Are marinas in Florida ‘essential’ in a pandemic? There is some confusion about that

The list of “essential” services allowed to operate in Florida during the coronavirus pandemic is lengthy, but marinas are not on the list.

And yet many continue to operate to allow boat owners access to their vessels and provide services to their liveaboard communities.

A lack of clarity from the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t helping. His office did not return a request from the Bradenton Herald for clarification.

Public boat ramps in Manatee County have been closed to private recreational use, but many private marinas remain open.

When in doubt, the authority falls back to how the marina operates and that can get complicated, according to Melody Kilborn, regional communications director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s southwest office.

Kilborn said depending on the marina, “it’s a mix of agencies” between the FWC, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and local jurisdictions. Kilborn said FWC would not necessarily be the authority over everyday operations.

The Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton is owned by the city but privately operated. Twin Dolphin officials did not return a call for comment.

City officials said they would follow any directive handed down by the state and would order the marina closed if that guidance was provided, but it has not been.

The Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto, which came under new management in late 2018 when Safe Harbor Marinas purchased the leasing rights, also declined to return calls.

A Sarasota marina owner, who asked not to be identified, closed his marina because marinas were not listed on the state’s essential list. He said he, too, would like clarification and get his marina reopened if other marinas are still being allowed to operate.

Nick Azzara, Manatee County information outreach manager, said as far as the county is concerned, marinas fall into the same “recreational” category as golf courses, which are allowed to operate as long as they follow social distancing guidelines.

Azzara said marinas “are privately owned properties where management companies are expected to put in place their own restrictions to limit gatherings.”

John DeLeon, manager of the Bradenton Beach Marina, said he is doing just that.

“We shut down our tour businesses and are not allowing jet ski rentals,” DeLeon said.

DeLeon noted that far fewer people are taking their boats out but those who want to, still can.

“We are just telling them, they can’t have more than 10 people on the boat,” he said.

FWC has implemented social distancing requirements while on the water, requiring boats to be at least 50 feet apart from one another to avoid problem areas like near Beer Can Island where boaters anchor have congregated in large groups.

Kilborn said there are still ways available for the public to get on the water. The FWC hosts a boat ramp and marina locator on its website. Navigate to the icons near you and when you click on the icon, it will display whether it remains open to the public and what kind of launch it offers.

Some of the privately owned launches and marinas allow use by the general public.

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 1:18 PM.