Released by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission …..
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be conducting a public meeting on Thursday, March 14 in Pensacola City Council Chambers (222 W. Main St., Pensacola, FL 32502) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to solicit input regarding a proposed process that officers may use to determine if a vessel has an “effective means of propulsion for safe navigation.”
During the 2016 Legislative Session, House Bill 7025, At-risk Vessels, passed the Florida Legislature and was approved by the Governor. This legislation provided new conditions for determining if vessels are at risk of becoming derelict.
One of the possible components of an “at risk” vessel is if it does not have an effective means of propulsion for safe navigation. Currently, there is no evaluation defined by rule or statute for determining this standard, which is the main topic of the upcoming public meeting.
“Creating a standardized evaluation for vessels is an important step in the process of effectively enforcing the at-risk vessel statute,” said Maj. Rob Rowe, Boating and Waterways section leader. “However, this evaluation would have other ramifications that may apply to derelict vessels, liveaboards and the abilities of municipalities to regulate their waters. We want to get everyone’s input on this proposed process, so we can provide an informed recommendation to the Commission.”
For more information, visit MyFWC.com/Boating, scroll down and click on “Derelict Vessels.”