State-wide ‘turn-in’ project for end of life boats in Florida

A new programme in Florida has been established to tackle the issue of end of life boats and reduce the number of derelict vessels along the state’s waterways.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established a statewide Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) as part of the Derelict Vessel Prevention Program. The new rule will create a voluntary program to remove at-risk vessels before they become derelict, in an effort to help Florida’s environment and public safety. 

Rule changes were advanced this week to help speed the removal of privately owned boats that have been abandoned, wrecked, junked or substantially dismantled in state waters.

The VTIP would be open to people who in the past 18 months have received notices three times for at-risk conditions. The vessels would need to be owned outright by the participant, with no loans or finances owed on the boat.

For participants in the program, the commission will declare vessels a public nuisance and pay for removal from the water and eventual destruction.

MIN reported on the issue of end of life boats on our shores in 2021.

The initiative forms part of a multi-year effort to dramatically reduce the backlog of derelict vessels currently on Florida’s waters by the Division of Law Enforcement’s Boating and Waterways Section.

Derelict vessels are more costly and complicated to remove than at-risk vessels. The FWC says a VTIP will prevent vessels from becoming derelict by removing them from the state’s waters when they are at risk of becoming derelict, which will result in cost savings for taxpayers and ultimately fewer DVs appearing on Florida waters. The VTIP is designed to allow owners of vessels at risk of becoming derelict the ability to voluntarily turn the at-risk vessel over to the state for removal and destruction. 

“Commissioners receive numerous contacts from the public about derelict vessels and I know the establishment of this new program will really make a difference,” says FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “Thanks to the efforts of Senator Ben Albritton, Representative Josie Tomkow, Representative Jay Trumbull and Senator Kelli Stargel, we’ve received the resources and the legislative support to make this program a reality.”

“Derelict vessels are a priority for the FWC. Establishing the Vessel Turn-In Program provides a voluntary pathway for owners to remove at-risk vessels from the water before becoming derelict, thereby reducing future costs of removal. Removing at-risk vessels from Florida’s waterways before they become derelict is not only a win for the environment but also for public safety, taxpayers and the vessel owners,” says Roger Young, director of the FWC Division of Law Enforcement.

According to the FWC, derelict vessels cause the destruction of valuable seagrass resources and endanger marine life. They also threaten human life, safety and property as they drift on or beneath the surface of the water or block navigable waterways, posing a navigational hazard to the boating public.

The commission is currently handling 730 derelict-vessel cases.

Since last July, the commission has removed 78 derelict boats from waters in Monroe County, 33 from waters of the West Coast Inland Navigation District in Southwest Florida, 11 from the waters of Escambia County and another 11 in Duval County.

Lead image courtesy of FWC.