RELATING TO BOATS AND WATERWAYS

Board of County Commissioners · 2026-06-02 · ordinance

This legislative item, File Number 260878, proposed an ordinance to create Section 7-40.1 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, establishing overnight anchoring regulations for boats in Biscayne Bay and other waters. The ordinance aimed to restrict vessels from anchoring for more than 30 days in any 6-month period between sunset and sunrise, with specific exemptions for governmental entities, construction/dredging vessels on active sites, and commercial fishing vessels. It also amended Section 8CC-10 to update the schedule of civil penalties for violations, ranging from $500 for a first offense to $2,500 for a third or subsequent offense within five years. The proposed ordinance was adopted on first reading by the Board of County Commissioners on 6/2/2026 and was scheduled for a public hearing before the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on July 14, 2026. However, the item was ultimately withdrawn by the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on 7/14/2026, referencing Substitute File No. 261278. The stated rationale for the regulations included concerns about navigational hazards, environmental impacts on seagrasses, and interference with other boaters' use of the bay.