Documented Boats in Florida

[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

It is the same here in Maryland...

Not exactly.

The topic is US doc'd boats that do not also have state registration getting different treatment in some states, like Florida. Maryland does not treat me (no Virginia registration) like I would be treated in Florida.

Dave

[denverd0n]

The rules for boats from other countries are different, so they don't face the same problem.

Yes, I'm sure a large number of visiting boats face this issue. My guess would be that it hasn't become a priority specifically because--at least as far as I am aware of--it has never been enforced.

[tdh1849]

If your boat is a Documented vessel, the home port is displayed on the boat. So...if you live in another state with a documented vessel and then come to/pass thru/visit Florida you do not need to register with the Florida Motor Vehicle Dept.
Having said that, move to Florida permanently, permanent change of address etc, then both the Documentation need to be changed and the Florida State Registration applied for.
Understand that we here in Florida are fortunate to have many winter visitors come here on their boats for months at a time and then they return home, many from as faraway as Canada.No one requires them to have a Florida address.

[svJasmine]

if you need to register in florida, keep in mind you don't need to put numbers on the hull, just your sticker.

If your boat is old like mine (76) you can get antique boat registration for 5 bucks a year or so. My old inflatable costs more to register.

[emcmia]

Official Website Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

DHSMV: Sample Registration Fee Calculations

Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine

Typically, even for documented vessels without other state registration, you operate for not more than 90 continuous days of 180 days in any 12 month period without registering. Some counties (ex: Duval/Florida keys -Marathon) authorities are more aggressive and will issue citations even if you are transiting FL to another out-of-Florida destination.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by tdh1849

If your boat is a Documented vessel, the home port is displayed on the boat. So...if you live in another state with a documented vessel and then come to/pass thru/visit Florida you do not need to register with the Florida Motor Vehicle Dept.
Having said that, move to Florida permanently, permanent change of address etc, then both the Documentation need to be changed and the Florida State Registration applied for.
Understand that we here in Florida are fortunate to have many winter visitors come here on their boats for months at a time and then they return home, many from as faraway as Canada.No one requires them to have a Florida address.

It's actually gets more complicated than that. Let's say a documented boat with a northeast state home port (in a state that does not require registering a documented vessel such as MA) spends 7 months up North and 5 months (i.e. over 90 days) down in FL. How's this resolved? I don't think that FL can require such 5 month visitor to keep re-documenting with USCG by changing home port every 5-7 months. Nor does FL have any legal authority to issue any rulings re: USCG documentation requirements, which are currently that a "homeport" for the USCG documentation purposes can by ANY census designated place irrespective of the actual place of berthing or storage.

[emcmia]

Originally Posted by tdh1849

If your boat is a Documented vessel, the home port is displayed on the boat. So...if you live in another state with a documented vessel and then come to/pass thru/visit Florida you do not need to register with the Florida Motor Vehicle Dept.
Having said that, move to Florida permanently, permanent change of address etc, then both the Documentation need to be changed and the Florida State Registration applied for.
Understand that we here in Florida are fortunate to have many winter visitors come here on their boats for months at a time and then they return home, many from as faraway as Canada.No one requires them to have a Florida address.

I don't t believe the Documentation/homeport has to be changed if you become a FL resident. (The authorities did not require this when I registered my boat last year). Where is this specified?

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by emcmia

I don't t believe the Documentation/homeport has to be changed if you become a FL resident. (The authorities did not require this when I registered my boat last year). Where is this specified?

You are correct. FL (or any other state) has no say in "homeport" designation by a USCG documented vessel.

[Robin3]

We live in Florida. Originally we lived on our then 47ft motor yacht which was full US documented not State registered. After my stroke a year later, we moved ashore but still in Florida and went back to our first love under sail, and bought a 36ft sailboat which once again is fully US documented. In the case of both these US Documented boats, we have had to register with the Florida DMV and pay a Florida 'use' tax annually and display the appropriate decals on board . The tender to our current boat is a 10ft RIB with a 9.9hp outboard motor and Florida requires us ( and we have done) to State register the tender separately and to display the FL registration numbers on the bow together with the decal. The Florida registration come 'use' tax is not punitive, annoying yes but not punitive, I think the combined cost for both big boat and tender was under $150 when we renewed this year. I tried to look it up online with the bank but our payment made included the tags for our two cars as well as since they all get renewed together on the owners annual birth month.

THE above has nothing to do with the Florida Sales Tax as we paid that on all the boats on purchase.


PS our home port is recorded in documentation as DAYTONA BEACH which is also where we live but we also maintain a mailbox address at St Brendan's Isle in Green Cove Springs Fl., in common with many cruisers as this allows us to keep a constant Florida address for important mail and still be able to get that mail forwarded tous wherever we are. They also monitor for US documentation renewals on our behalf, a very useful service, highly recommended!

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by 2Hulls

Not exactly.

The topic is US doc'd boats that do not also have state registration getting different treatment in some states, like Florida. Maryland does not treat me (no Virginia registration) like I would be treated in Florida.

Dave

Point taken.

[rwidman]

From Florida Boating Regulations

Documented vessels without a state registration in full force and effect must also obtain a Florida registration and display the validation decal on the port side of the vessel when using Florida waters.

This does not seem to exempt documented boats from states that do not also require registration and it does not seem to exempt foreign vessels. It does not provide a ninety day grace period.

[cruiser3650]

Doing the Loop with 4 other boats this came up for all. The solutions were:
1. Vessel A-registered in LA which had lower taxes than rest of the areas (at that time) Alabama home port
2. Vessel B-Get a Sojurners permit- a unique FL. permit that covers you for having a documented vessel staying 90 days or more in FL waters from another state VA. home port
3. Vessel C-stayed 60 days and went to Bahamas and then stayed another 30 days and left for Ohio (home port)
4. Vessel 4 - ignored all the above iterations Md. home port, but full-time live aboard
Summary: no one got into any trouble and each felt there own level of comfort with the solution.
MHO is this coming winter with a new to us Documented boat and "registered" in Ohio we are going to stay warm and see what happens.
Don't want to waste any excess cash on taxes when they could be more properly allocated to booze!

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

It's actually gets more complicated than that. Let's say a documented boat with a northeast state home port (in a state that does not require registering a documented vessel such as MA) spends 7 months up North and 5 months (i.e. over 90 days) down in FL. How's this resolved? I don't think that FL can require such 5 month visitor to keep re-documenting with USCG by changing home port every 5-7 months. Nor does FL have any legal authority to issue any rulings re: USCG documentation requirements, which are currently that a "homeport" for the USCG documentation purposes can by ANY census designated place irrespective of the actual place of berthing or storage.

Florida can force you to register the boat and pay sales tax or prove that you already paid an equivalent amount to another jurisdiction if the boat stays in Florida for over 90 days. Florida is not unique in that respect, it's pretty common.

But, that's not what this post is about, it's about being in Florida waters for less than 90 days in a boat that's documented but not registered.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by tdh1849

So...if you live in another state with a documented vessel and then come to/pass thru/visit Florida you do not need to register with the Florida Motor Vehicle Dept.
Having said that, move to Florida permanently, permanent change of address etc, then both the Documentation need to be changed and the Florida State Registration applied for.

This is absolutely wrong!!!!! If you have a documented vessel and a state registration sticker from another state you may travel in florida for up to 90 days without buying a Florida registration sticker. If you do not have a registration sticker from another state then Florida Law requires you to purchase a Florida Registration sticker immediately. If you don't get stopped by the FWC or a local LEO you might get away with it but you are not complying with the law.

If you become a state of Florida resident then you are required to register your documented boat in Florida even if you have it in another state. This creates conflicts with laws in other states if your vessel is titled there and not documented. They have similar laws regarding cars. For instance I have a car in NC as well as Florida. Florida law requires that legal residents of the state of Florida title and register their cars in Florida. NC has a 183 day rule. If a vehicle is "garaged" in NC for more than 183 days a year then the car must be titled and registered in the state of NC. It is not possible to comply with the laws of both states.

As far as the USCG documentation is concerned, if you move from another state to Florida you simply have to notify them of your change of mailing address. No change to the hailing port is required.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

.......... If you do not have a registration sticker from another state then Florida Law requires you to purchase a Florida Registration sticker immediately. ...............

The intended point of this thread.

So how do the thousands of boats that visit Florida each year deal with this? Why isn't this in all the cruising guides? How is Florida allowed to do this and what if every coastal state did the same?