FORT LAUDERDALE — For marine industry aficionados, Cannes was festive and Monaco was super. But now, it’s Fort Lauderdale’s turn to be center stage as host to the world’s biggest in-water boat show.
From a windswept roof atop the city’s Las Olas parking garage along the Intracoastal Waterway, city and Broward County politicians and promoters ushered in the five-day 64th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show on Wednesday with a mutual sense that the city’s burgeoning marine industry will be delivering another round of good fortune.
“We’re going to put 100,000 people through the gates,” said Phil Purcell, president and CEO of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, the show’s owner. “I don’t know if we’re going to do $1.8 billion of economic impact to the state but I think darn close. If you go back to (2019) we did a little over $900 million in direct sales. So we’ve got a lot to look forward to over the next five days.”
Traffic clogged the streets on the barrier island between Las Olas Boulevard and the 17th Street Causeway bridge. But it didn’t matter to local business owners as shops and restaurants filled up, sidewalks were packed with visitors, and boat show workers and visitors headed for seven venues on both sides of the Intracoastal from the Las Olas Marina to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Bahia Mar Yacht Center and Pier Sixty-Six on the east bank, to the Broward County Convention Center and 17th Street Yacht Basin on the waterway’s west bank.
“The economic impact, as Phil said, over $1.8 billion … it’s going to be another game changer for the city,” said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who hosted a ceremony to formally open the show.
Collaborative effort
Trantalis, who has been locked in a dispute with county leaders over his preference for a tunnel, and not a bridge, to be built over the city’s New River to accommodate growing rail traffic, invited County Mayor Lamar Fisher to cut the ceremonial blue ribbon.
“The marine industry is the life blood of Fort Lauderdale,” said Trantalis, who credited the county as a key contributor to the industry’s sustained growth. “It helps drive the economy and continues to thrive year after year as the marine industry as well as the City of Fort Lauderdale and the county continue to reinvest in this industry.”
“It sounds like a cherry on top of the sundae,” Stacy Ritter, CEO and president of Visit Lauderdale, the county’s tourism promotion agency, said of the boat show. “We’re doing well economically, knock on wood. Broward County, especially as it relates to tourism, has really blown the doors off. Last year was a record.
“But when you have the boat show, it’s not just the tourist development tax collection. It’s the sales tax collection. It’s the jobs,” she said. “It’s the restaurants that are full and they keep their people employed. That’s really the lingering effect of the boat show. It’s the start of the season for us and will just continue for us until it gets a little slower later in 2024. It’s an amazing economic bump.”
As the public officials spoke ahead of the show’s noontime opening, brokers, vendors and bankers were already patrolling the show’s venues meeting with clients, engaging in seminars, and putting the finishing touches on their exhibits for the five-day show, which runs through Sunday.
“The industry is still pretty robust from our standpoint,” said Lisa Verbit, a director and national sales executive for the global wealth and investment marine division of Bank of America. “There are still people out there who want to buy yachts.”
Based in Fort Lauderdale, Verbit and a colleague tour shows worldwide to meet with high-end clients and help them obtain financing for their next yacht purchase.
“We are going to have another historical best year in our portfolio,” she said. “We offer anything from purchase money loans for new and pre-owned yachts to construction financing”
The largest yacht loan she and her partner have done was about $260 to $270 million. Back in 1989, when she started in the yacht finance business, typical loans ranged up to $150,000.
“Fort Lauderdale attracts clients from all over the U.S. and even the world,” Verbit said. “Monaco is another big one. The Palm Beach show is very popular. Those are the three shows we focus on.”
Other industry figures agreed that they expect another strong demonstration of of interest among would-be buyers who continue to view boating as a leading form of recreation that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Some are seeing a demographic shift toward younger buyers entering the yachting market.
40th year for towing firm
While the public’s focus will be on new vessels and toys associated with marine recreation, the company that most boaters prefer not to call is marking its 40th year rescuing stranded mariners whose craft have run out of gas or broken down.
Founded in 1983, New York-based Sea Tow is at the show to remind stranded boaters that help is within reach through a service that mirrors roadside auto services such as AAA.
“No one ever plans or wants to be towed on the water,” said CEO Kristen Frohnhoefer, whose father founded the firm in Long Island, N.Y. “Nobody wants to hear from us.”
“We’re there to provide the peace of mind to people,” she said. “For the unexpected that happens, you will have a local captain to respond to provide assistance and get you on your way and back home safely.”
The firm, which has a national reach, has franchised operators who run tow vessels out of multiple ports around South Florida, where 30 tow boats ply local waters. Up to 450 vessels operate nationally.
Most Sea Tow members operate vessels that are up to 35 feet long. The No 1. problem: Breakdowns that occur due to lack of maintenance, Frohnhoefer said. People who run out of gas or need a battery jump are next on the list. And newer boaters unfamiliar with local tides and shorelines are prime candidates to be rescued from unexpected groundings.
The show’s seven venues
- Broward County Convention Center (1950 Eisenhower Blvd.)
- Bahia Mar Yachting Center (801 Seabreeze Blvd.)
- Las Olas Marina (240 E. Las Olas Circle)
- International Hall of Fame Marina (435 Seabreeze Blvd.)
- Super Yacht Village at Pier 66 South (2150 SE 17th St.)
- Pier 66 Marina (2301 SE 17th St.)
- 17th Street Yacht Basin (1881 SE 17th St.)
If you go
- Tickets: Must be purchased in advance online. Visit flibs.com. (There are no onsite box office sales.)
- Parking: The Broward County Convention Center is the biggest venue with 3,000 spaces. For other parking options, visit: flibs.com/en/attend/parking.html.
- Brightline: Visitors from Miami, Aventura, Boca Raton or West Palm Beach can take the higher speed rail service to the train line’s downtown Fort Lauderdale station. Passengers will have access to a complimentary shuttle to the show.
- Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi: The service connects visitors to all show sites from numerous locations. The service will begin to operate an hour before the show opens and will discontinue an hour after the show closes. Daily tickets ($15) as well as 5-day passes ($65) are available and must be pre-purchased online by visiting watertaxi.com/flibs/.
- Free Shuttle Service: The complimentary shuttles will begin to operate one hour before the show opens and will wrap service one hour after the show closes.
