SB 1812 revises Florida’s laws governing derelict vessels and vessels at risk of becoming derelict. The bill expands the circumstances under which an officer of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or a law enforcement agency may determine a vessel is at risk of becoming derelict, adding failure to timely renew vessel registration as a qualifying condition. It also updates notice procedures for abandoned or lost property so that derelict vessels and vessels declared public nuisances are specifically covered, and it clarifies the hearing rights and removal/disposal process that apply when such vessels are found on the waters of the state.
The bill also amends the statutory definition of “derelict vessel” to include vessels that are wrecked, junked, or substantially dismantled in specified ways, including where the owner cannot document a permanent and substantial repair. In addition, it requires that a vessel charged with certain violations three or more times within 24 months be declared a public nuisance, and it authorizes grant funding and prevention programs to help local governments remove, store, destroy, or dispose of derelict vessels and certain public nuisance vessels. Related statutes governing livery rentals and abandoned property are conformed to these changes, and the act would take effect July 1, 2025.
SB 1812 would amend sections 327.4107, 705.103, and 823.11 of the Florida Statutes, with conforming reenactments to sections 327.54 and 705.101. Its practical effect is to broaden enforcement tools for state and local officials dealing with abandoned, derelict, and nuisance vessels, while also increasing the circumstances under which vessel owners may be required to remove, pay for, or lose control of such vessels. The bill would also affect vessel owners, marinas, liveries, local governments, and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission by expanding notice, removal, cost-recovery, and grant-authority provisions tied to vessel cleanup and prevention.
The bill appears to have been generally supportive in concept, as reflected by its focus on strengthening cleanup and enforcement mechanisms for a persistent environmental and navigation problem. However, there is no recorded committee transcript or vote data in the provided materials, and the bill ultimately died in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on June 16, 2025. That outcome suggests the proposal did not advance far enough to demonstrate broad legislative consensus, even though the text reflects a policy effort to address derelict vessel removal and prevention.
The main policy tension in SB 1812 is between stronger enforcement against vessel abandonment and the burdens those rules place on vessel owners and related businesses. The bill expands the definition of when a vessel is considered at risk of becoming derelict, adds a registration-based trigger, and requires public nuisance treatment after repeated violations, which could raise concerns about due process, owner notice, and the scope of enforcement discretion. At the same time, local governments and environmental enforcement agencies are likely to favor the bill because it provides clearer authority and funding mechanisms for removing hazardous vessels and protecting waterways.