Overnight Crackdown on WPB City Docks

When the clock strikes midnight, you had better get yourself and your stuff off the downtown city docks.

That's always been the rule, but Monday the West Palm Beach City Commission passed the first of two required votes tweaking the laws to make it crystal clear that from midnight to sunrise, the docks are off limits.

The city has been dealing with issues created by people leaving their boats tied up overnight. There have also been problems with people leaving personal items, such as bicycles, overnight.

The new law makes it clear that designated city employees have the authority to tell anyone to leave the docks when they're closed. It also makes it clear that boats left overnight will be confiscated at the owner's expense, and that any property that doesn't have a clear owner left overnight with be considered abandoned.

Anyone who doesn't leave the docks during off hours could be fined up to $500 and could also face jail time for trespassing.