Lido Shorian Helps End Sarasota Bay House Boat Saga

 Editors Note:  Many thanks to longtime Lido Shorian and activist Diane Desenberg for researching and uncovering the following story.  It involves the two Houseboats you've undoubtably seen floating just offshore on John Ringling Parkway, one of them for years.  Diane did a little digging, and you'll be amazed at what she uncovered.  

~BT

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"Floating Oasis" anchored near Lido Shores in Sarasota Bay

For those like me who worry about live-aboard houseboats in Sarasota Bay releasing sewage into our Bay waters, there's some good news. If it doesn't sit right with you that a houseboat in Sarasota Bay can charge Airbnb guests hundreds of dollars a night and yet pay no property taxes, I have some music for your ears. And if you're not sure what Sarasota's Marine Patrol Unit does, I can share one anecdote. 

The good news is that the two houseboats that were permanently floating in the Bay between Lido Shores and St. Armands Key have been removed. You may have noticed them as you drove north from St. Armands over the little bridge to north Lido. Marine Patrol Officer Dixon investigated and found that one was violating a City ordinance and the other was derelict. He saw to it that the owners removed their boats from City waters. They may set up shop elsewhere, but Lido Shores neighbors no longer need worry if the waste from these houseboats might be polluting the Bay waters in the vicinity.

Read on for the long version of this story.  

It used to be free to anchor your boat off the Bayfront in the area near Marina Jack's. It was a very popular anchorage, with its location adjacent to downtown Sarasota. About ten years ago, Marina Jack's opened up a new mooring field there that was to operate under new, more stringent environmental regulation. But more importantly to many of the boats who were anchored there long term, they started charging boats to spend the night. 

One boat owner who did not wish to pay the new fees, pulled up anchor, moved across Sarasota Bay, and picked a new free spot to anchor next to Lido Shores. On a personal note, he also put his dinghy right in the little path I use to launch my kayak. I felt that I should be able to share this bit of public space with a newcomer, so I moved his dingy out of the way, when he placed it in the path, and I turned it over so that it did not fill with water during our summer downpours. 

The last thing we needed was a breeding ground for mosquitos. Then one day, I went down to launch and found his dinghy taking up the whole path and entirely full of water. I could see lots of little moquito larva wriggling around, but the boat was far too heavy for me to move.

Longtime Houseboat and Dingy that used to anchor in the Bay

Call me irritated. I considered reporting the boat for various irregularities, but decided against it. Instead, I printed out an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper letting the owner know that he was being very inconsiderate as this was public land and he was letting loose a mass of mosquitos on an entire neighborhood, even though he obviously lived elsewhere.

 I laminated my note and left it attached to the dingy, so that the owner could not miss it. Within a couple of weeks, the dinghy and the boat had relocated south, about halfway between Lido Shores and St. Armands Key. And the dinghy was up on its side, so that it would no longer fill up with water. I had done my good deed for the week. 

As nobody appeared to be living on this boat, I was not concerned about the environmental impact of the boat's sewage. Then in 2019, the City took an interest in the boat and slapped some notices on the windows. They were going to remove the houseboat from the waterways. As an outside observer, the apparent and unexpected upshot of the whole affair was that the boat's cladding changed from brown to a light blue. However, the boat remained. 

Then Boat #2 showed up. I'm going to call it the Floating Oasis, because that's what it's called on Airbnb. Yes, it's true. Diona was renting out the Floating Oasis nightly for $243/night not including the cleaning fees, service fees, and taxes. Diona did not have to worry about Sarasota's pesky vacation rental ordinance that required a minimum weekly rental, because the boat was not technically on a barrier island; it was on the water. Diona described the Floating Oasis as a Modern Houseboat "designed by an architect with AC, shower, and electricity." It came with lounge chairs on the balcony and a barbecue. 

Birds Eye view of the "Floating Oasis" listed on Airbnb

The Floating Oasis actually sounded awesome, but what about the waste generated by their guests? I enjoy paddling in the Bay, but the idea of paddling around in someone's sewage did not appeal to me. For the few neighbors who were living here in 2001, you might recall the putrid algae bloom extending out from the shoreline in that area. 

According to the Airbnb listing, the Floating Oasis came equipped with a dry "composite" toilet. I am fairly confident that they actually have a dry "composting" toilet, but that still begs the question of what happens to their liquid waste. And more importantly, if one profitable Airbnb houseboat successfully set up shop, others were sure to follow. 

I filed a code violation complaint with the City. I thought I would let City staff figure out exactly which codes were being violated, but instead I was informed that I should take it up with the Sarasota County Sheriff, as Code Enforcement does not deal with marine matters. If I was going to report this to law enforcement, I wanted to make sure I actually knew which laws were being violated. 

A little bit of research yielded some good news. Over the years, Florida has changed its rules about anchoring and mooring in State waters. Just as important, the City of Sarasota was able to taken advantage of the new State laws and made it illegal to anchor outside an established mooring field, unless all the mooring spots were full. So technically, these houseboats were anchoring illegally. I decided to report these infractions to the Sarasota Police Department, since it was a City ordinance that made anchoring illegal. 

Inside cabin of the Floating Oasis

I hit gold. I was directed to Officer Skinner who assigned Officer Dixon to investigate. It has been about two months, and both boats are now gone. Boat #1 was considered derelict and the Floating Oasis was anchored illegally. Officer Dixon respectfully let the boat owners have a little time to figure out how andwhen to move their boats, but the deed is done. 

However the saga may continue as the Floating Oasis still has an Airbnb listing. Based on the listing that came up (June 14), starting in November, you can rent it from Diona, who is now a Superhost, but the rates have gone up. Going forward, it will command $400/night or even more, plus all the fees and taxes. To be continued? I hope not.

Officer Dixon asked if there were any other marine issues he could help me with. I told him to be careful what he asked for. Did he really want to hear more of my complaints? He insisted, so I brought up how close the motor boats speed by next to the LSPOA beach access. 

I will leave that for another post, but if you have a marine issue you would like investigated, you can reach Officer Dixon at 941-356-9200.  

~Diane Desenberg