Over the past 18 months, Brevard County has removed 85 abandoned boats from local waterways, and is about to remove several more.
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Brevard County commissioners recently approved the use of $150,000 in tourism development tax revenue to remove 20 of the more than 30 boats identified as abandoned vessels.
The province’s Boating and Waterways Program Coordinator Matt Culver told us that funding will be available in October.
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He says abandoned ships can pose both an environmental and navigational hazard.
With the help of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the county is trying to recover the money used to remove abandoned boats from the boat owners. Culver added, “It’s an ongoing battle between trying to take the boats out and having the funding to actually take them out.”
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