MIAMI — For years, our South Florida waterways have been cluttered by floating junk.
That junk is hundreds of vessels that have been ditched, many times leaking pollutants, with their owners often nowhere to be found.
Miami Police Department Marine Patrol Cmdr. Corey Cuoto and Officer Arturo Del Castillo took Local 10 News’ Christian De La Rosa out on the water to see how big of a problem it is.
It didn’t take long on their journey to find several of the abandoned boat.
“It’s never-ending,” said Del Castillo. “In case of a storm or hurricane, you hope for the best.”
Miami City Commissioner Damian Pardo is putting his hopes on a new city ordinance allowing MPD’s Marine Patrol to enhance its crackdown on the so-called derelict vessels.
“It’s not safe to have this situation in our waters and we need to eradicate it,” said Pardo.
A Florida law passed last year allows municipalities in South Florida to expand their jurisdiction on the water to give warnings and fines.
“Before it was only 100 feet around a mooring field, now it’s 300 feet around a mooring field,” said Pardo.
It comes with a daily $500 fine.
“If you don’t send the payment within 30 days, we’re going to go ahead and suspend your right to register any vehicle or any vessel in the state of Florida,” said Del Castillo.
But Cuoto and Del Castillo said many times they’re unable to locate owners, and the city is forced to remove them.
“A lot of these owners, they don’t even live in Florida,” Del Castillo said.
In 2025, city crews had to pull out 74 vessels from our waters, costing tax payers roughly $1 million.
“The removal process is lengthy,” said Del Castillo. “This will require divers, this will require disposing of the sail.”
Miami Beach was first to pass a similar measure.
Pardo fears that city’s floating problem made its way across Biscayne Bay, and now as they start enforcing their ordinance, the same problem will float to other municipalities north or south of there.
He said his hope is those local governments will pass similar measures.
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