Marine advisory board recommends water‑taxi code change to City Commission

The Fort Lauderdale Marine Advisory Board voted to recommend that the City Commission consider an amendment to Section 8‑146.1 of the city code that would add the city manager (or designee) as an authorized official to approve certain water‑taxi actions and explicitly allow water‑taxi stops on public rights of way.

The change, presented by Ben Rogers of the city administration, is intended to create redundancy in who may approve water‑taxi actions when the code‑listed supervisor position is vacant and to clarify landing authorization in rights‑of‑way and other city property. Rogers said the amendment is “really more of a technical, ordinance change, not a whole lot behind it” and that staff will take the board’s recommendation to the City Commission.

Why it matters: the board said the amendment would reduce administrative holdups when a named supervisor position is vacant and would consolidate several different historical landing scenarios into one code provision. Members also discussed whether a future code change should add a code of conduct or a revocation/suspension process for operators, and whether the city should consider more formal landings for other commercial operations.

City staff and board discussion: Rogers described how the current code ties certain authorizations to a supervisor position that was vacant when staff reviewed the water‑taxi agreements. “We need to make an ordinance modification to add manager to it as well,” Rogers said, explaining the redundancy purpose. Board legal counsel Bob Dunkel reminded the board to announce conflicts and record them before the vote: “You will need to take a vote. With regard to that, we've got 2 members that have conflicts of interest. Before you go to the vote, they should announce what the nature of the conflict is and then file a memorandum.”

Vote and recusals: The board voted to recommend the draft ordinance to the City Commission. The motion was made by Board Member Kevin Swindell and seconded by Board Member Bob Franks. Two members abstained because of conflicts: Bill Walker (owner, Water Taxi) and Robert Price (Water Taxi vessel operator) announced recusals and did not participate in the final yes/no tally. The board recorded nine yes votes and two abstentions; the motion passed and the item will be forwarded to the City Commission for formal consideration.

What happens next: The City Commission will receive the draft ordinance and staff recommendation; any further changes or additions (for example, a code of conduct or suspension/revocation language) could be proposed at the commission level or in a later code amendment.

Meeting context: Board members discussed enforcement and parity between water taxi landings and other commercial or party‑boat operations, and flagged future work for a soon‑to‑be‑named chief waterways officer to take on operational oversight.