BAY COUNTY Fla. (WMBB) — Along local bays and bayous derelict or abandoned vessels will all soon be removed.
Bay County is using $800,000 worth of grants to pull these eyesores out of the water.
“Shattered dreams is the name of this boat, yes there is a little bit of irony there,” said Chairman & Commissioner District Two Robert Carroll.
This 22-foot sailboat filled with shattered dreams and trash was removed from Watson Bayou Wednesday.
“We are glad to see it come out of the water though, it’s unfortunate I’m sure it was a beautiful vessel back in its day,” said Carroll.
Bay County Chairman and Commissioner Robert Carroll said there was a list of abandoned boats prior to Hurricane Michael, but that number increased after the storm.
“Unfortunately these boats wash up, they may not be anchored correctly and so we want to make sure to get these out of here so we can protect the boaters,” said Carroll.
Vessels abandoned have the potential of polluting bayous, but with $800,000 in grants, the county is removing these with barges and cranes.
“These all will be taken to Steelfield at the landfill and they will be disposed of at that point,” he said. “They had been under the water this long; there isn’t a lot that’s salvageable on them.”
This is now 11 out of 34 abandoned vessels the county has cleaned up. But if you did spot any debris or abandoned vessels in your neighborhood, be sure to contact Bay County at 850-378-2330.