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Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County outline anchoring-limitation areas for inlet; county to file ordinance with state
Summary
The City of Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County presented a draft anchoring-limitation ordinance for the Fort Pierce inlet that would restrict continuous anchoring to 45 days in a six-month period and require a 24-hour, 1-mile break; county staff will file the ordinance with FWC and return to the city with an interlocal agreement.
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 include law enforcement, firefighting and rescue, commercial dredging, commercial fishing actively tending gear, riparian rights, mooring, and vessels within the Intracoastal Waterway.
Enforcement and staffing: City marina and code-enforcement staff said the marina would provide the primary on-water contact, notifying vessels, tracking days anchored and collecting evidence on potential violations. Marina staff said they will work with FWC, the sheriff nd state law enforcement partners to issue citations and, in repeated cases, remove vessels (removals are not automatic and require enforcement actions). Marina staff reported plans for daily on-water presence through assigned code-enforcement personnel and said they have requested additional vessels and equipment. County representatives said the county will fund consultant work, signage and buoys and will assist with vessel removals; the county also has a derelict-vessel removal list and said five vessels were expected to be released by FWC for removal soon.
Waste-discharge and pump-out facilities: Commissioners and staff emphasized public concerns about discharge and wastewater from anchored vessels. Staff noted three nearby pump-out facilities (the City Marina, Harbour Town/Safe Harbor and a private Pelican facility) and the city's current $5 pump-out charge. Marina leaders said that charging a modest fee had encouraged pump-out use and that private mobile pump-out options exist but may not always be used by transient boaters.
Process and timeline: County staff said the county's ordinance must be submitted to FWC for a mandatory 30-day advertisement period before the county commission can adopt it; the city will then return an interlocal agreement to the commission for approval after the county's process advances. County staff said they had started the FWC process but had not yet submitted the final package; the earliest the city would consider an interlocal agreement was after FWC review and the county commission action.
Why it matters: The ALA aims to balance navigation safety, port access and public-use of the inlet against marina and resident complaints about continuous live-aboard anchoring, derelict vessels and possible impacts on water quality. Commissioners asked for clear enforcement commitments and a regular update on costs, staffing and the effect on the marina enterprise fund.
Quotations from the meeting "People will still be able to anchor in them, as provided within the law," City attorney staffer said when briefing the commission on the county draft. "If a boat has to move 1 day, that tells us that that boat is functional and it is not a derelict vessel," marina staff said, describing how movement can demonstrate vessel operability.
Ending County and city staff will continue to refine the map, finalize the county—WC submission and return an interlocal agreement for the commission—onsideration after FWC advertising and county commission action. Commissioners asked for follow-up briefings on enforcement staffing, equipment needs and derelict-vessel removal status.
