Time Out of Florida ?

[hellosailor]

Newbe, Androids are the same way. So you turn the autocorrect feature OFF and that vampire dies.

Texas doesn't bear the burden of toxic wastes for Florida and other states. Texans have chosen to allow an industrial toxic mess, either by their action or inaction, as have others in a number of other states.

Y'all could bid for the franchise to store nuclear wastes instead of having the arguments over Yuca Flats drag on another decade. that franchise should pay well for the next ten thousand years or so. Or at least, eliminate the need for streetlights as long as it can glow in the dark.

Surely all those toxins could be refined, stored, used to replace copper in our bottom paints?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

You are correct, the use time has again dropped, and again the reasons quoted by the press are the law was changed in reponse to other states laws.

It has been 90 days in Florida for decades now. Not sure when it was first set at that, but it was 90 days back in the early 80s when I bought my first boat here. So just NOW Texas has decided to change their laws in response? I doubt it.

Texas probably changed their laws just because they could, and they wanted the money. And frankly I'd be interested in finding out when this change happened, as I find it hard to believe that it was all that recent.

In any case, the fact is that the laws regarding registration, as well as sales/use taxes, are very similar in almost all of the coastal states. I believe Delaware might be the exception, but otherwise you aren't going to get a significantly different deal no matter where you buy or keep your boat. Florida probably just gets talked about the most, because it has more coastline than any other eastern state, and hence it has more boats, more boaters, and more boats bought and sold.

You can complain all you want about the registration fees, but they are here to stay (and have been for a long, long time). Besides, like I said, the typical pleasure boater pays a pittance, compared to all of the other on-going costs of owning a boat. With a 40' yacht, you'll pay $85 a year in Florida, and only $25 more than that in Texas (smaller boats even less). If that's too much for you then you need to get rid of the boat!

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

It has been 90 days in Florida for decades now. Not sure when it was first set at that, but it was 90 days back in the early 80s when I bought my first boat here. So just NOW Texas has decided to change their laws in response? I doubt it.!

Effective January 1, 2004, vessels documented by the U.S. Coast Guard are no longer exempt from state registration requirements. (source texas.st.gov)

(It seems like just yesterday.) It was changed from when you met state residency requirements, (1 year), to 90 days some years after that.

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Texas probably changed their laws just because they could, and they wanted the money. .!

I'm sure not going to argue that one.

Originally Posted by denverd0n

You can complain all you want about the registration fees, but they are here to stay (and have been for a long, long time). Besides, like I said, the typical pleasure boater pays a pittance, compared to all of the other on-going costs of owning a boat. With a 40' yacht, you'll pay $85 a year in Florida, and only $25 more than that in Texas (smaller boats even less). If that's too much for you then you need to get rid of the boat!

Yeah I bought my original boat for $1000.00 in Idaho 15 years ago, Before moving here I paid $12/a year in Idaho to register. Since moving here, I have paid more than I paid for the boat in registration fees.

I guess if I'm not rich and famous, I don't deserve to own a boat.

My main problem is that I just confirmed with the parks and wildlife depts from both states that it is not legal to register a boat in more than 1 state, but if you spend 4 months in each you will be required to pay a 1 year registration several times to comply with the law. So either you break the law by registering twice, or you break the law by failing to register in each state you visit. Or you never stay more than 89 days in one state.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

My main problem is that I just confirmed with the parks and wildlife depts from both states that it is not legal to register a boat in more than 1 state...

I don't know who you talked to in Florida, but they are wrong. I don't have the link at my fingertips, but if you search around the website of the FL dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (flhsmv.gov, not the wildlife dept.) you will find that they have provisions for people who only keep their boat in FL for the winter. That's a normal thing here. Lots of people do it every year, and the state has no problem with people keeping their boats in FL for 6 or 8 months and still having it registered in another state. You have to pay the FL registration fee (maybe they call it something else in this case), but you do not have to change the registration numbers on your boat.

Now, I don't know the laws in Texas, but I find it hard to believe that they have one that says that if you register your boat in Texas then you are not allowed to pay any boating fees to any other states. I think you just need to dig a little deeper to find the correct answers.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

I don't know who you talked to in Florida, but they are wrong. I don't have the link at my fingertips, but if you search around the website of the FL dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (flhsmv.gov, not the wildlife dept.) you will find that they have provisions for people who only keep their boat in FL for the winter. That's a normal thing here. Lots of people do it every year, and the state has no problem with people keeping their boats in FL for 6 or 8 months and still having it registered in another state. You have to pay the FL registration fee (maybe they call it something else in this case), but you do not have to change the registration numbers on your boat.

Now, I don't know the laws in Texas, but I find it hard to believe that they have one that says that if you register your boat in Texas then you are not allowed to pay any boating fees to any other states. I think you just need to dig a little deeper to find the correct answers.

My information from FL including phone calls to several state offices you do have to pay FL registration if the boat is in the state more than 90 days, even if you are only here on vacation and maintain permanent residence and registration in another state. Here is a quote directly from flhsmv web site.


Florida recognizes valid registration certificates and numbers issued to visiting boaters for a period of 90 days. An owner who intends to use his vessel in Florida longer than 90 days must register it with a county tax collector. However, he may retain the out-of-state registration number if he plans to return to his home state within a reasonable period of time.

[Cheechako]

If you are working on the boat out of the water my guess is no one will bother you. Mine was out a year in FL before I just paid the tax (about the same amount you spoke of) Sometimes it's just easier to pay the tax and move on.... you will need an address in FL to register it there. As mentioned, if out on the water you will need a registration sticker visible. IF you register in your home state and they give you a registration sticker, and IF the home port on the stern of the boat is your home state, you may get by for a long time. It's just hard to say. It sounds like you will be sitting stationary working on the boat not out on the water much. First they have to discover you, then they have to determine if you just got there or been a while. If you owe 1300 in taxes... how much is the penalty? maybe 10-15%? might be worth the risk if your intention is to leave for the caribe after you're ready. But things usually take longer than you think, and i hate looking over my shoulder. When I waited a year I did the whole Florida registraton by email/phone. I just told the nice lady I had taken it out of state and it had been decommissioned and drystored the whole time, now I wanted to register in Fl. They didnt ask many questions when someone was offering to pay them money!, except "do I have a Fl address"!

[hellosailor]

http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/FFFVO.pdf

What skipmac said, page 7 in a section titled "out of state reciprocity". Which isn't indexed or mentioned anywhere on the web site in any way. There's also no mention of what that "county" registration is going to cost, so presumably it is the same as a normal full registration and the only difference is that they are allowing you to keep your native title, and native numbers on the boat. Of course, that might be a rash assumption since they don't come out and list the fine details anywhere.

[bobconnie]

Seems like we are looking at apples and Grapes here. A documented vessel needs a state registation sticker from its home state, and carrys no bow numbers,those numbers indicate a state registerd vessel.We have been in many other states with our documented vessel with a valid state of Louisiana reg sticker in plain view. We have never had a problem about taxes anywhere!! of course we are not trying to buy a boat in FLA and keep it there without paying taxes!!We bought our vessel in Fla, changed the home port to Louisiana, paid our taxs there ,bought our state sticker 24.00 for 4 yrs, and have kept it current, and NEVER had a problem of course we are not living in another state we just vist!! just can't understand why you folks can't pay your taxes like we all do every day on everything!! seems like if you can afford to buy a boat you should be able to pay your fair share of taxes ??? any real boat broker can and will handle you registation in any state! handle your documentation and even your state stickers and all I guess im being old timie but taxes are here to stay and if I can afford to cruise I can pay my taxes. just my 2 cents Bob and Connie

[DotDun]

40 ft. boat

Bahamas = $300 for the first 90 days or $500 for a year
Florida = first 90 days free then $134.50* for the next year

(Alternative to Florida reg. tax = when stopped on the water show slip receipt from out-of-state marina that's less than 90 days old and cost is $0 - )

* some counties have local fees, could be additional $50/yr.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by skipmac

My information from FL including phone calls to several state offices you do have to pay FL registration if the boat is in the state more than 90 days, even if you are only here on vacation and maintain permanent residence and registration in another state. Here is a quote directly from flhsmv web site.


Florida recognizes valid registration certificates and numbers issued to visiting boaters for a period of 90 days. An owner who intends to use his vessel in Florida longer than 90 days must register it with a county tax collector. However, he may retain the out-of-state registration number if he plans to return to his home state within a reasonable period of time.

So in other words you don't have to reregister, just send the money.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

just can't understand why you folks can't pay your taxes like we all do every day on everything!! seems like if you can afford to buy a boat you should be able to pay your fair share of taxes ??? any real boat broker can and will handle you registation in any state! handle your documentation and even your state stickers and all I guess im being old timie but taxes are here to stay and if I can afford to cruise I can pay my taxes. just my 2 cents Bob and Connie

I'm glad you like to pay taxes. Last count mine add up to over 40% of my income. Since you love taxes so much, feel free to pay some of mine.

America, land of the fee and fulsome fee.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by skipmac

My information from FL including phone calls to several state offices you do have to pay FL registration if the boat is in the state more than 90 days, even if you are only here on vacation and maintain permanent residence and registration in another state. Here is a quote directly from flhsmv web site.


Florida recognizes valid registration certificates and numbers issued to visiting boaters for a period of 90 days. An owner who intends to use his vessel in Florida longer than 90 days must register it with a county tax collector. However, he may retain the out-of-state registration number if he plans to return to his home state within a reasonable period of time.

Yeah, the interesting thing is, they require you to have a FLorida address!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

So in other words you don't have to reregister, just send the money.

Well, at the end of the day that is what they are after. I guess you do need to keep a copy of the registration in case you are asked for it, just to avoid having to pay twice.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Yeah, the interesting thing is, they require you to have a FLorida address!

Really. I never caught that one. Since I do have a FL address I wasn't looking at that aspect of the situation.

So how do they expect an out of state, non-resident to have a FL address? Never mind, dumb question.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by skipmac

There are two, totally separate issues with buying a boat in FL or keeping a boat in FL.. . .
You can get that time extended if the boat is in a yard or marina for repairs and you document it. . .

This is the "magic key" to Florida - If you put the boat on the "hard" in a boatyard, you can work on it for as long as you wish. The "clock" is stopped. It is NOT in the "waters of Florida" but instead out of the water, literally. There are verification procedures necessary with the boatyard to certify that you are indeed not "using" or living on the boat in the waters of Florida.

Years ago I got into a tiff with the FL State Tax Office when they claimed I was "using the boat in the waters of Florida." It was solved simply by asking them how a boat with no through-hulls or seacocks could possibly be "in the waters" since it would most probably be sitting on the mud bottom underneath the water rather than floating. They backed off. Over zealous new tax collector.

But in general, except when we get a "newbie" in the local tax office, FL is very lenient with time limits - unless you piss them off. Put the boat on the hard in a boatyard and you will have no problem working on it for as long as you want. Incidentally, in the mid-east coast Florida, marina slips and boatyard costs are virtually identical. And on the hard you don't have to worry about the bottom fouling, oil spills or the "potty Police."