The sailboat that had been stranded on New Smyrna Beach is no longer worth even the one dollar its owner was selling it for.
In the end, Volusia County got the vessel for less: Nothing. The registered owner surrendered it to the county.
And Volusia County then demolished the boat on Monday and trucked it on its last voyage to the Tomoka landfill, according to county spokesman Clayton Jackson.
The boat had been stranded on New Smyrna Beach since last month. The owner had been quoted more than $20,000 to remove it according to news reports. So, he offered it for sale for a dollar hoping someone could continue using the sailboat.
A photo of a sailboat stranded on New Smyrna Beach before it was removed on Monday, January 6, 2025 by Volusia County. The sailboat ran aground on the beach in December.
Volusia County received the necessary approvals to remove the boat from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission over the weekend, Jackson wrote in an email.
The county coordinated with a contractor to safely remove any potentially harmful liquids from the boat to prevent any environmental contamination to the beach or ocean. It was then demolished and hauled off.
“This immediate removal was critical as the vessel posed significant risks to the public and the environment. The concern of the vessel breaking its anchor lines during a future storm or tidal event caused additional concern as it would result in potential leaks or scattering hazardous debris along the beach and into the water with the potential of impacting vulnerable structures and shorelines,” according to a statement from Volusia County.
To help mitigate removal expenses, Volusia County will receive a recycling credit to mitigate the cost of removing the boat, Jackson wrote in an email.
He said the county had not received the invoice yet.
Another sailboat ran aground in Flagler County in October. It was destroyed by the battering surf as it rested on the beach and the debris was subsequently removed..
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Beached sailboat, for sale for $1, removed from New Smyrna Beach