Help with abandoned boats from Florida Fish & Wildlife

The state of Florida has a robust program for derelict boats.

During recent hurricanes, there were hundreds of boats in area waters, many abandoned. There were some, including a sailboat on the beach near 7th Street, that became lodged in the sand, and were difficult to remove.

Bradley Johnson, Public Information Officer for Florida Fish and Wildlife, had the following advice for those boats that seem derelict.

“We make every effort to work with vessel owners to remove the vessel from state waters themselves to minimize the cost to taxpayers,” said Johnson. “When owners do not remove the vessels themselves, FWC then works with licensed contractors to perform removal, destruction and disposal and cannot confirm or guarantee a removal timeline.”  

The Division of Law Enforcement’s Boating and Waterways Section is spearheading a multi-year effort to dramatically reduce the backlog of derelict vessels currently on the waters of the state, he said. Unfortunately, more and more derelict vessels continue to be documented by law enforcement on an ongoing basis.

The state has initiated the Florida Vessel Turn in Program, whereby vessel owners may apply to have their “At-Risk” vessels removed from the waters of this state at no charge. Guidelines and Application are available at FloridaVTIP.com. Vessel owners who have received a citation or written warning for an At-Risk condition on their vessel by law enforcement, may apply for this program if they meet the guideline eligibility requirements. 

Questions? Call 888-404-3922.