City to consider 30‑day overnight anchoring limit under new state law; Marine Patrol to lead enforcement

Marco Aguilera, the city’s chief waterways officer, briefed commissioners on a draft anchoring ordinance aligned with House Bill 481. Aguilera said the state statute authorizes municipalities in counties with populations over 1.5 million to regulate anchoring and that the proposed local rule would restrict overnight anchoring to 30 days during any six‑month period. “This ordinance would allow any 30 days, does not have to be consecutive, and it would also be throughout the entire city,” he said.

Aguilera emphasized the rule would apply to overnight anchoring only—recreational daytime anchoring would remain allowed—and identified exceptions for permitted marine construction, designated anchorage limitation areas and public mooring fields. He said the restriction differs from an anchorage‑limitation area (a separate tool with a 45‑consecutive‑day cap) and that Miami Beach has enacted similar language.

Marine Patrol described operational details: the unit has six officers with shifts covering daytime and an extended evening schedule; officers said they maintain an Excel tracking list of vessels and contact responsible parties to educate them about the 30‑day limit. Officers described plans to leave literature on unattended boats and to use existing abandoned‑boat tagging procedures when appropriate.

Commissioners asked about staffing, notification procedures, and a typographical date error in the draft. Staff said the item was scheduled for first reading at the evening meeting and requested any feedback from the commission.

Next steps: staff will correct the draft where dates are inconsistent, finalize enforcement language with the police department and, if approved, place the ordinance on the evening docket for first reading.