Southeast
Squatter pirates flushed from vacation spot as authorities crack down on ‘disgusting’ water pollution
Vagrants in South Florida this winter are increasingly moving aboard derelict boats sitting along the coast, in a new squatter “phenomenon” that only surfaced for the local sheriff’s office in the last year, Fox News Digital has learned.
“This is a 2023 epiphany. We have had homeless, vagrant population here in Martin County for quite some time. Not a large one, but we have had people that are transient moving through. And we’ve had the derelict vessel issue. These were two separate problems,” Chief Deputy John Budensiek told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview this week.
“But as our marine deputy started citing, tagging and removing these vessels, they learned last year that a lot of these vessels were inhabited by vagrants,” he continued.
Late last year, local media began reporting on the increases in vagrants moving into derelict boats and how the Martin County Sheriff’s Office was working to remove the boats and squatters, or bring some of the derelict boats up to code. Derelict boats are defined as vessels found in waterways with at least two violations, which can range from not having a motor to leaking fuel. Dumping derelict boats is a state crime that could lead to jail time or fines.
SQUATTER PIRATES IN FLORIDA SETTING UP HOMES ON ABANDONED BOATS
Martin County is located in South Florida on the state’s eastern coast, roughly 40 miles north of Palm Beach. Budensiek explained to Fox News Digital that the area is a hot spot for boaters, fisherman and tourists, with many sail boats traveling from the area to the Bahamas and back.
Beachgoers enjoy the weather on May 4, 2020 in Jensen Beach, Florida, located in Martin County. (Getty images )
“One of the byproducts of having a lot of vessels in our area, is some of these vessels tend to get rundown hard and become inoperable. And because they become an operable, some of these owners will abandon them or they’ll sell them to someone who doesn’t re-register the vessel. Those people in turn, stay on these boats or run these vessels until they are completely unusable. And they sink or they leak fuel, if they have the capacity to carry fuel, or they leak human waste and they become a real danger to us environmentally,” he said.
“Unfortunately with South Florida, vagrants come from the northern communities where it’s cold this time of year down here.”
Though derelict boats have long been an issue in the area, the deputy chief said that in the last year, the number of derelict boats has only increased. He said that as 2023 drew to a close, the sheriff’s office tallied at least 50 boats that were abandoned in the last year, all of them consequently cited by authorities. Twenty-nine of the 50 boats were removed and destroyed, while the remainder were brought into compliance.
FLORIDA POLICE DISMANTLE SQUATTERS’ BOOBY-TRAPPED ‘METH ISLAND’
A derelict boat is shown in this undated file photo beng removed by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Derelict boats have long been an issue in the area, officials say, but squatters and homeless people are increasingly moving into the vessels. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office )
Budensiek clarified that the individuals squatting on the boats are overwhelmingly not homeless people who are working to find jobs and get off the streets. Instead, they are described by the deputy chief as vagrants, who are often people addicted to drugs, who suffer from mental illness and are not making attempts to get out of squalor.
“The vagrant population as a whole seems to be transient. Unfortunately with South Florida, vagrants come from the northern communities where it’s cold this time of year down here. We get an influx of them and we do our best, but they have rights … to do certain things. So we want them to succeed, but we don’t want them to come and ruin the quality of life for people that are working hard and paying taxes and trying to keep, especially in this case, our waterways safe and clean,” he said.
Differentiating a rundown boat that is in compliance from a derelict boat inhabited by squatters, however, is a difficult task, Budensiek explained.
Martin County’s Jensen Beach, Florida. Aerial view of Jensen Beach Park and the Atlantic Ocean. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“It’s hard to differentiate. There’s a lot of vessels that are functional that people living on, that you and I may not stay on, but they are inhabitable,” he said.
SQUATTERS TURNING FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD INTO ‘NIGHTMARE’ AS COPS LEFT ‘HANDCUFFED’: REPORT
The sheriff’s office is on a mission to dispose of the derelict boats, or bring them up to code, and works in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard to test boats anchored outside the area’s water channels to see if they are up to code.
Chief Deputy John Budensiek, of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, speaks to Fox News Digital. (Fox News Digital )
“We’re going around and testing these boats that are anchored to just outside of our channels, and testing means going and making sure that their lighting functions, so you can see them at night if you’re trying to move through our waterways,” he said.
One sure-fire tell if a boat is derelict, Budensiek said, is testing if a vessel is leaking sewage into the water.
SQUATTERS TURNING FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD INTO ‘NIGHTMARE’ AS COPS LEFT ‘HANDCUFFED’: REPORT
“Really what’s of concern us environmentally is most of them don’t have functional bathrooms. So what we find happening here in our county, we have these vagrants that are squatting on the boats, and using the facilities. And the facilities within the boat are just draining right into our estuaries, right into our ocean and our rivers here,” he said.
“Environmentally, it’s a disgusting problem that we’re dealing with, and we are doing everything we can to identify who these people are, which vessels they are, cite them, remove them and get them off of our beaches, off of our shores,” he said.
Authorities drop dye into suspected derelict boats’ toilets, to see if it leaks into the water, he explained.
“They’re also testing them with dye … They’re running this dye through the toilet system in the boats. And if the dye comes out in the water, then we know that that boat is not sound and is in fact leaking sewage into our estuary,” he said.
Reports of people squatting in homes across the U.S. have increased since the pandemic, including in Florida, though Budensiek said that issue has not affected his community as it has others. Instead, the office is dealing with boat squatters as well as people moving to Martin County in RVs.
SQUATTERS TAKE OVER FLORIDA ‘METH ISLAND,’ BUILD ELABORATE TREE HOUSE AND INSTALL TRAMPOLINE
“We have not, we’ve only had a few cases of that,” he said when asked if typical squatting issues on land have increased in recent months.”But what we have had here is individuals coming into our county with RVs. Again, it’s kind of the same thing we’re dealing with with these vessels, where they stay in the RV until the RV is not functional anymore. Then they leave it on the side of the road,” he said, adding that squatters taking over derelict boats is a “new phenomenon.”
Removing and destroying the derelict boats comes at a hefty price: anywhere between $7,000 and $40,000. The funds paying for the removals aren’t taken from the resident’s tax base, but from boater registration fees, Budensiek said. A portion of boater registration fees is set aside explicitly for the purpose of removing derelict boats “in order to make our waterways an appealing place for our residents and people that come here to enjoy our waterways,” he said.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is cracking down on derelict boats. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office )
Budensiek said that his office is working with state agencies and the Coast Guard to identify and ensure derelict boats are removed or brought up to code, highlighting that local authorities are committed to making Martin County “a safer and more beautiful place to boat.”
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“They use our local ordinances to combat the issue that we’re having. We don’t do it alone. We do it with our state resources, DEP, the Department of Environmental protection, they help us with some of these environmental issues. The Coast Guard is always available to come beside us. So we’re working locally, on the state level, and then on the federal level to combat this issue and make our community a safer and more beautiful place to boat,” he said.
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Southeast
Murdaugh trial court clerk pleads guilty to showing sealed crime scene photos to photographer
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A former South Carolina court clerk pleaded guilty Monday in connection with showing sealed court exhibits related to the murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh to a photographer and lying about it in court.
Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, who served as the court clerk in Colleton County, pleaded guilty to four charges — obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter photographs that were sealed court exhibits and then lying about it, plus two counts of misconduct in office for taking bonuses and promoting a book she wrote on the trial through her public office.
“There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them and will carry that shame the rest of my life,” Hill said in a statement read to the court.
She was sentenced to three years of probation.
ALEX MURDAUGH’S MONEY MAN PAYS THE PRICE AFTER ADMITTING ROLE IN MILLION-DOLLAR CRIME SCHEME
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill is sworn in before taking the stand to testify during the Alex Murdaugh jury-tampering hearing at the Richland County Judicial Center, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP)
Her sentence would have been much harsher had evidence surfaced that she tampered with the murder trial, Judge Heath Taylor told Hill.
During Murdaugjh’s murder trial, Hill was responsible for taking care of the jury, overseeing exhibits and assisting the judge. Murdaugh was eventually convicted of murdering his wife and son after a six-week trial, which drew nationwide attention.
Murdaugh’s lawyers said Hill tried to influence jurors to vote guilty and that she was biased against Murdaugh because of her book.
ALEX MURDAUGH SLAMS NEW TRUE CRIME SERIES DEPICTING FAMILY’S DOUBLE-MURDER: ‘MISLEADING PORTRAYALS’
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill smiles after pleading guilty on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in St. Matthews, S.C. Hill pleaded guilty Monday to showing sealed exhibits from Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and other charges. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Solicitor Rick Hubbard told the judge that a journalist informed investigators that Hill showed graphic crime scene photos to several media members.
He did not name the journalist.
The photos were posted online, and the metadata from the images matched a time when Hill’s courthouse key card indicated she was inside the locked room where the photos were kept, Hubbard said.
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill is sworn in during a court hearing on Monday in St. Matthews, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Hill resigned in March 2024. One of the charges against her stemmed from money prosecutors said she took for herself. She brought a check to court on Monday to repay nearly $10,000.
Journalist Neil Gordon who worked with Hill on “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders” and previously accused her of plagiarism, commented on Hill’s plea to Fox News Digital.
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill pleaded guilty Monday to showing sealed exhibits from disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and other charges. (Fox Nation/ Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool)
“I appreciate seeing Becky step up and take responsibility for her actions, including the charge of misconduct in office, as it was directly related to the book I co-authored with her,” he said in a statement. “The specific instance was her decision to arrange a “Facebook Live” from her clerk’s office with the Colleton County Chamber of Commerce solely to promote our book.”
“The fact that it occurred during the workday showed boldness, poor judgement, and frankly ignorance of the oath she took as an elected official.,” he added. “Sadly, poor judgement around our book had been a pattern for Becky, as we later learned she plagiarized its preface.”
Meanwhile, Murdaugh is also serving a prison sentence for stealing money from his family’s law firm and client settlements.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Murdaugh’s attorney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Florida designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations, DeSantis says
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Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday.
The move mirrors a similar action taken by Texas in which Gov. Greg Abbott designated the CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations.
“Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support,” DeSantis wrote on X.
TRUMP MOVES AGAINST MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS ISLAMIST GROUP SPREADS IN WEST
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantissaid CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood will be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
The governor’s order said the Muslim Brotherhood has long engaged in and supported violence, political assassinations and terror attacks on civilians with the intent of establishing a worldwide Islamic caliphate.
It also said the group, as well as Hamas have active fundraising arms in the United States.
SCATHING REPORT CALLS ON US TO LABEL ISLAMIST GROUP INFILTRATING ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE AS TERRORIST ORG
The order said CAIR, which was created to challenge stereotypes against Islam and Muslims, has had individuals associated with it that have been convicted of providing and aspiring to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.
In a post on X, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said: “Great news! Thanks for this important Executive Order, Governor. We are ready to support!”
A joint statement by CAIR and its Florida chapter said the DeSantis administration has prioritized serving their interest of the Israeli government over the people of the state.
“He diverted millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to the Israeli government’s bonds. He threatened to shut down every Florida college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, only to back off when CAIR sued him in federal court,” the statement said. “Like Greg Abbott in Texas, Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war crimes. Governor DeSantis knows full well that CAIR-Florida is an American civil rights organization that has spent decades advancing free speech, religious freedom, and justice for all, including for the Palestinian people. That’s precisely why Governor DeSantis is targeting our civil rights group with this unconstitutional and defamatory proclamation.
“We look forward to defeating Governor DeSantis’ latest Israel First stunt in a court of law, where facts matter and conspiracy theories have no weight,” the groups added. “In the meantime, we encourage all Floridians and all Americans to speak up against this latest attempt to shred the Constitution for the benefit of a foreign government.”
Florida’s designation is at the state level. It doesn’t carry the legal force of a federal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listing, which only the U.S. State Department can issue.
In Texas, Muslim and interfaith leaders have demanded that Abott reverse his proclamation regarding CAIR. In a lawsuit against Texas over the governor’s declaration, CAIR argued that it violates both the U.S. Constitution and state law.
Texas Gov. Greg Abott designated CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as a foreign terrorist organization. (Getty Images)
The order violates its First Amendment rights and due-process protections, CAIR said, arguing that the state overstepped its authority because terrorism designations fall under federal, not state, jurisdiction.
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Southeast
Florida mom says teens ‘lured’ 14-year-old daughter into woods before shooting, setting her on fire: report
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The mother of murdered Florida teenager Danika Troy says her 14-year-old daughter was lured into the woods by one of the boys now charged with killing her, a teen she believed had romantic feelings for her.
In an interview with the New York Post, Ashley Troy said 16-year-old Gabriel Williams “pretended to have feelings for her,” leading Danika to trust him enough to follow him into the wooded trail where she was ambushed.
“That’s how she was lured,” she said.
Williams and 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins have both been charged with first-degree premeditated murder in Danika’s death.
FAMILIES CLAIM TEEN MURDER SUSPECT WAS ‘PLOTTING’ DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN FOR MONTHS BEFORE KILLING TWO GIRLS
The mom of Danika Troy, a 14-year-old Florida teenager, says she believes her daughter was lured into the woods by Gabriel Williams, who allegedly pretended to have romantic feelings before the girl was murdered. (GoFundMe)
Ashley said she is still desperate for answers. “I still need answers. I’m just left asking why,” she told the outlet. “She just wanted to be in love.”
Danika was reported missing by her mother on Dec. 1. The next day, a passerby discovered her body in a wooded area in Pace, a community in Florida’s Panhandle. Investigators said she had been shot multiple times and set on fire.
Authorities quickly identified the alleged killers, two teens who knew Danika from school, and took them into custody.
MOTHER SAYS ALLEGED STALKER WHO KILLED HER DAUGHTER SHOULD BE TRIED AS AN ADULT
Authorities said two teenagers are facing murder charges in the death of 14-year-old Danika Troy, who was found shot to death and burned in a wooded area in Florida after being reported missing. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)
Detectives initially believed the murder may have stemmed from a social-media dispute over Thanksgiving break. According to the sheriff’s office, the boys claimed they targeted Danika because she had blocked Blevins on social media and called Williams “worthless and a gang banger.”
Ashley rejected that narrative. “What those boys said is an excuse,” she told the Post.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson confirmed Thursday that Danika’s body had been positively identified and said investigators rapidly zeroed in on Williams and Blevins. Both suspects had prior “run-ins” with law enforcement, he said, though details were not released because of their ages.
TEEN MURDER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY SWATTED VICTIM’S HOME WEEKS BEFORE DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN: LAWYER
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters that the suspects were supposedly friends with the victim from school. He said investigators were still working to determine a motive. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)
Johnson described the killing in stark terms.
“This is where it gets really horrific,” he said, explaining that Williams allegedly stole his mother’s handgun before shooting Danika. “It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14. You’re 16. Shoot her multiple times, and then they set her on fire.”
The motive for the killing remains unclear. Johnson said the explanations the teens offered “don’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case,” adding, “so we don’t have a legit motive.”
REPEAT OFFENDER ALLEGEDLY KILLS 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL, HAS CRIMINAL HISTORY DATING BACK TO 2000: OFFICIALS
Both suspects remain held without bond at the Department of Juvenile Justice on first-degree murder charges. Prosecutors are coordinating with investigators as they determine whether the teens will be charged as adults.
“If you do an adult crime, you gotta do adult time,” Johnson said.
Ashley previously said she believes “evil influence” played a role in her daughter’s killing, but she wants accountability. She said she wants “nothing less than for them to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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