Derelict boats abandoned in Charlotte Harbor, but who’s responsible?

Reporter: Morgan Rynor
Published: Updated:
An abandoned boat. (WINK News photo)
An abandoned boat. (WINK News photo)

Not one, not two, not three, but four sunken and derelict boats are in the water along Bayshore Live Oak Park in Charlotte Harbor, and people are worried they can be a safety hazard.

“I think it’s a distraction to this area here,” said Glen Price, a part-time resident. “It’s a nice park and with that boat there, people tend to go look at the boat instead of the surrounding of the park.

Charlotte County says the boats ended up like this because of a storm in December.

“I don’t get it, I mean if I were the owner of that boat I would make some sort of arrangement to get it pulled out and get it back into operation you know,” Price said.

Jim Cave is also a part-time resident and he raised similar concerns, “That one there is not a safety hazard because it’s too close to shore, the one further out there possibly could be if there’s no lights on it at night.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says once a boat is reported, they determine if it is derelict, seeing things like broken windows, missing motors, or anything else that would deem it inoperable.

FWC says they then track the owner down, and hand them a packet of options to remove the boat, and charge them with a first degree misdemeanor.

Price said, “We’ve been here since the first of January and it hasn’t moved, and nobody seems to care if it moves or not you know.”

FWC says if the owner doesn’t move the boat, the FWC or the county has to bid for a company to remove the boat, which is typically a 45 day process.

If the owner doesn’t pay for the bill, they can face penalties on their drivers license.

But ultimately, tax payers will foot the bill for removing the boat.

Of the four boats we saw Wednesday, two of the owners have already received a citation and have 30 days to respond before the court date.

The FWC is still working on the other two.

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