AN ATX CARGO PLT FLIES BELOW 1000 FT ABOVE A POPULATED AREA ON A SVFR CLRNC TO LAND AT OPF AFTER THE ILS WAS TAKEN OTS.

Narrative

ON MY FLT FROM TPA TO OPF ATC ADVISED OPF LOC INOP. I DEVIATED TO MIA; DUMPED MY CARGO; PICKED UP AN IFR TO FXE. MY PLAN WAS TO GET BELOW THE SCATTERED LAYER AT FXE AND CANCEL IFR; PICK UP A SPECIAL VFR AND GO TO OPF. (I HAD CALLED THE OPF TWR AND HE SAID THE WX WAS FAVORABLE FOR SPECIAL VFR.) AFTER SHOOTING THE LOC APCH IT WAS EVIDENT THE WX WAS VERY GOOD; VISIBILITY WAS EXCELLENT AND CLOUDS WERE VERY SCATTERED; BUT SEEMED TO BE AROUND 800 FT. ENRTE TO OPF I DSNDED TO AN ALT OF 650 FT TO REMAIN CLR OF THE SCATTERED LAYER. THE ONLY REG I BUSTED WAS THE 1000 FT OBSTACLE CLRNC OVER A POPULATED AREA. (WHICH A SVFR CLRNC SEEMS TO CONDONE ANYWAY). A SVFR IS ONLY ISSUED IF THE CEILING IS BELOW 1000 FT AND IN FORT LAUDERDALE YOU ARE DEFINITELY OVER A POPULATED AREA. DOES A SVFR MAKE IT LEGAL TO BE BELOW 1000 FT OVER A POPULATED AREA. IF NOT; IT SHOULD NOT EXIST OR BE ALLOWED IN AREAS WHERE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. REGARDLESS I WOULD NOT HAVE BEGUN THE SVFR FLT HAD I THOUGHT THE SCATTERED LAYER WOULD DRIVE ME DOWN SO LOW. I LET THE VISIBILITY TRICK ME. I WON'T BOTHER NEXT TIME. SVFR EVEN IN ITS MOST LEGAL INTERP FORCES YOU TO BE ILLEGAL IN THE CITIES.