On October 20, Miami-Dade County will face an important decision about the future of anchoring in Biscayne Bay and, specifically, the historic Coconut Grove anchorage.
The issue should not be framed as a choice between unrestricted chaos and additional government regulation.
Florida already has laws governing derelict vessels, pollution, navigation hazards, illegal dumping, trespassing, vessel registration, sewage discharge, and unsafe boating.
The real question is whether longtime local boaters and marine businesses should be punished because Florida's rapid influx of out-of-state residents has increased pressure on the waterfront while marina slips, mooring space, and other boating facilities remain severely limited.
They should not.
Coconut Grove's anchorage should be protected.
Miami-Dade should push back against policies that make lawful anchoring harder for local boat owners, marine workers, charter captains, and longstanding businesses when many of them already have nowhere realistic to go.
The County should focus on protecting established local access to Biscayne Bay, rather than allowing limited infrastructure and increasing development pressure to push longtime members of the boating community out.
Key Topics Covered
- Protecting the Coconut Grove anchorage ahead of the October 20 Miami-Dade meeting
- Grandfathering established local boats and longstanding marine businesses
- Protecting Miami and Florida residents as rapid migration from other states increases pressure on local waterfront communities
- Defending Florida anchoring rights and public access to state waterways
- Distinguishing responsible liveaboards from abandoned and derelict vessels
- Enforcing existing laws instead of creating broader anchoring restrictions
- Addressing the severe shortage of marina slips and mooring space
- Preserving Coconut Grove's historic maritime culture
- Protecting liveaboards, charter captains, marine workers, and waterfront businesses
- Preventing waterfront redevelopment and political pressure from pushing traditional boating communities out of Biscayne Bay
Grandfather Established Local Boats and Marine Businesses
One of the most important protections Miami-Dade should consider before October 20 is grandfathering established local boats and marine businesses that have already been part of Coconut Grove and Biscayne Bay for years.
That proposal came directly from the public hearing. Established boats did not suddenly appear because of the current political debate. Many have been part of the anchorage for years, and some of the people and businesses connected to Coconut Grove's maritime community have histories measured in decades or generations.
“We have to protect our locals.” — Colby Uva
During my testimony, I specifically raised the enormous changes occurring in Miami and asked the committee to protect the people who were already here. I noted the influx of residents from places such as Chicago, New York, and California and then asked the County to consider grandfathering local vessels and businesses that have been operating in these areas for years or generations.
That should be one of the first issues addressed on October 20.
A boat that has been lawfully maintained in the Coconut Grove anchorage for five, ten, or twenty years should not suddenly be treated as though it arrived yesterday. A charter captain who has built a livelihood around Biscayne Bay should not be pushed out because policymakers changed direction after years of lawful operation. A marine business with decades of history should not lose access to the waters on which that business was built.
Grandfathering recognizes history, reliance, and basic fairness. It also provides an obvious distinction between longstanding members of the Coconut Grove boating community and newer vessels that may have recently moved into the area.
If Miami-Dade imposes any new restriction affecting long-term anchoring, boats that were already established should be protected.
Grandfathering is not a loophole. It is a recognition that government should be extremely cautious about changing the rules after people have organized their homes, businesses, and livelihoods around them.
Florida's Massive Influx of New Residents Should Not Come at the Expense of Locals
Florida has experienced an enormous migration of residents from other states, and South Florida has felt those changes particularly intensely. New residents can bring investment, businesses, tax revenue, and economic activity. But rapid growth also creates serious pressure on housing, roads, marina capacity, waterfront property, public access, and longstanding communities.
Coconut Grove is a clear example.
As Miami becomes more valuable and more densely developed, waterfront property becomes increasingly expensive. Marina space becomes harder to find. Working waterfronts become more vulnerable. Uses that existed comfortably for decades can suddenly become viewed as incompatible with newer and more expensive development.
There is nothing wrong with people choosing to move to Florida. The concern is what happens when the preferences created by rapid population growth begin displacing the people and traditions that were already here.
“Consider something about grandfathering in local vessels and local businesses that have been operating in these areas for generations.” — Colby Uva
That was the specific solution I asked commissioners to consider at the hearing.
People moving to Miami should be welcomed. But purchasing a new waterfront condominium should not automatically give someone a greater claim to the character of Biscayne Bay than a Floridian who has sailed, worked, lived aboard, or operated a marine business there for decades.
Public water is different from private property.
Biscayne Bay cannot gradually become the functional backyard of whichever waterfront development happens to sit beside it.
Growth should not mean that established residents continually surrender access to their own communities. Miami-Dade should not allow longstanding Coconut Grove boaters to become collateral damage of South Florida's success.
Coconut Grove's Anchorage Is Part of Miami's History
Coconut Grove is not simply another anchoring location on a chart. Its boating community is part of the history and identity of Miami.
Long before today's luxury towers and waterfront redevelopment, Coconut Grove was shaped by sailors, fishermen, charter captains, marine tradespeople, boatyards, marinas, salvage operators, and people whose lives revolved around Biscayne Bay.
“My father started our business in 1957 in Coconut Grove.” — Burt Korpela
Burt Korpela described a family marine towing and salvage business with roots stretching back nearly seven decades. He also spoke as someone who has spent his life around boats, marine emergencies, and derelict vessels. His testimony drew an important distinction: responsible people who live aboard and take care of their boats are not the fundamental problem.
He also identified one of the underlying issues that keeps appearing throughout this debate: there simply is not enough dock and mooring capacity.
That history matters.
Coconut Grove's waterfront should not become a place where maritime culture survives only in restaurant names, historical photographs, yacht-club branding, and tourism advertisements while the people actually practicing that culture are pushed somewhere else.
You cannot preserve a maritime community by removing the mariners.
The Problem Is Being Defined Too Broadly
Much of the case for anchoring restrictions has focused on legitimate concerns involving abandoned boats, sinking vessels, sewage discharge, leaking fuel, navigation hazards, illegal rentals, and poorly maintained vessels.
Those are real issues.
They are also different issues.
A derelict boat is not the same thing as an occupied, seaworthy vessel. A vessel leaking fuel is not the same thing as a maintained sailboat. Someone illegally dumping sewage is not the same thing as somebody responsibly living aboard a vessel. A boat abandoned without an identifiable owner is completely different from a vessel whose owner checks it every day.
Even the presentation supporting greater restrictions focused heavily on derelict and allegedly unseaworthy vessels, sewage, fuel leakage, sunken boats, and navigation hazards.
Those examples may justify enforcement against those violations.
They do not establish that long-term anchoring itself is the problem.
“Throwing out the boats that are liveaboard, that people live on at anchor to take care of their boats, is not really the issue.” — Burt Korpela
Korpela's testimony goes directly to the weakness in the current approach.
The government should identify harmful conduct and address that conduct. It should not construct a broad restriction around how many days someone has remained anchored and then use the worst derelict boats as justification for applying that restriction to everyone else.
Existing Laws Should Be Enforced Before New Restrictions Are Added
If somebody dumps sewage into Biscayne Bay, enforce the law.
If a vessel is abandoned, use existing authority concerning derelict vessels.
If a boat leaks fuel, deal with the environmental violation.
If somebody obstructs a navigation channel, enforce navigation laws.
If someone trespasses across private property to reach shore, enforce trespassing laws.
If a vessel is being operated as an illegal business, address that illegal business.
None of those violations requires turning long-term lawful anchoring itself into the offense.
“This does not address that. This is a different thing. This is about excluding liveaboards, full stop.” — Commissioner Raquel Regalado
Commissioner Regalado made one of the clearest arguments against conflating the issues. She pointed out that sewage discharge, leaking oil, and other alleged conduct raised during the presentation were already actionable. She then argued that the anchoring measure was addressing something fundamentally different: people living aboard boats.
That distinction should drive the October 20 discussion.
Miami-Dade does not need to manufacture a new violation when the behavior officials say they are concerned about is already illegal.
Enforce the law against the person actually breaking it.
Leave everyone else alone.
There Is Nowhere for Many Boat Owners to Go
Perhaps the most serious practical weakness in anchoring restrictions is the assumption that a boat owner can simply move into a marina.
That is disconnected from reality in Coconut Grove.
“People have nowhere to go.” — Commissioner Raquel Regalado
Commissioner Regalado told the committee that marina waits in her district can reach 20 or 25 years. She described boating as a genuine way of life in Coconut Grove and explicitly asked that her district be carved out of the proposal.
Another speaker testified that Dinner Key Marina had told him there was roughly a 20-year waiting list. His vessels remained anchored in Coconut Grove because practical marina alternatives were unavailable.
This creates an obvious contradiction.
Government cannot say:
You cannot remain anchored.
There is no available marina slip.
The mooring field cannot accommodate you.
And you still need to leave.
If dockage has a waiting list measured in decades, telling somebody to “find a slip” is effectively telling that person to leave Miami.
“A rule with no path to compliance is not a management tool. It's a ban with an extra step.” — Public Comment Speaker
One of the earliest speakers summarized the problem directly. The testimony argued that a flat limitation on overnight anchoring without a realistic lawful alternative becomes a prohibition in practice regardless of what government calls it.
That is precisely why commissioners need to look beyond the wording of the proposal and examine its actual consequences.
Liveaboards Are Residents Too
There is also a human reality behind this debate.
Some of these vessels are people's homes.
People choose to live aboard boats for many reasons. Some work in maritime industries. Some grew up around boats. Some have spent decades living on the water. Others simply prefer it to living in an apartment or house.
That choice should not make them second-class residents.
“What about the people that I represent that live on boats? Are they less people because they live on a boat? They're not.” — Commissioner Raquel Regalado
That was one of the most important moments of the hearing.
Miami-Dade talks constantly about housing affordability, displacement, and protecting residents' ability to remain in their communities. Those principles should not suddenly disappear when someone's home happens to float.
If somebody owns a lawful vessel, maintains it, anchors safely, follows existing environmental and navigation laws, and does not interfere with other people, remaining at anchor should not itself make that person a problem.
The Anchorage Is Also a Community
The people living and working around Coconut Grove's anchorage do more than occupy space on the water.
They watch one another's vessels. They help when boats break down. They respond when another vessel begins dragging anchor. They know which boats are actually abandoned. They understand local currents, weather conditions, bottom conditions, and maritime hazards.
The public testimony included multiple examples of this informal mutual-aid network.
“That's what we do for each other. We've got a good ecosystem out here.” — Michael Maynard
Maynard described boaters helping one another with breakdowns, towing, repairs, and emergencies. He also described an instance in which members of the local boating community could respond much faster than commercial assistance during dangerous conditions.
That has real value on Biscayne Bay.
Removing responsible liveaboards does not automatically make an anchorage safer. It can also remove the people who are physically present to notice when a vessel starts sinking, dragging, or becoming dangerous.
An occupied and maintained vessel should not be viewed the same way as an abandoned one.
Coconut Grove Boaters Can Also Contribute to Biscayne Bay
The hearing also demonstrated that anchored vessels are connected to local tourism, environmental activity, and small businesses.
One speaker described operating an engine-free sailing tour from Coconut Grove. He said his operation removes trash from Biscayne Bay, highlights dolphins and manatees, and operates without fuel-powered propulsion.
“Not only are we not using engines, but we're actually making the bay cleaner.” — David Furer
Furer told commissioners that his boats were anchored partly because marina alternatives were unavailable and that the anchoring restrictions threatened his livelihood.
That is another reason broad generalizations about anchored boats should be rejected.
There are abandoned boats.
There are also liveaboards.
There are working captains.
There are marine businesses.
There are people assisting other boaters in emergencies.
There are environmentally conscious operators.
Public policy should be capable of recognizing the difference.
This Is Bigger Than Coconut Grove
The October 20 meeting is about Miami-Dade, but the underlying principle matters throughout Florida.
Florida's identity is inseparable from its waterways. Fishing, boating, sailing, cruising, charter operations, marine repair, tourism, and working waterfronts are part of the state's culture and economy.
Anchoring is a normal and fundamental part of boating.
If municipalities and counties increasingly restrict how long people may remain anchored, boats can simply be pushed from one jurisdiction to another until lawful anchoring becomes practically impossible across large portions of Florida.
That should concern every Florida boater.
Access to Florida's waterways should not depend entirely upon someone's ability to own waterfront property or obtain an increasingly scarce and expensive marina slip.
Public waterways need to remain genuinely public.
The proper standard is conduct.
If somebody is polluting, enforce the pollution law.
If the vessel is abandoned, remove the abandoned vessel.
If somebody creates a navigation hazard, address the navigation hazard.
If someone trespasses, enforce the trespassing law.
But if someone is peacefully maintaining a seaworthy boat and lawfully using public waters, government should be extremely hesitant to interfere simply because a certain number of nights have passed.
October 20 Is the Time to Push Back
The October 20 meeting should be treated as an important moment for Coconut Grove and Florida boaters.
Boaters should attend. Marine businesses should speak. Longtime Coconut Grove residents should explain what the anchorage means to the community. Floridians concerned about anchoring rights should contact commissioners before the meeting and make clear that opposing these restrictions does not mean supporting pollution, unsafe boats, or abandoned vessels.
It means opposing collective punishment.
The message should be clear.
Grandfather the established local boats and marine businesses that were here before these restrictions.
Protect Coconut Grove residents and businesses as rapid migration and redevelopment transform Miami.
Do not punish lawful boat owners because somebody else's vessel is derelict.
Do not use behavior that is already illegal as justification for restricting people who are not breaking those laws.
Do not tell residents to find marina slips when waiting lists can be measured in decades.
Do not allow the character of Coconut Grove's waterfront to be rewritten solely around the preferences of newer and increasingly expensive waterfront development.
And do not allow what happens in Miami-Dade to become part of a broader erosion of anchoring rights across Florida.
“This is a way of life in Coconut Grove.” — Commissioner Raquel Regalado
That may be the most important sentence spoken during the entire debate.
Coconut Grove's maritime culture is not something that should be remembered only after it disappears.
Protect it while it is still here.
Grandfather local boats.
Enforce the laws already on the books.
Remove genuinely abandoned vessels.
Punish actual pollution.
Keep navigation channels safe.
And leave responsible boaters alone.
On October 20, Miami-Dade should stand with Coconut Grove's boating community and protect the right to lawfully anchor on Biscayne Bay.
Protect Coconut Grove. Grandfather local boats. Protect public waterways. Protect Florida anchoring rights.
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