HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Hollywood condominium owners are blaming live-aboard boaters for a dirty Intracoastal Waterway behind their complex.
Residents of The Moorings condominiums near North Beach Park in Hollywood told Local 10 News reporter Todd Tongen that the live-aboard boaters are nothing more than squatters on the water.
Marybeth Cullinan, a Moorings homeowner association member, reported seeing raw sewage dumped in the waterway.
"Where is the waste going?" Cullinan said. "We have seen them with buckets in the morning, throwing buckets over the side."
Kerry Lock, a live-aboard boater, said otherwise.
"That is not true at all. I know every live-aboard here and nobody is dumping sewage in the water, much less buckets of it," Lock said. "I use the bathroom, and so do most of the other people."
Cullinan said she doubts Lock's story.
"They claim that they use the bathrooms in the facilities over at the park, but that is highly unlikely when the bathrooms are only open from 7:30 (a.m.) to 7 o'clock at night," she said.
Condo residents said the boaters also have generators on board and carelessly transport fuel to their boats. Some mentioned seeing abandoned boats that interfere with navigation on the waterways.
"Two boats have sunk. One was a really big sailboat, and the mast was just sticking up," Cullinan said. "It costs the taxpayers of Broward County to have two boats removed."
News of a dirty Intracoastal not only concerns condo owners, but other Hollywood residents who enjoy fishing in the water. Angler Mike Stewart told Local 10 that he will now strictly catch and release in the area.
"That is kind of disgusting, now that you think about it," Stewart said. "If you want to eat the fish out of here, when there are human feces in there."
The city of Hollywood said it is aware of the problem and is working with the county, which has partial jurisdiction over the water, along with the federal government, to find a solution.