But beware – NEW LONG-TERM ANCHORING PERMIT REQUIRED FOR VESSELS IN FLORIDA WATERS. Florida has a genuine regulatory liveaboard crisis happening right now. Miami passed new anchoring restrictions in late 2025 (max 30 nights anchored in any 6-month period, no anchoring within 300ft of a managed mooring field) specifically targeting the growing liveaboard/anchor-out population at Dinner Key.
The video below is before the new law was enacted. A Florida state law established a 90-day anchoring limit within 10 nautical miles of Monroe County mooring fields. Vessels must relocate at least a quarter-mile every 90 days. It is interesting and valuable to hear the boaters’ points of view and experience.