DUNEDIN, Fla. — Partially submerged in Tampa Bay area waterways sit 32 derelict boats that were left behind by "irresponsible" owners.
After being left behind for years, on occasion, those who live along Tampa Bay and the Intracoastal waterway have had enough — and so has the sheriff's office and local leaders.
That's why Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, joined by Dunedin Mayor Julie Bujalski and two commissioners, announced plans to remove the deteriorating boats that are both an eyesore and public safety issue.
"They've just been abandoned irresponsibly by their owners, left there, and some of them have been sittin' out here now for a year, year and a half," Gualtieri said Monday during a press conference.
He says the greatest concern with derelict boats is the danger they pose to other boaters on the water, people swimming in the area and people on personal watercraft.
That's why an administrative hearing process began about a month ago that allows for notices to be posted on the derelict boats. According to Gualtieri, the notices have to be posted for 21 days to allow for the owners to request a hearing. If one is not requested, then the "piles of junk" will be removed and destroyed.
Gualtieri says the notice period has come and gone for most of the derelict boats on their list; and beginning Monday, they will be "snatching" boats out of the water.
The hope is that 17 derelict boats will be removed from waterways this week and be delivered to solid waste managers to be destroyed.
"To be able to get these boats out of the water in less than a month's time is so critical to our environment, not just the eyesore, but really to our environment," Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters said.
"This has been an ongoing process and problem for a long time," Dunedin City Commissioner John Tornga added.
In the past, Gualtieri says there was a process where those who left behind derelict boats faced citations — but it didn't work. The sheriff explained that with one derelict boat investigation, the search for the owner only led back to a P.O. box instead of a person.
"I'm just gonna focus on the bottom line and let's get these things out of here and move on. If it costs us a couple bucks to do it, it's worth it for the public," Gualtieri said.
According to the sheriff, "general fund" money is being used to remove the boats. To paint a picture of the potential costs, Gualtieri said the removal of a 25-foot boat comes with a price tag of around $5,000.
Multiply that rough cost across 32 derelict boats, with varying sizes and the cost starts to add up. If all the boats in question met that size example, removal would stack up to $160,000.
But for Gualtieri, the removals and the return to safety it could bring to county waterways is "worth every penny of it."
"We're gonna clean this mess up and we're not gonna let it get back to where it is and there's gonna be a big difference," he said. "The citizens will see that but again it has to be within these parameters in which we can work."
The sheriff also addressed concerns related to live-aboard boats and mooring fields. You can learn more about what is considered legal vs. illegal on the topics in the video below: