Celia Pugliese has lived in Palm Coast for nearly 25 years. She paid a premium to live on one of the city's many salt-water canals.
But when she goes out on the water these days, she sees more and more sinking boats. She and a few of her neighbors have taken their concerns to the city.
"It's an issue that we don't have a lot of," Palm Coast spokesperson Cindi Lane said. "But we have become [aware] lately that there are some issues along our saltwater canals and so it's something that we're turning our attention to now.”
While there are ordinances on Palm Coast's books to remove abandoned or derelict boats from city waterways, in the past the state enforced the rules.
That has since changed and is now in the lap of local municipalities.
City code enforcement officers are limited to where they can go and what they can see.
That's where Pugliese is happy to step in to help.
“This is why we take pictures," she said. "I know first name, address and everything because it's the only way they can learn.”
Absent any consistent enforcement, the owners of these problem boats can simply afford to keep them in the water as-is.
In many cases, if a boat sinks in a canal, it's cheaper to re-float it, patch it up and leave it than pull it out of the water and dispose of it properly. Some vessels have sunk multiple times, only to be brought back to the surface where they remain.
Pugliese also keeps a sharp eye on registration stickers.
She sees some years past due...if they're there to begin with. To her, it's a double standard.
“We are not allowed to have unlicensed cars in our driveways, how come they are allowed to have unlicensed boats in the back of their houses?” Pugliese said.
Don't expect to see things cleaned up overnight or in a few weeks. Since these are code enforcement issues, there is a lengthy process involved.
But city leaders say they are getting that process started. City staff will meet with concerned citizens next week. They are also reviewing existing ordinances to see if any need to be updated.