Derelict vessels removed from Lee County waterways

Look out your car window as you head to Fort Myers Beach and chances are, you’ll spot a sinking boat.

There’s an effort to get these abandoned vessels out of the water because if they’re left untouched, they can harm the environment.

Sgt. Tim Galloway with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Operations Unit has seen it all.

“It’s a reoccurring problem in the county,” he said of abandoned boats.

They’re dangerous to people – “It presents a navigation hazard to boats” – and to wildlife – “Especially if these vessels are submerged, the seals that contain these liquids will eventually erode and they will emit fluids, and gasoline, and oils into the waterways that will pollute it.”

Even the trash on these boats is a threat.

“I mean we found trash coming off that boat today. The boat that we went out and looked at, we actually found a piece of plastic coming off of that boat and managed to take it out because to a turtle, this looks like a jellyfish and if a turtle eats this, it’ll kill it.”

In the last 45 days, LCSO has had seven boats removed.

“Obviously a vessel that is completely submerged requires a lot more attention. That increases the cost and that cost can be anywhere from $9,000 to $20,000 per boat. A rough estimate on the seven boats that we just had pulled over the last 45 days is $80,000.”

Galloway said the sheriff’s office has six boats ready to go under contract for removals. The hope is to remove them within the next 30 to 45 days.