A Key West-area boat-rental operation has drawn attention after state investigators and prosecutors described vessels linked to James Lee Huckabay and his daughter as unsafe, deteriorated or substantially dismantled. Huckabay, 69, is awaiting trial on derelict-vessel charges and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted as a repeat offender, according to a published account of the case.
Key takeaways
The case combines allegations of unsafe floating rentals with a broader record of derelict-vessel enforcement in Florida. The claims described below come from a report based on investigative and court materials; the criminal allegations have not been resolved at trial.
- Huckabay has faced more than 25 derelict-vessel violations and was the subject of 13 investigations, the report says.
- Prosecutors identified five boats they alleged were connected to an online rental business.
- Investigators said some vessels lacked propulsion or steering and raised concerns about damage to the seabed.
Rental boats drew safety concerns
The boats identified by prosecutors included a 1969 46-foot Chris-Craft, a 1972 35-foot Pacemaker, a 1976 24-foot O’Day, a 24-foot Fish & Ski and a 12-foot homemade craft built in 2021. Prosecutors characterized the rental vessels as being in unsafe and deteriorated condition, according to the account.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer reportedly documented an incident in which a renter and two children were left aboard a vessel and asked officers to take them to shore. The account says the officers transported the group and their luggage to a marina. The report does not provide the renters’ names.
Investigators cited vessel condition and seabed impact
The agency’s records, as summarized in the article, described boats without propulsion, steering or both. Florida law treats vessels lacking those essential capabilities as substantially dismantled derelict vessels that may be subject to removal.
Prosecutors also raised concerns about anchor chains damaging the seabed. The allegations point to environmental and passenger-safety issues alongside the vessels’ condition, though the account does not describe a court ruling establishing the claims as fact.
A wider record of enforcement
The report says Huckabay owes $372,000 in restitution related to removal of five vessels and a 110-foot barge. It also says he spent six months in jail in connection with the barge and other inoperable boats, and that a court order barred him from owning a boat in Florida.
Investigators reportedly wrote that Huckabay bought the barge in 2021 but did not register or move it, instead using it to store belongings and tie up other vessels. The account says he later worked as an employee of his daughter in connection with online rentals of four houseboats. Huckabay is awaiting trial on the current charges; the outcome will determine which allegations are proven in court.
Sources
- Derelict-Are-Us: Crap Boats Were a Key West Rental Gig, LOOSE CANNON | Peter Swanson.