What Are Riparian Rights? The vast majority of our state is surrounded by water: coastlines, rivers, streams, lakes, and waterways. Often, owners of waterfront property end up in disputes over what are called riparian rights. Riparian rights are simply those rights for which a waterfront property owner owns upload property that extends to the normal […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
Widerman Malek Obtains Victory at Trial
On November 2nd, 2018, Widerman Malek obtained an order granting its client’s motion for involuntary dismissal with prejudice. This remedy is granted less than 0.1% of the time state-wide at the county level. This was a matter in which our client would have lost his business, and likely ended in financial ruin to himself and […]
Sales of Vessels and Memorandums of Agreement (“MOA”)
In general, contracts for the sale of a vessel do not fall within the federal court’s admiralty jurisdiction. Acting in accordance with contracts for the sale of a vessel – contracts for the construction of a vessel (or, shipbuilding) do not fall within the federal court’s admiralty jurisdiction either. However, contracts to repair vessels are […]
How Do I Put a Lien on a Vessel in Florida?
In Florida, maritime liens are authorized under both federal law, under 46 U.S.C. § 31342, and by statute. If you are interested in federal maritime liens, the Sarasota County Bar Association has a helpful article here. Under Florida law, a marina can put a maritime lien on a vessel for unpaid costs, storage charges, or […]
U.S. Supreme Court Defines the Definition of a “Vessel”
We are back on the topic of eminent domain. This time we take a look at floating homes and maritime laws. Last Tuesday on January 15th, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the dispute on whether a floating home should be classified as a vessel and subject to maritime laws or whether it should be considered […]
