Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County outline anchoring-limitation areas for inlet; county to file ordinance with state

The City of Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County presented a draft ordinance and interlocal agreement intended to limit long-term anchoring in the Fort Pierce inlet, a measure county staff will submit to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for review.

What the ordinance would do: Under the state statute cited by staff, the county must adopt the ALA ordinance. The draft limits any vessel from anchoring continuously more than 45 days within a designated Anchoring Limitation Area (ALA) in any six-month period. A vessel that reaches the 45-day limit must vacate "all anchoring limitation areas" and the immediate area for at least 24 hours and travel a minimum of 1 mile from the ALA before re-anchoring in those areas. The map shown to the commission identified multiple parcels in the inlet (each parcel below the statutory 100-acre limit) focused along the south side of the channel near Seaway Drive/Causeway and the north side around Wesley's Island. Exemptions identified in the draft ordinance…