Miami, FL
In Miami Beach, you can live on your boat, but getting to land is not so easy
More than 100 people live aboard sailboats and other vessels anchored just off Miami Beach. For years, some in the posh seaside community have not been happy about people just offshore.
Greg Allen/NPR
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Greg Allen/NPR
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — For Carlos Leon, living on a boat anchored off this posh seaside community, is the ideal lifestyle.
The weather is good, except for the occasional hurricane, and the water is inviting. During the COVID pandemic, he and his girlfriend, now wife, bought a 41-foot sailboat and anchored it in Biscayne Bay. “It’s like 400 feet, 500 feet from Miami Beach land,” he says. They share their floating home with a long-haired German Shepherd.
But, because of some new policies adopted by Miami Beach, for Leon and more than 100 other people who live on their boats, getting to land for shopping, work or just to take a walk, is no longer an easy proposition.
To step on land in Miami Beach, Leon says, “I have to bring my dinghy with a paddleboard, tow it 150 feet from land.” His wife takes the paddleboard and “me and my dog swim to the dock.”
When he wants to go to Miami Beach, Carlos Leon leaves his dinghy 150 feet offshore and swims to the city-owned boat launch.
Greg Allen/NPR
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Greg Allen/NPR
Under an ordinance recently adopted by Miami Beach, Leon and the other liveaboard boaters can’t leave their dinghies or even their paddleboards at a city-owned boat launch or they’ll face a $1,000 fine.
This small community is anchored in state waters and legal, as long as they remain 150 feet offshore. Leon says. “Obviously, we have to have our tanks, our toilets, our anchors, anchor lights, everything, up to code. But if everything is up to code, we’re good. We’re legally here.”
But being legal isn’t the same thing as being welcome. For years, some in Miami Beach have not been happy about the small community boats just offshore.
In December, Miami Beach commissioner David Suarez spearheaded a move that cut off an essential lifeline for the liveaboard boaters.
At his urging, the commission voted to remove a public dock next to a supermarket. At the meeting he said, “I’m going to try to limit the amount of access that the people who live on these boats that come to the mainland. Because they can’t live on a boat forever. They have to come to the mainland to get food, water and necessary supplies.”
With their dock gone, liveaboard boaters began using a city-owned boat launch as a place to leave their dinghies while they picked up groceries or ran other errands. But the commission soon responded, banning dinghies and imposing a big fine for violators.
That’s made things difficult for the liveaboard boaters, Leon says, especially those who are elderly or not up to swimming 150 feet to the only place where they now can legally come ashore. “Every other area is illegal to use,” Leon says. “So, I’m becoming a criminal just to get to land.”
Live-aboard boater Barbie Wynn can’t leave her paddleboard at a city-owned boat launch for more than 20 minutes without facing a possible $1000 fine.
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Suarez calls the liveaboards “boat squatters,” and in an interview said the regulations are “justified and necessary.”
Members of the West Avenue Neighborhood Association agree.
The group represents Miami Beach residents who live in the condominiums that line Biscayne Bay and look out on the community of live-aboard boaters. The association has raised concerns about pollution from boats that illegally dump their waste into the bay, about the damage their anchors cause to seagrass and about the cost of dealing with derelict vessels abandoned by their owners.
Susanna Purucker, a condo owner active with the group, says liveaboard boaters are enjoying the benefits of living in Miami Beach without the responsibilities. ”You’re not paying property taxes. You’re not paying to even keep your boat in the water. It’s just, if I can use the word, free-loading, because it is.”
The liveaboard boaters have formed their own group, the Miami Beach Boaters Association. Carlos Leon says they’re considering suing the city for what they believe is a violation of their civil rights. He says, what’s at stake is a whole way of life. “Because if we move, then Key West, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, everybody’s going to say, ‘Okay, let’s follow what this guy did because it worked.’ And then, guess what? No boaters will be able to get to land,” Leon says.
Miami Beach is in talks with the state over plans for a mooring field for boats in the bay. Depending on how it’s done, it could bring regulation to the liveaboard community or it could be used to drive them away.
The full 2026 NFL schedule was released on Thursday night — including dates and times for all 17 regular season Miami Dolphins games. However, following that release, the NFL also released preseason schedules for all teams — and a familiar face will be returning to Miami to face-off against the team that made him the #5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was released by the Dolphins this offseason, but quickly found a new home in Atlanta with the Falcons. During the final week of preseason action, Tagovailoa will be returning to South Florida when the Falcons play the Dolphins on Friday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
It is not uncommon for NFL teams to practice against each other for a few days leading up to a preseason showdown, so Tagovailoa may find himself on familiar ground for longer than one game if the Dolphins and Falcons choose to mix it up in Miami Gardens ahead of their Week 3 preseason tilt.
Of course, plenty of teams rest starters during the final week of the preseason, so Tagovailoa may not actually end up seeing the playing field when the game kicks off, but seeing the former first-rounder on the sidelines again in Miami — albeit on the visiting sideline this time around — will be a peculiar sight nonetheless.
We will continue to keep you updated on all things Miami Dolphins as the march towards the preseason — and regular season — continues on through the summer.
A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida over a land giveaway for his proposed presidential library.
Almost three acres of prime waterfront land that once belonged to Miami Dade College (MDC) was illegally gifted to the US president by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the lawsuit states.
It cites the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution that prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal gain, profit or advantage from their position.
The action was brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Washington DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) on behalf of plaintiffs including an MDC student, a Miami non-profit, and residents, who state the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami”.
Instead, the filing states, “the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President”.
Plans for the “gaudy” project were unveiled in March, to be built next to Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the historical landmark and community art museum. A giant golden statue of the president will stand before a 50-story tower block that will feature the controversial $400m Boeing “flying palace” jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar, but not yet in service, in its cavernous lobby.
At the time, Trump said the building was “most likely going to be a hotel”.
The land on which it will sit, the lawsuit said, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the CAC said in a statement.
The library has already been the subject of one lawsuit that claimed MDC trustees, most of them handpicked by DeSantis, erred by originally handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting with no public discussion.
The board held a do-over in December, and voted unanimously to proceed with the transfer.
The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office for comment.
To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.
A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.
A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.
FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.
Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.
Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.
Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.
After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.
Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.
Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.
Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.
FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.
It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.
Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.
Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.
In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.
Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.
First half highlights
Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.
He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.
In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.
In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.
The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.
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