Removing Grounded Casino Boat Proving a Gamble for Keys
Someone has set three green bar stools in the mud and propped a rickety wooden ladder on top to reach a small deck on the back of the battered, 80-foot boat that was washed here by Hurricane Wilma on Oct. 24. Inside the main cabin are overturned card tables, the shells of slot machines with doors wide open and wires dangling out.
A wooden bar on the top deck looks like it could be back in business after a little cleaning. It is still unclear who will pay the estimated $500,000 to either slice up the Lady Luck or roll it out of the muddy mangrove patch, said George Garrett, director of Monroe County marine services.
The gambling vessel is among about 300 other boats stranded by Wilma. A team from the county, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are working to remove as many of the vessels as possible before the next hurricane threat.
Lady Luck gambling casino poses more challenges than the average boat and is likely still to be stuck within sight of the Overseas Highway, at Mile Marker 13, during hurricane season, Garrett said. FEMA typically does not pay for removal of commercial vessels, and the casino boat will be expensive.
May 31, 2006
Posted By Susan Torres
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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