Molly Brown
Member
Mornin' Brats......
FYI for those that boat in, or transit, SE Florida waters. The state legislature approved a new law effective July 1 restricting anchoring. Seems the local waterfront homeowners in the Miami area have gotten their wish. This statement was in today's local newspaper...
HB 1051, prohibits overnight anchoring in part of the Middle River in Broward County, Sunset Lake in Miami-Dade County and three parts of Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade.
I am against any prohibitions to overnight anchoring and have contributed to many surveys from boating and government agencies relating to local government attempts to restrict where a boater can drop the hook. I can understand that a multi million dollar homeowner dislikes having certain type of boats or boat owners "parking" in front of their property, but to me it is no different than those same owners wanting to stop people from walking on the beach in front of their homes. Thankfully the state recognizes the "peoples right" up to the high water mark and demands unfettered access (they can and do control it with parking restrictions and limiting easements for access to the beach from the land side). In that vain, I have to wonder how they see fit to restrict anchoring since 95% of submerged land is pubic property.
Now that a precedent has been set at the state level I can be pretty well assured that myriad of other local governments will want their restrictions as well. Time will tell.
James
FYI for those that boat in, or transit, SE Florida waters. The state legislature approved a new law effective July 1 restricting anchoring. Seems the local waterfront homeowners in the Miami area have gotten their wish. This statement was in today's local newspaper...
HB 1051, prohibits overnight anchoring in part of the Middle River in Broward County, Sunset Lake in Miami-Dade County and three parts of Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade.
I am against any prohibitions to overnight anchoring and have contributed to many surveys from boating and government agencies relating to local government attempts to restrict where a boater can drop the hook. I can understand that a multi million dollar homeowner dislikes having certain type of boats or boat owners "parking" in front of their property, but to me it is no different than those same owners wanting to stop people from walking on the beach in front of their homes. Thankfully the state recognizes the "peoples right" up to the high water mark and demands unfettered access (they can and do control it with parking restrictions and limiting easements for access to the beach from the land side). In that vain, I have to wonder how they see fit to restrict anchoring since 95% of submerged land is pubic property.
Now that a precedent has been set at the state level I can be pretty well assured that myriad of other local governments will want their restrictions as well. Time will tell.
James