Vote NO on SB 1126 and HB 955

Please contact your State Senator immediately!

Senator Dean and Representative Goodson have worked hard this session on Senate Bill 1126 and HB 955.

Please OPPOSE any amendments filed to these bills!

Marine Industries strongly opposes the amendments filed by Senator Smith as it would allow local governments to regulate the distance a boat can anchor overnight from a private residence on state sovereign submerged lands.

This is an example of why the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission must continue to pursue the Anchoring and Mooring Pilot program so we can have uniformity on our state waters. Numerous local ordinances, city or county, will only create confusion on our state waters!

Please vote “NO” on the Senator Margolis Amendment to SB 1126

What does it do?
This amendment would grant municipalities in Miami Dafe and Broward County sweeping authority to regulate the overnight anchorages of vessels based on proximity to a private residence.

We are opposed, because the amendment…

• Undermines the basis for bill’s extension of FWC’s Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program to January 2017, which would allow the state, local governments, and boating stakeholders to develop long term solutions on state anchorage and public water access issues.
• Undermines the ongoing efforts of local government participants in the pilot program to explore the appropriateness and consequences of regulating anchorages based on proximity to the shoreline.
• Short circuits the years of extensive work that has been done to bring diverse stakeholders together on the contentious issue of anchorage regulation in the state.
• Opens the door for a patchwork of unduly burdensome anchorage restrictions.
• Is hostile to the cruising boating public, which provides a positive economic impact on the state.

SWFMIA Members – Per request from Missy, our lobbyist, please contact your Senator and ask them to oppose the amendment. Below is a listing of the Senators in the Appropriations Committee that will be taking up the amendment tomorrow. Also below are some talking points that you should use to craft an email to your representative. Thank you for taking the two minutes that is needed to demonstrate the power of our membership in communicating to our legislators. – Hans

Committee Members