JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) — Over a dozen abandoned boats were pulled from Charleston County waterways this week, marking another step toward South Carolina’s goal of becoming the first state in the nation to clear its waterways of derelict vessels completely.
State leaders say the effort is ongoing for every boat removed, another seems to appear, and now the consequences for abandoning a vessel have grown more serious.
“We understand who has titled the boat because we have the title records,” Shannon Bobertz, chief of staff of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said. “We post that boat. We let the boat owner know that it is abandoned. They need to get it out. If they don’t get it out, we do and we can bring criminal charges against them and also seek restitution for the cost of removing that boat. How much does it cost?”…