Nearly all Americans pay taxes, but how many of us know what our tax dollars are spent on? One TikTok account, Waldman Media (@waldmanmedia), disclosed a little-known fact about a surprising source for public funding. 

"This megayacht costs the city of San Diego $922,000 a month," Waldman Media shared to its TikTok page in early 2025, showing a video of the megayacht in the background. "This is Amadea, a $250 million, 348-foot megayacht." 

@waldmanmedia Absolutely ridiculous maintenance numbers… and the US taxpayer is paying for it! Amadea is a 348-foot (106-meter) superyacht built by Lürssen and delivered in 2017. Designed by Espen Øino, her striking exterior features sweeping lines, a prominent bow, and a six-deck profile, while the luxurious interior is crafted by François Zuretti. Amadea is powered by twin MTU 20V 4300 kW engines, enabling a top speed of 20 knots and a cruising speed of 13 knots. With a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, she offers transoceanic range and excellent stability. The yacht accommodates up to 16 guests in eight staterooms, including a palatial owner's suite with a private deck, cinema, and office. Crew quarters house up to 36 staff, ensuring elite service. Standout features include a 10-meter infinity pool, a certified helipad convertible into a party space, an ornate grand staircase, a winter garden dining area, and a full spa with a hammam and beauty salon. With a gross tonnage of over 4,400 GT, Amadea is not just a yacht—she is a floating palace engineered for global luxury cruising. #luxuryyacht #megayacht ♬ original sound - Waldman Media

According to a press release from the Department of Justice, U.S. authorities seized a megayacht belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, Suleiman Kerimov, in 2022. The U.S. retrieved the luxury boating vessel from Fijian officials and sailed it from Fiji into the docks of San Diego. 

The following year, the U.S. filed a civil forfeiture complaint against Amadea, alleging that the megayacht was "forfeitable based on violations of U.S. law," per the Department of Justice. This began a lengthy legal process to permanently transfer legal ownership of the megayacht to the U.S. before the boat could be put up for auction, which happened in late August 2025. 

By October 2025, the luxury megayacht had been sold to the highest bidder. 

However, between the seizure of the megayacht from Fiji and its sale at auction three years later, the luxury boat had been docked in the San Diego harbor, maintained by the taxpayers' dime. 

According to an NPR interview with Stephanie Baker, senior writer at Bloomberg, a conservative estimate of the cost to maintain a megayacht of this size, even if it is simply docked in the water, was "something like 3%" of a superyacht's value — which is about $10 million per year. 

Waldman Media broke this cost down even further, explaining that basic maintenance cost about $600,000 a month. Insurance cost about $144,000 a month, and docking fees were about $178,000 per month. 

"That brings the total costs to $922,000 a month, or $11 million per year," the video noted. "Is this a good use of taxpayer money?" 

Over the course of three years, taxpayers would have spent $30 million to $31 million to maintain a megayacht docked in the waters of San Diego. 

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Megayachts, a form of luxury, private travel, contribute a significant amount of carbon pollution in a short period. According to The Guardian, megayachts emit at least 22,000 metric tons of carbon per year, which is more than some small countries produce in a whole year.

"Why am I helping to pay for a yacht that I'll never get to go on?" one TikTok commenter asked.

"If the taxpayer is paying for it, they should be allowed to use it," another user wrote.

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