A milestone was reached on Aug. 21 when the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources’ Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) removed its 500th derelict vessel from Biscayne Bay as part of the RER - DERM’s Derelict Vessel and Marine Debris Removal Program. Vessels were removed from all over the County’s coastal areas, from Maule Lake to Manatee Bay, from the Oleta River to the Miami River, and throughout Biscayne Bay.

DERM’s John "Sisyphus” Ricisak has managed County’s DV removal program since 2007 with much success. The 500 (and now 501) vessels include those removed either by a DERM contractor or directly by DERM staff since that time, but do not include boats removed by responsible parties because of enforcement actions taken by DERM or area law enforcement or DVs removed by other agencies. Collectively, the 501 boats would measure over 2.55 miles (approximately 13,490 feet) if placed end-to-end, about the distance across the Bay from the mainland to Miami Beach. 500 boats do represent a lot of work, not just by DERM staff but also on the part of many people from other agencies who have assisted with this program over the years.

DERM has spent around $2,068,000.00 in contractor and disposal costs, which does not account for many thousands of hours of DERM staff time. The costs have been paid by the Biscayne Bay Environmental Enhancement Trust Fund and with grants from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA).

To learn more about the Abandoned, Derelict and At-Risk Vessels program please visit our website and see all the resources listed. To report an abandoned, at-risk, or derelict vessel, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-3922 or the DERM Environmental Complaint Desk at 305-372-6955. You can also use our online form or email [email protected].