Currently, marinas, boat ramps, etc. are taxed at "highest and best use" rates.  That means that your mom and pop marinas get taxed as if they were luxury condos.  Of course this causes them to increase rates or sell to a developer.  Many of these marinas are converted to dockominiums where the slip is for sale rather than leased.

From BoatUS...A "Yes" vote on Amendment 6 will bring down the property taxes on the following marine working waterfronts to reflect the property's current use:

Marinas and docks open to the public for water access and recreational uses;
Public vessel launches into navigable inland and coastal waterways;
Commercial fishing facilities;
Water-dependent marine manufacturing facilities;
Marine vessel construction and repair facilities.

Amendment 6 Assessment Of Working Waterfront Property Based Upon Current Use

Provides for assessment based upon use of land used predominantly for commercial fishing purposes; land used for vessel launches into waters that are navigable and accessible to the public; marinas and drystacks that are open to the public; and water-dependent marine manufacturing facilities, commercial fishing facilities, and marine vessel construction and repair facilities and their support activities, subject to conditions, limitations, and reasonable definitions specified by general law.

BoatUS supports this amendment and so will I on the upcoming vote.

As a marina engineer I see this happening all the time.  I did a presentation on mooring fields in Florida as an effort to increase public access.  In my research I found a startling statistic: Pinellas County alone has lost approximately 1,300 of its 5,600 public slips in the last 10 years while increasing boat registrations by over 10,000.  This is primarily due to marinas being bought out and converted to dockominiums.  Hour long waits at public boat ramps (especially the good ones) are not uncommon.

Forget about the waiting at the ramps, it's the dummies who do their pre/post launch ON THE RAMP instead of away from it that cause the problems.

I've had several very tense situations at the ramps I've used over the years.

Bored?  Low on $$?  Just go to your local boat ramp and watch the follies unfold!

I'm in...

Quoted: Forget about the waiting at the ramps, it's the dummies who do their pre/post launch ON THE RAMP instead of away from it that cause the problems.

Don't even get me started on that one.  I've seen several fist fights at the overcrowded ramps around here over shit like that. I've been in two of them.

I vote yes on it even though I am halfheartedly trying to sell my boat.  

Palm Beach county flagrantly increased marina values, driving a lot of them out of business...........so more fucking condos get built.  This has to be a yes vote.

OOPS, I forgot to put the plug in! I once saw a couple calling, mayday, mayday,mayday, to the coast guard, as their boat sank at the ramp because they forgot to put the plug in!

Quoted: Quoted: Forget about the waiting at the ramps, it's the dummies who do their pre/post launch ON THE RAMP instead of away from it that cause the problems. Don't even get me started on that one.  I've seen several fist fights at the overcrowded ramps around here over shit like that. I've been in two of them.

Luckily mine haven't resulted in physical violence (yet), but I tend to go when it's not as crowded.

It just boggles my mind that people don't have the forethought, or the intelligence for that matter, to do their shit BEFORE they are on the ramp.

Especially the guys that don't even bother to crank their engine(s) over and decide to do maintenance ON THE RAMP.

I've told more than one moron to pull their shit and work on it in the parking lot.

Do's and Don'ts