Where to Live Aboard in Miami ?

[Ita]

My draft is 4'6" and I have no problems, as long as I don't go close to the bridge at low tide , my deep sounder is fried so I don't know about the access, if you want we can go on my dinghy with line and lead...
there's one deep slip available, the marina is located at SE 8Th st, behind the 4 Ambassadors building, on the south side of Brickell Key bridge.
If you need more information contact me at marchwf(at)hotmail dotcom

[Sailing320]

I would check out Grove Isle Marina. I believe they have some slips to rent.

[katkandu]

Originally Posted by Sailing320

I would check out Grove Isle Marina. I believe they have some slips to rent.

where is Grove Isle Marina? Do the y have a web site etc

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by osirissail

................ Florida makes most of its money off "snow birds" or transients so is quite adept at facilitating your needs - for a price..........................

As I noticed that this statement was quoted from this source in a later post by Hellosailor, I thought it should be noted that the great majority of the Florida Department of Revenue funds are gained from sales and use taxes that are not collected differentially from tourist and residents. Certainly, Florida gains much by tourism, but state residents continue to far outnumber tourists and state residents pay a far greater amount of the taxes funding the state. 'just to steer us toward the truth.

[Sailing320]

Originally Posted by katkandu

where is Grove Isle Marina? Do the y have a web site etc

www.groveisle.com. If you call the hotel ask for the dock master. If you google earth the address you will see the marina. The slips are privately owned and their are always some for rent.

[hellosailor]

Aythya-
"funds are gained from sales and use taxes that are not collected differentially from tourist and residents."
Not a complete picture. Suppose you own property, and as a result pay property taxes. Well that's fair, you use police and fire and school services. Except, if you're a Florida resident you can file for a homestead exemption, and even though you are using all those services 24x7x365, you pay lots less than someone who just comes down for a few months, and doesn't consume the same services.
See now? The snowbirds can't vote, so they can't have a say in the matter. The residents do indeed give themselves a discount on property taxes.
And then of course, like most toursit destinations, there are whopping huge taxes added to car rentals, hotel bills, and all sorts of other things.
Sales tax is only one part of the larger picture.

And Florida is also well known for their choice of no state income tax, at the expense of low state services. Poor public transit systems. And last year, they were amazed to find that after putting up guardrails between the turnpike and the drainage canals that parallel most of it, the drowning rate from highway accidents went down. Imagine that...you take tax money, use it for a safety program, and fewer people die.

Hey, low taxes and low public services is a perfectly valid choice. As as dimpled chads, which BOTH parties in Florida were perfectly aware of and in complete acceptance of, until a certain election. Them damned Yankees, flocking down and trying to create a middle class, they just ruin eveyrthing for the po folk (by driving prices up for real estate and housing and raising taxes when they demand services) and the rich folk alike, because the super-rich certainly don't want to pay more money for the po folk, or waste it on taxes for, haha, the hoi poloi seeking things like public transporation. The po folk can walk, the rich folk have chauffers, those damn troublemakers in the middle class...they just ruin it for everyone.

I think "no taxes, no services" is a perfectly valid choice. And if the middle class would only stop complaining and sending politicians and cops off to criminal court...It's that damned middle class again, making trouble for everyone.

[osirissail]

I have been living and residing in Florida off and on for 69 years except for some periods of time living elsewhere in the world and on the boat cruising the world - my mother is a "Florida Cracker."

- - So the tax load on "residents" is quite low, which I certain like - but the tax load on "tourists" (which can include a lot of "snow-birds") is really high. There are more than 13 specific "tourist" taxes listed by the State Department of Revenue. And most are from 1/2% or 1% on up to 5% each - cumulative. Where you find these taxes is mostly on top of Hotel/resort/ and short term rental bills.
- - I have friends who work the hotels, etc. and the taxes are typically as much as 25% of the bill. And if you try to rent a little apartment or house for "short term" these taxes apply, if you rent for "long term" they do not.
- - I am actually in favor of the system from pretty much a selfish viewpoint as getting "foreigners" (anybody who is not a Florida resident) to finance the State seems a good idea to me.
- - You just have to be careful as a visiting cruiser to watch out for the "short term/long term" classifications if you temporarily move ashore while working on your boat.

[oceansong1]

Originally Posted by Jon D

Florida has no state income tax and no other state based taxes. You will have to pay sales tax on stuff you buy, register the boat there [cause you are there longer than 90 days, register you cars maybe, but no big dollars unless you never paid any sales tax on your boat when you bought it. When we 'moved' to FL changing the boat registration [yes we are documented] was a few hundred dollars as we could prove paid the sales tax in MD back when we bought the boat. All in all no big deal. And the benefit of being a FL resident if you decide that's the way to go is no state income tax

Hello Jon, what is acceptable proof that you paid sales tax in your state if you're not a Fla resident, do you know?