After receiving countless complaints from residents, the Miami Beach City Commission took action and voted unanimously to roll back the hours of operation for commercial charter boats operating out of the city-owned Miami Beach Marina and any other public marine facility in the city.
"As a result of the pandemic, we had an increasingly large number of charter boats in our city which had a huge impact on the quality of life of our residents," said Miami Beach Commissioner, Alex Fernandez. "Too many boats with too many drugs, too much alcohol, and loud music playing, particularly at midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m."
The ordinance, which took effect on May 8, requires all commercial charter boat operators to wrap up their charters by 9 p.m. Charters may resume at 7 a.m. the next day.
The restrictions include the operation of a commercial vessel, the queueing of passengers, the embarkation or disembarkation of passengers and the loading or unloading of any food, goods, equipment, fuel or supplies, the ordinance states.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
The measure exempts non-commercial vessels, commercial fishing vessels, commercial diving vessels and educational or nature tours that are properly registered with the marina operator. The Miami Beach Marina is operated by Suntex Marinas on behalf of the city.
Initial violations carry a civil fine of $500 while the second violation in a six-month period carries a $1,000 fine. Subsequent violations within that same period carry a $2,000 fine.
