Derelict and Abandoned Vessel Removal
For property owners, marinas, HOAs and local government dealing with a vessel nobody claims.
Who calls us about these
Waterfront homeowners with somebody else's boat aground on their shoreline. Marinas with a slip tenant who stopped paying eighteen months ago. HOAs whose canal has become a storage yard. Cities and counties working through a derelict vessel list with grant funding attached.
The common thread is that the person who wants the boat gone is not the person whose name is on the title, and that changes the legal path considerably.
Florida's derelict vessel framework
Florida Statute 823.11 defines a derelict vessel and makes leaving one on state waters a criminal offence. FWC and local law enforcement can issue removal orders, and the state runs a Derelict Vessel Removal Grant Program that reimburses local governments for removal costs.
Separately, the Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) lets an owner who has received an at-risk or derelict notice surrender the vessel to the state for removal at no cost to them, rather than face charges. If you are an owner staring at a notice, VTIP is very often the correct answer and we will tell you so even though it means we do not get the job.
What we need to start
Photographs, a location precise enough to find it from the water, and whatever documentation exists - a notice, a lien, an HOA covenant, or a police report number. We will tell you within a day whether this is a private removal, a lien foreclosure, or a case that belongs with FWC.
28 feet and over is our speciality — not our limit. Larger vessels are what our equipment, permits and yard relationships are built around, and they are the jobs most haulers decline. Smaller boats are welcome too. See what the work costs and how to vet whoever you hire.
Other situations we handle
Tell us about the boat.
Send photos, a location and whatever paperwork exists. We will tell you what it takes to make it go away — and if there is a cheaper legal route than hiring us, we will tell you that too.