Gulfport, Florida -- Grant Bond and his wife just got back from a pediatrician appointment Friday afternoon, when holding their newborn they see a disaster unfolding through their picture windows. Two abandoned sailboats had broken loose in a storm and were rocking against their dock and boat.
"It was damaging my dock and personal property," Bond said.
Hoping in his blue kayak, Bond tried to push one of the boats away. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Gulfport police were on the scene to try and secure the boats as a storm blew in. Cell phone video taken by his wife show Bond and a Gulfport officer standing in whipping rain, holding onto a line to keep the sailboats away. Still a chunk of his dock is chewed away.
"It could have been way worse if we were not there to control the situation," Bond said.
FWC ended up paying for Sea Tow to get the boats back into the bay. Today they are anchored together about 200 yards from Bond's dock.
"Who's to say the next storm that comes through they're not going to be in the exact same place," Bond said.
Ironically six months ago Bond saw the danger that about 30 abandoned and derelict boats floating in Gulfport waters posed. He started Citizens Against Derelict and Illegal Boats.
"We're trying to be proactive with the situation to prevent this kind of stuff from happening," Bond said.
LEARN MORE: FWC info on managing, claiming derelict vessels
In Florida, it is legal to anchor in most waterways. Officials say thousands of boats are now littering those waterways. But it can be tricky to define derelict. Just because a boat is old, doesn't necessarily mean it's derelict. Officers also need to prove it's abandoned. Recent proposals to address the problems in the Legislature have stalled.
LATEST FORECAST: Click here to see if more rain is coming
FWC is hosting a series of five meetings around the state to float new proposals to try and clean up more of these boats and hold owners responsible. A meeting to discuss the issue is scheduled form 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Brandon Regional Service Center, 311 Pauls Drive, Brandon. For more information, click here.
Bond says he is planning on meeting with state and Gulfport officials Aug. 19.
"What happens when we have a big storm coming? We will have really big problems," Bond said.
