Situated 21 miles off the coast of Bluff’s Lands are the largest collection of floating cabins in Texas. It is a colony of floating cabins and in 2001, the state began regulating the number of those cabins. Now, there are only 147 remaining. However owners of these cabins say regulation is a good thing.
“If you leave it open to just purchase as many as you like I think it would become very congested,” Captain Randy Vela, owner of the Baffin Bay Cabins said. “The Cabin permits that are out there if you want to acquire one you have to find one that is existing.”
These cabins cannot be placed just anywhere either, the state sets out certain guidelines and where people can “park” their cabins.
“They can’t be located within 500 ft of another cabin they cannot be on an oyster reef or blocking a water way,” Lt. Bryan Baronet of Texas Parks and Wildlife said.
Each cabin is also required to have a 360 degree white light for other boats on the water to see as well as reflectors. There also must be a safe, efficient way to collect waste from the cabins.
There are no more new leases for people to buy, so if someone wants to own their own floating cabin, they must buy the existing lease. And the asking price is steep.