CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — The boat removal process since Hurricane Ian is still ongoing here in Southwest Florida. And today crews with the state were out in Charlotte Harbor trying to locate more derelict boats, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took FOX 4 Elyse Chengery out as they continue to look for displaced boats from Hurricane Ian.
FWC dive members are working on the Peace River in Charlotte County Wednesday morning to locate and identify additional displaced vessels.
Lieutenant Stuart Spoede was the lead diver. There's a crew of 3 for this job including a safety backup...they never dive solo.
Crews also have to bring cutting tools as ropes could get caught below.
The most difficult part about the job is the visibility. It's basically trying to look through tea or coffee and then it gets pitch black so the divers have to basically feel around the boats to try and find some sort of identification and then on top of that you have debris like metal left behind by Hurricane Ian.
To identify the boat they have to try to find a registered name, hull identification number or Florida registration number so then law enforcement can contact the owner.
There's also the question, could they find someone? Crews say it's a possibility even though all documented missing individuals have been accounted for there is a potential to find someone who wasn’t reported missing.
After a boat is identified law enforcement goes through process of tracking down the last registered owner to find out if they have the means to remove the boat on their own or if they need assistance... which can get pricey.
Either an owner can hire a company on their own, wait for insurance or sign the boat over to the state... then there’s no liability or cost to the owner.
"I know there's plenty of folks still staring at a boat in their backyard and their frustrated but progress has certainly been made," says Senior Officer Adam Brown with FWC.
Crews took off from the Laishley Marina in Punta Gorda.
