey\/News4JAX)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe longest I\u2019ve heard of is years,\u201d Lentz said. \u201cIt can take years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boaters fed up with the wait<\/p>\n
At the San Juan boat ramp on Jacksonville\u2019s Westside, fisherman Joe Turner said an abandoned vessel had been sitting there for more than two years, blocking access.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me mad, because I can\u2019t get over to my fishing spot,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
A second boat at the same ramp, which Turner and fellow fisherman Scott Miller said had been there since January, was leaking oil into the water.<\/p>\n
Under Florida law, a vessel is classified as derelict if it is sinking or run aground, stripped or junked, or if two of its three core systems \u2014 steering, propulsion, or hull integrity \u2014 are broken or non-functional. (Ciara Earrey\/News4JAX)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hideous, hideous looking just sitting there,\u201d Miller said. \u201cI mean, you\u2019d think after a year or so they would do something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller added: \u201cI mean it\u2019s just kind of sad that it\u2019s still there. They say they want to clean up Jacksonville, but they sure ain\u2019t been down here from what I see.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tab for taxpayers<\/p>\n
By law, FWC must locate the legal owner of a derelict vessel before removing it, and that owner is responsible for paying removal costs. When owners refuse, cannot be found, or cannot pay, the state covers the bill.<\/p>\n
Florida removes about 400 derelict vessels from its waterways each year at a cost of approximately $6 million-$7 million. During major hurricane seasons, that figure spikes dramatically. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, the state recovered and disposed of 1,000 boats at a cost of $52 million.<\/p>\n
By law, FWC must locate the legal owner of a derelict vessel before removing it, and that owner is responsible for paying removal costs. (Ciara Earrey\/News4JAX)<\/p>\n
Removal costs cover retrieving the vessel, towing it, breaking it apart, and disposing of it in a landfill. Additional funds flow to local jurisdictions to assist with removal \u2014 but officials say the money and the pace of cleanup are not keeping up with the problem.<\/p>\n
Criminal charges<\/p>\n
Lentz said FWC does have legal recourse against owners who abandon their vessels.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a crime to leave your boat on the waters of the state in a derelict vessel condition,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can be arrested and ordered to pay restitution.\u201d<\/p>\n
FWC does offer a voluntary turn-in program, where the state will dispose of a derelict boat for free. <\/p>\n