Today, about an hour ago, the Miami Beach Marine Police issued warning citations to all of the boats in the South Beach anchorage. Tickets will be given out to any boats remaining there next Sunday, and the ticket is based on Miami Beach local ordinance 66-8, which I’ll copy below.
I was informed of this by ‘Mike’, who’s earlier letter about feeling threatened you’ve already read here. Now the police are taking action, obviously at the orders of the City.
Mike is a veterinarian in Miami Beach, a professional. His boat is a 2002 Hunter 46 – and you can see by the photos that this is NOT a derelict boat in any way, shape or form. He takes it out regularly when his schedule permits, it does not sit and gather barnacles.

(Wally Moran, Sailing and Cruising)

For some brief background, the State of Florida addressed the local anchoring restriction debacle back in 2009. The Mooring Field Pilot Program wasn’t perfect, but it was a compromise that most cruising boaters could live with. As a result, individual municipalities no longer had the right to restrict or ban anchoring within their city limits. Now Miami is doing just that.

Here’s what city leaders think of boaters:

The city commission finds and declares that the proliferation of watercraft in use for residential purposes or otherwise stored in the waters of Biscayne Bay within the boundaries of the city have had and have a deleterious effect upon the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the city in that they potentially serve as a source for pollution and contamination though discharge of human waste as well as garbage, refuse, debris, oil and other obnoxious products; constitute aesthetic pollution, being unsightly and interfering with views and enjoyment by the public of the beautiful vistas of Biscayne Bay; constitute nuisance and invasions of the privacy of homeowners and other residents of property adjacent or proximate to the bay; constitute a threat to the safety, health and welfare of residents of the city through unregulated activity upon and aboard such watercraft; and numerous other problems and disadvantages which adversely affect the quality of life of the residents and visitors to the city.

Read that again. Unbelievable.

Here’s Mike:

And below is his vessel:

Yup, the claim is that this guy is having a deleterious effect on the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Miami. One week from now he’ll be given a ticket for violating a city ordinance, an ordinance that shouldn’t hold up in a court challenge. He’s prepared to fight it.

Others are organizing to protest. If you can get your boat to Miami on Sunday, please do so. Here’s a link to the event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1561062817539090/

Come out and let’s celebrate Mike’s getting an anti anchoring ticket – and show Miami Beach and Florida we will not be pushed around.

If this crap is allowed to stand, it WILL start happening all over Florida.