All state waters in Monroe County are now an anchoring limitation area. That means boats that are anchored out "on the hook" must move every three months.
But the law can't be enforced until there are 300 new moorings near Key West. The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently held a public roundtable to get input on any changes the law might need.
"Our focus is really on the environmental issues and the ever growing problem of the number of derelict vessel issues we face in the Florida Keys," said Florida FWC Commissioner Robert Spottswood, who lives in Key West.
According to the FWC, the Keys have the most derelict vessels in the state. FWC Major Rob Beaton said 176 boats are currently designated derelict. The state and county usually remove about 60 of them a year, at a cost of $240,000.
But boats are also one of the last ways to live affordably in the Keys. Susanne Kynast said her houseboat won't fit in a mooring field and she doesn't want to leave the anchorage off Marathon where she knows her neighbors.
"I depend on staying in my place so I can go to work," she said. "I have a massive set of anchors out so my 38-foot houseboat doesn't drift into other vessels during storms."
The state Legislature will likely address the issue of anchoring off the Keys again at its session scheduled to start in January.
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