Council approves first reading to limit registered boat length to 26 feet in driveways

The Indian Harbour Beach City Council voted on first reading June 9 to amend city code regulating the parking and storage of watercraft and watercraft trailers in residential zones, adopting a 26-foot maximum measured by the vessel—s registered hull length rather than overall length including trailer and motor.

Residents at the public hearing urged the council to base enforcement on the registered length on state registration documents rather than the combined length with trailer tongues and motors. "When you add the tongue and the motor, any boat over 19 feet is going to be out of the 26," Todd Ospire told the council, urging the use of registered length for clarity.

Councilmember Susan Romy moved to approve Ordinance 2026-07 with the change to measure boat size by registered length; Councilmember David Nut seconded. After discussion about retaining a permit process and property-inspection language, the motion passed by a recorded tally of 4—1 on first reading. The record does not identify each member's individual vote by name in the transcript.

City staff and council debated whether the proposed ordinance should keep a permit requirement that would allow limited on-property inspections. Deputy Mayor Adam Dyer said he had "a fundamental issue" with language that grants city officials blanket permission to enter private property, and several council members said the permit language and measurement definition needed clearer wording before final adoption.

The ordinance will return for a second reading, at which time council will consider any final edits and decide adoption. The public hearing and first-reading record show council intent to allow common family-sized boats to remain legal in driveways when measured by hull registration rather than by the combined trailer-and-motor length.