MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — The days of waking up surrounded by nothing but water may soon come to an end for those who have taken up residence aboard their boats in Madeira Beach.

  • Measure could ban people living on boats on city waters without permit
  • Madeira Beach city commission will vote on the measure Tuesday
  • City Manager calls live-aboard vessels a growing issue 

“Living on a boat is great. I’m fortunate that I have a spot and that I’ve always had a spot,” said Bill Marple, who has lived on his boat at a marina for 17 years.

But as he said, he’s been lucky, and come Tuesday, others might not have the same good fortune.

The city commission will vote on an ordinance that bans live-aboard boaters from city waters without a permit.

“Where are they going to go? If they’re not parked here, land is accessible, you’ve got McDonalds. It’s not right to stick them way out where there’s no land, and they can’t get food and all that,” said Marple.

The motion comes in response to several complaints about live-aboard boaters not behaving appropriately.

In a mid-September memo to city commissioners, City Manager Robert Daniels calls live-aboard vessels a growing issue that poses a threat to public health and safety.

But Marple says as long as live aboard boaters properly dispose of waste, he thinks the ordinance is a bit restrictive, especially, he says, because available dock space is hard to come by.

“The dock space, and there’s only a few marinas and a lot of them don’t take live-aboards. There’s two that I know of,” said Marple.

Live-aboard boaters with a permit would be allowed to dock in city waters for 72 hours.

Those docked in a licensed marina facility are in the clear, so people like Marple will not be affected.

Marple adds he thinks this ordinance will be tough to enforce.

In the memo, the city manager says it will fall under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Office marine units.