More vagrants are traveling to South Florida this winter on derelict boats abandoned along the coast, a new squatting “phenomenon” that local sheriff's offices first surfaced last year. That's what Fox News Digital found out.
“This is a revelation for 2023. We've had homeless people and vagrants here in Martin County for quite some time. We've had a transient population, although not on a large scale. And we've had derelict vessels. There were issues, too. They were two separate issues,” Chief Deputy John Budensiek said in a Zoom interview with Fox News Digital this week.
“But as our maritime agents began citing, tagging and removing these vessels, they learned last year that many of these vessels were inhabited by vagrants.” he continued.
Late last year, local media reported on the growing number of vagrants boarding derelict boats and how much the Martin County Sheriff's Office is doing to remove boats and squatters or bring some of the derelict boats into law. We have begun to report on what efforts are being made. A derelict vessel is defined as a vessel found in a waterway with at least two violations, which can range from missing a motor to leaking fuel. Dumping an abandoned boat is a national crime; imprisonment or fine.
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Martin County is located on the east coast of South Florida, approximately 40 miles north of Palm Beach. Budensiek told Fox News Digital that the area is a popular spot for boaters, fishermen and tourists, with many sailboats traveling to and from the Bahamas from the area.
Beachgoers enjoy the weather at Jensen Beach in Martin County, Florida, on May 4, 2020. (Getty Images)
“One of the by-products of having a lot of vessels in our region is that some of these vessels tend to be heavily run down and become inoperable, and then for them to become operational. , some of these owners will abandon them or sell them to someone else.'' Those who do not re-register their vessels will, in turn, continue to board these boats or keep them until they are completely unusable. Operate a ship. And if it has the ability to carry fuel, it will sink or leak fuel. Human waste, they become a real danger to us environmentally,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in South Florida, vagrants come from communities up north, and it's cold this time of year.”
Abandoned boats have been a problem in the area for years, but the deputy chief said the number has only increased in the last year. He said as 2023 draws to a close, the sheriff's office tallied at least 50 boats abandoned last year, all of which ended up being cited by authorities. Of her 50 boats, 29 were removed and destroyed, and the rest were brought into compliance.
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This undated file photo shows a derelict boat being removed by the Martin County Sheriff's Office. Officials say abandoned boats have been a problem in the area for years, but more squatters and homeless people are boarding them. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)
Budensiek clarified that the vast majority of people squatting on boats are not homeless, working to find work and get off the streets. Rather, the deputy chief describes them as vagrants, many of whom are drug addicts, suffer from mental illness, and are people who are making no effort to break free of squalor.
“The vagrant population as a whole seems to be transient. Unfortunately, in South Florida, vagrants come from northern communities where it's cold this time of year. We have an influx of them, and we are trying their best, but they have a right. So we want them to succeed, but we also want them to come, work hard, pay their taxes, and especially in this case. We don’t want to ruin the quality of life for the people who are trying to keep our waterways safe and clean,” he said.
But differentiating between a compliant, dilapidated boat and a derelict boat inhabited by squatters can be a difficult task, Budensiek explained.
Jensen Beach, Martin County, Florida. Aerial view of Jensen Beach Park and the Atlantic Ocean. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“It's hard to differentiate. There are a lot of functioning ships that are inhabited and you or I may not be able to stay there, but are habitable,” he said.
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The Sheriff's Office, whose mission is to dispose of derelict boats or bring them into compliance, works with the U.S. Coast Guard to inspect boats anchored outside of area waterways. Checking whether regulations are compliant.
Martin County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek told FOX News Digital. (Fox News Digital)
“We patrol and test boats that are anchored just outside of the waterway. Testing means going out and making sure the lights work so you can see the boat when you’re trying to go through the waterway at night. “I mean check.” he said.
Budensiek said the best way to determine if a boat is derelict is to test for sewage leaking into the water from the vessel.
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“What we're really concerned about environmentally is that most of them don't have functional toilets. So what's happening here in the county is that vagrants are squatting on boats. “You're using the facilities, and the facilities on the boat are also flowing into the estuaries here, into the ocean and into the rivers,” he said.
“Environmentally, this is a disgusting problem that we are grappling with, and we are trying to identify who these people are, which vessels they are, and cite them, remove them, and protect them from our shores and We're doing everything we can to remove it from our shores,'' he said.
Authorities are dropping dye into the toilets of suspected sunken boats to see if it leaks into the water, he said.
“They also do tests with dyes… They flush this dye down the boat's toilet system. And if the dye comes out into the water, then the boat is not healthy and there is actually a leak.” “You can see that they're discharging sewage into the estuary,” he said.
Since the pandemic, reports of people squatting in homes have increased across the U.S., including in Florida, but Budensiek said the problem hasn't affected them as much as other areas. Instead, the office deals with boat squatters and people who travel to Martin County in RVs.
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Asked if typical land-based squatting problems have increased in recent months, he said: “No, there are only a few such cases.” “But what's happening here is people coming into the county in recreational vehicles. Again,” this is similar to how we're dealing with these vessels, and RVs. They stay in the RV until they no longer work, and then they're left on the side of the road,” he said, adding that squatters are taking over. Derelict ships are a “new phenomenon”.
Removal and destruction of derelict boats can be expensive, ranging from $7,000 to $40,000. Budensiek said the removal costs are being paid for from boaters' registration fees, not from residents' tax bases. A portion of the boater registration fee is set aside explicitly for the purpose of removing abandoned boats “to make the waterway more attractive to residents and people who come to enjoy the waterway,” he said. Told.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office is cracking down on abandoned boats. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)
Budensiek said his office is working with state agencies and the Coast Guard to identify derelict boats and ensure they are removed or raised to legal status, adding that local officials are working with Martin County to He emphasized that he is committed to making the area a safer and more beautiful place for boating.
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“They're using local ordinances to combat the problems we have. We're not doing it alone. We're working with state resources, the DEP, the Department of Environmental Protection. “The Coast Guard is always there for us, and that's why we're working on this issue locally, at the state level, and at the federal level. They can help us with some of the environmental issues.” “We are working to combat this and make our community a safer and more beautiful place to boat,” he said.
