On Monday, December 12, the City of St. Augustine voted unanimously to approve a new anchoring ordinance designed to control when, where, and for how long boats may anchor outside of the mooring fields. This law was enacted under Florida's Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program, and will sunset in 2014 when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) will study the success of these pilot ordinances and possibly recommend some of them to be considered for becoming part of state law.
Aspects of the ordinance include no anchoring within 100 feet of the mooring field boundaries, no anchoring within 50 feet of maritime infrastructure, no anchoring within 500 feet of shellfish areas, no anchoring for more than 30 consecutive days in any 45-day period, and twice a year proof of the ability to get underway by requiring trips to the city dock in February and August.
Violation of these ordinances can subject a boater to fines of $100 to $500.
