Parks staff outline marina operations, oyster study and floating docks in Fort Lauderdale update

Andrew Cuba, manager of marine facilities, briefed the board on marina operations, safety programs and recent initiatives.

Cuba said the City operates two large marinas and several boat ramps. He described the Downtown New River docks as roughly 120 slips (state definition), Cooley’s Landing as about 32 slips, and a mooring field of about 10 mooring holes. The city also operates four boat-ramp sites at several locations. Cuba said marinas generally price below private-sector rates to maintain occupancy and that occupancy averages roughly 75–85% in slower seasons and approaches 100% in winter.

Cuba highlighted safety and environmental programs: the city participates in a state 'clean marina' program with on‑site spill containment and pump‑out services, and staff are involved in an oyster‑habitat study to assess water-quality benefits. He also noted 600 feet of floating dockage downtown are in place with an additional roughly 120 feet planned for the Performing Arts Center area; floating docks are intended for transient public use and are not a substitute for overnight berthing.

During Q&A, staff said a nearby rebuilt marina is run under a public‑private partnership, floating docks downtown are open to the public and free for transient use (overnight stays discouraged), and the largest permitted boat under the submerged‑land lease in one area is limited to about 45 feet. Staff also described dock waivers (standard code: 25 feet or 25% of the channel width, whichever is less) and the process for applicants seeking waivers.

Next steps: staff said they continue to explore funding for Cooley’s Landing dock renovations and to coordinate buoy placement and harbor safety matters with public‑works partners.