Residents of a quiet bay community in Manatee County say these days their paradise is being disrupted by sinking ships and criminal activity.

“It’s one of the many boats that have sank in this bay,” said David Kraner who is pointing to a sunken boat in Terra Ceia Bay in Palmetto.

Kraner has lived on Terra Ceia Bay for over 20 years. Recently, he said the boaters’ paradise has turned into a nautical nightmare.

“It was right about that spot where a boat broke loose, came through this canal and came very close to knocking out my docks and several other neighbors’ docks,” he said.

Kraner said that the bay has turned into a dumping ground for abandoned boats that too often get loose or sink. And he said the folks that are actually living on boats in the bay break many laws.

“Often times they don’t have proper registration, don’t have proper sanitation, they don’t even have lighting,” he said.

Across the bay, George Wyatt said the dwellers are polluting the waterways.

“Trash and other debris that don’t belong in the water have washed up along my seawall,” he said.

While seeing waste in the water is something Wyatt despises, his major concern is the commercial fishermen who have been climbing on and using his dock.

“They stepped on the dock to come over to disconnect their nets and then they camped out here for 15 20 minutes.”

Wyatt said that he has caught them looking into his windows while on the water. And in one of those instances, his wife had just gotten out of the shower.

“They were looking at me and I came out here on the pool deck and I was looking at them,” he said.

Wyatt and Kraner say there are just not enough patrols on the water. However, Manatee County, the Sheriff’s Office, Coastguard and Florida Fish and Wildlife all have units that patrol the water way.

Bay News 9 told Alan Lia Hipp from Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources about the sunken boat. That same day he went out, put a sticker on the vessel and sent a certified letter to the owner.

“If I get no response, I count five days. After that and then we contact the contractor and have them remove the vessel,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Office says if you see someone on your docks don’t wait for patrols, call 911immidiately. However, as far as someone looking into your home from the water, the Sheriff’s Office and Lai Hipp agree, that’s public domain.

“They are not actually on your property and they happen to be looking through an open window. I don’t know as far as what kind of rule they are breaking there,” he said.

For Wyatt and Kraner, they hope that more can be done to ensure that their property, piece of mind and paradise are protected.

All four agencies say they patrol Terra Ceia Bay as often as they can. However, because there are so many waterways in the Bay area, they rely on residents to call the departments to report any complaints.

Here is a list of contact numbers to report any problems with boats or boaters.
 
Florida Fish and Wildlife 888-404-3922
 
Mantee County Sheriff’s Office
Email: Dave.Bristow@manateesheriff.com
(941) 747-3011 Ext. 2278
 
Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources
Alan Lai Hipp
(941) 748-4501 Ex 6008