Fla

[Hank Kivett]

seahag: Yea i got one of them ...in fact the Coast Guard Aux is berthed right next to me...I didnt know if there were other requirments from thes state of Fla...anyway thanks

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Hank Kivett

seahag: Yea i got one of them ...in fact the Coast Guard Aux is berthed right next to me...I didnt know if there were other requirments from thes state of Fla...anyway thanks

Once again, the Coast Guard Auxiliary safety sticker is not a requirement or even an advantage for cruising in Florida. You will need the same sticker registration with posted numbers or USCG documentation just as required in North Carolina. I've been crusing among all the East Coast US states for many years and I have had no hassles or boardings in Florida. I will admit that the area from the Chesapeake through mid-Florida has the best rates for slips, but everything from New Jersey north is usually more expensive than anything in Florida. Some may enjoy the huge crowds in Marathon, Miami or Key West, but there are plenty of lower cost places with great amenities. We can find easy and pleasant anchorages within a 35 mile distance throughout all of Florida except the span from Tarpon Springs to St. Marks on the Gulf Coast. Anchorages with easy access to a secure dinghy landing are far less common, but there are also many less expensive marinas that are a bit off the big tourists concentrations or off the ICW. Your draft and vertical clearance will have an effect on your options.

[Kettlewell]

By "stickers" I mean:

1. State registration sticker. Even documented boats must be state registered when used in Florida.
2. Trash disposal sticker. Required by law.
3. No discharge of oil sticker. Required by law.
4. Coast Guard Auxiliary safety inspection sticker is optional, but I have heard from friends that it drastically reduces the chances of being stopped in the Keys especially.

[HopCar]

A boat that is registered in another state is not required to register in Florida unless they stay for more than 90 days. I don't know how this would ever be enforced if the boat was moving around.

[Oogie]

i definitely agree HopCar, if they have all these complaints, they can just simply stay away. not being rude, if you dont like florida, you need to be careful about going into bars and saying things like that, and that is very friendly advice. being a " florida boy " im thinking your having problems with a free place in nc.

[Group9]

I lived in S. Florida three years and still cruise there a lot. Here is the thing to remember about Florida.

There are super friendly boat places and there are places that would shoot you with a rocket launcher if it were legal. The trick is just knowing which places are which (and this is a good place to figure that out) and try not to stop in the bad places.

For example, most of the panhandle is about as boat friendly as it can get. Marathon is as boat friendly as it can get. Marco Island hopes you sink as soon as you get in sight of them.

I look for other anchored boats using Google Earth when I travel. They update it pretty regularly and it lets you see where people are anchoring without problems.

A lot of the boater hate in Florida is driven by people with million dollar homes on the water who really believe the water attached to their property within their view is theirs, too.

You do get stopped a lot by Homeland Security in Florida. I've lost count of the times I've been stopped or radioed by them or the CG, but I still have only been stopped once by Florida Marine Patrol, and that was about a week after 9-11 when transiting Port Everglades (in a newly purchase boat with no registration and they still let me go after looking at my papers). I have never had them actually search my boat since one time in 1987.

I hate to say it, but Florida has really become New York/New Jersey south, and from having lived up there, too, I can see that this is where a lot of the attitude is coming from. Hopefully, the newcomers will get southernized and this will get better instead of worse in the bad places.

[Hank Kivett]

Why dont some of you old salts go togother and publish something for us green horns that are comming down for the first time on what to bring and what not to bring as well as where to go and where not to go...kinda like a tips and hints about you need to know before u start that 1200 mile trip...yes i know of the"capt Bob's books but he does not cover things such as what to bring and what to leave behind. I know all of you have been doing this much longer than I so I look to you and your wisdom to guide me along....

[Kettlewell]

A boat that is registered in another state is not required to register in Florida unless they stay for more than 90 days. I don't know how this would ever be enforced if the boat was moving around.

Sorry, but that is only true for "state-registered" vessels. I just did a bunch of research on this, much of which is summed up here. The bottom line is that your boat, documented or not, only gets the 90-day reciprocity if it is state-registered in some state. The problem is that people with documented vessels don't have to state register them in many states, like North Carolina or Massachusetts, so they won't arrive with a state registration. This was confirmed (see the link) by contacting a senior person in Florida's Fish and Wildlife department--the folks that enforce the laws.

Here is what the FWC says from here:

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.

[Hudson Force]

Kettlewell's "stickers" are important. State registration is required in most most states even with USCG documenation and the no discharge of oil and trash disposal stickers are for all US states. The Coast Guard Auxiliary sticker is not required anywhere and I don't think it's significant for avoiding boarded; however, I can't say. I've been cruising and anchoring in Florida since 1972 and I have never been boarded in Florida.

I agree with group9's advice that some places are less receptive to those that choose to anchor; however, I've anchored in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Marco Island and other places without ever being approached by any authority.

The 90 day limit for non-registry is also not unique to Florida. Within the last few years there have been accounts of non-NC registered boats in North Carolina (specifically New Bern) being charged with state registration taxes for remaining in NC for more than the 90 day period.

There are restrictions, laws an tax seeking measures in most all cruising areas and nothing unique to Florida except maybe the huge numbers of out of state visitors.

Local knowledge presents a great advantage. There are places that vary enormously in opportunities for dinghy access, amenities ashore, expense, etc, ....as mentioned above, Skipper Bob's guide is one resource.

[Kettlewell]

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be cruising Florida right about now while my boat sits on the hard covered with snow and ice! Just trying to point out some things worth knowing about Florida regs., and there does seem to be a greater chance of being stopped and boarded there due to the proliferation of various law enforcement agencies on the water. But, every other state has it's intricacies too. Here are some regulations in the Northeast that might catch someone coming up from Florida.
1. Maine: must pay a local excise tax to the town each year in order to obtain a mooring or dock permit.
2. New Hampshire: only gives you reciprocity for 30 consecutive days before requiring reregistration.
3. Massachusetts: local towns require you to pay excise tax based on where your boat is located on July 1.
4. Rhode Island: All documented boats must be registered, and you must pay to have your holding tank/toilet system inspected every five years at a cost of $30 which allows you to put a whopping huge and ugly sticker on the stern of your boat that makes it look like a porta potti dumping station.

[Hudson Force]

Thanks Kettlewell, Somehow I've been able to cruise these states without pitfalls too. I was even in Mass. on July 1st and nobody knocked on my hull.

When I consider the possible advantage of not being boarded in Florida by having the USCG Auxiliary safety inspection sticker, I think of another factor. It's been my experience that boats appearing as they might have less care, run-down, or potentially derelict have a greater likelihood of being boarded. It could be that the enforcement agencies see this is a vessel that is more likely to not be in compliance with requirements or it might be a selective enforcement bias,- I don't know, but the vessels that look like they are used for low income housing do get more attention from authorities.

[Stu Jackson]

Here's a long discussion about sticker shock!

I'll Never go to Florida Again - SailboatOwners.com

[Hank Kivett]

Yea its most confussing...NC doesnt have that mine is reg with the dept of homeland security..if the 90 day rule is the case just go out past the three mile limit and come back and the clock would start again...right or wrong...

[denverd0n]

For a 30' sailboat we are talking about $85 per year for Florida state registration. I honestly mean no offense, but if that is so much money that you would jump through hoops to try to avoid paying it, then how can you even afford to own a boat!?! I mean, you probably spend more than that for one fill-up of diesel. You probably spend more than that going out to dinner a couple of times a month.

I really don't mean to pick on you, Hank. You're just the latest among thread after thread that we get here from people who seem absolutely desperate to find a way to avoid registering their boat with the state of Florida. Yet, up to 40' it's only $85 per year. Even if you register it in a county that adds on a county fee, it is still going to be less than $150 per year. What is the big deal? I do not get it.

[Hank Kivett]

Well i didnt mean to stirr up a hornets nest...there seems to be a lot of confussion on this...as far as I am concerned all i was wanting was what the requirement was...I do know there is a paper floating around up here put out by BoatUS i think explaining this fee/reg thing and if can get ahold of it i will see what it says...as for bording by LE/CG/FW or even Homeland Security i dont have a problem with. Hey I spend 2 1/2 years in then Hanio Hilton u have no clue what hassel is....