Dozens of abandoned boats are littering Tampa Bay waterways

Hurricane Matthew in 2016 put upwards of 70 vessels in the waters off the Florida coast.

[officialWWM]

Why not just let people claim them for free after 7 days? I saw a couple that I'd like :)

[mixflip]

Let people take the boats for free, no fees and let them keep what ever is found on them. No questions asked! Those boats will be gone in a month.

[jeffreywhitlatch]

This is a huge problem in FL. But I agree, Free boats. The only catch is....You gotta come get it.

[TampaTec]

Why didn't they just do the same as car repos and impound the boats and if the owner doesn't retrieve the boat in time they sell it off.

[justplainducky]

Florida's "Title law" says you can't claim them under the salvage law so boat restorer can't claim the boat, fix them and resell them so under the threat of jail they just leave them to mess up the beautiful environment. Another example of well meaning government making things worst

[JodianGaming]

Gotta love it... Here I am scratching every penny to try and save up for a boat that I'd treat like gold and down in Florida you got people just abandoning them while they're still floating. Something terribly wrong with the world.

[Horkslair]

Make it public knowledge that if a boat is abandoned for more than a certain amount of time, ANYONE can claim ownership simply by taking a photo of the abandoned sticker and claiming it at the courthouse named on the sticker.
I am guessing that a salvage operation would love to have a steady stream of free boats.

[kerbygator]

The best two days of a boat owners' life is the day he gets the boat and the day he gets rid of it.

[blueskdragonFX]

Was in Bermuda for 4 months of work and there too abandoned ships littered everywhere due to hurricanes and laziness of the shipowners. As Dutch metal workers who also work in various shipyards we could not believe the amount of beautiful ships just being abandoned.

[shawnmusharbash]

1.4 million dollars to move a already floating boat? gtfoh I'll come do it for 100k and I'll flip the boats or something. this is a scam to obtain Grant$$

[americantaxpayer]

"A $1.5 million grant to FWC" So FWC got 3 new boats. And used the leftover money for postage when they mail the fines to the owners.

[samuelmiller]

I agree let us salvage anything that is abandoned.

[gi]

here's an idea, allow people to take home any boats they find. Floridians will clean the boats up for free

[mnminnmn]

geez, if you are dumb enough to not grind your registration/hull ID/motor serial# off before you abandon it, you should get double fined. lol

[aankivbay]

Wait !
Don't touch that boat !
Rob and I will be down there tomorrow . . . .

[joelen]

I'll never forget the look on my mother's face when my father (who was a bit of a drinker) told the joke, "A boat is a hole in the water you put money in." When he sold his business he got a bigger boat and my mother got a divorce.

[AVR_]

Maritime law allows for sunken, or abandoned boats to be salvaged and rescued by anyone who finds them, but Florida State law prohibits this. These boats could be cleaned up by people looking for a good deal, but the state won’t allow it. The owner of the derelict boat must assign title to a person who wants to salvage it, and some won’t do it.

[projektxent]

Some of those boats looked nice. I would gladly pay to take one and as long as they let me title it

[samualwhittemore]

All those bureaucrats need to do is reduce regulation on "salvage rights" and the problem will take care of itself.
Simple plan:
1. The game warden while out on patrol photograph derelicts and record time/date
2. put a notice in the newspaper for 30 days for owner to comply and remove boat.
3. at 60 days Offer clear title to salvors while waiving any liability associated with recovery of boat.
THats all that has to be done. If the government cleans up the problem it will cost tax payers millions and they are STILL waiving liability to the cleanup crew. So what's the problem government? ---> I think we all know the answer.

[timm]

Pass a salvage law like in California. Stop charging people and start offering for anyone to get them.