When you cross the Edison Bridge to get to North Fort Myers, the first thing you might see are more than a dozen boats of all shapes and sizes floating around at the Old Bridge Marina.
"We can’t do anything until we get those permits to remove these vessels," said Savannah Skaggs.
Skaggs worked at the Old Bridge Marina before Ian. She's anxiously waiting for these unclaimed boats to be removed.
"Right now, we cannot clean this up as it would be a charge against us on theft, so we are unable to remove any vessels from here as we would be charged in a manner of theft," Skaggs said.
Because of this, the business has been shut down for nearly two years. Now for local governments, FWC is now allowing them to get paid for removing unclaimed boats. As of June 1, 2024, there were 700 derelict vessels listed in the FWC derelict vessel database.
Savannah says she wasn't shocked.
"I don’t feel that number is too high; if you drive anywhere up and down Fort Myers, you will see vessels just like these ones along the dockside," she said.
She hopes that this new ray of light will get this place back in business.
"Going to be tremendous helping us get these vessels out of here; nobody likes to look at this. We would like to get this place back up and running not only for ourselves but for our community," Skaggs said.
The news release from FWC is listed below.
At its September meeting in Duck Key, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved rule amendments, creating a block grant option within the already established FWC derelict vessel and public nuisance vessel removal grant program.
In collaboration with city and county partners, the FWC Boating and Waterways Section proposed the block grant funding option within the existing program to allow an additional reimbursement option for ongoing vessel removals in areas that remove a substantial number of DVs annually.
The amendment to the guidelines and application will allow block grant funding to be awarded to eligible governments based on the removal of data from prior years. Local municipalities will be paid from those funds upon submission of documentation of the removal of eligible vessels. Busy governments will no longer have to wait to apply in advance for each vessel removal project, which should result in less red tape and a quicker removal process.
“Our goal is to keep improving our waterways by removing as many DVs as possible,” said Maj. Bill Holcomb, FWC Boating and Waterways section leader. “This amendment will allow local governments that have DV removal experience and are familiar with the process an option to remove these vessels more efficiently. They can remove eligible DVs and submit for reimbursement from their awarded block grant.”
The new rule will streamline the DV removal process, reducing the potential environmental impact and overall removal costs associated with derelict vessels that remain deteriorating in the state's waters.
“Incorporating this grant block funding into the process is really a significant step forward in getting these derelict vessels off the water as efficiently as possible,” said Brittany Burtner, senior administrator, Monroe County Marine Resources.
Eligible governments must have removed 40 or more vessels within a three-year period over the preceding five calendar years, ensuring that those government entities receiving block grants have experience with removals and are familiar with the process.
The funding for each block grant award will be based on a formula that includes the average number of vessel removals for the applicant and the statewide average cost per removal.
As of June 1, 2024, there were 700 derelict vessels listed in the FWC derelict vessel database. Unfortunately, derelict vessels continue to be documented by law enforcement on an ongoing basis. These 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.
If you ever see any boats that might be in danger or abandoned, report it to FWC.