Did you know there are around 117 marinas and boatyards in Monroe County? Of those, 28 are certified Clean Marinas.
The most recent designations are Happy Landings Marina, Safe Harbor Marathon and Marlin Bay Resort and Marina. Congratulations to these three new Clean Marinas.
Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) runs the Clean Marina program, a voluntary initiative aimed at helping marinas, boatyards and marine retailers adopt environmental best management practices that go beyond regulatory compliance. The Clean Boating Partnership is a public-private collaboration led by FDEP along with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Florida Sea Grant.
Florida Sea Grant collaborates statewide within the Clean Boating and Clean
Marina framework via education, outreach, technical assistance and coordination. The key elements of the Clean Marine Program are to teach marinas and boatyards about practices to protect sensitive habitats, reduce pollution from waste and hazardous materials, manage stormwater, prevent spills and establish emergency preparedness procedures.
To be designated a Clean Marina, a facility must meet all the legal requirements (permits, local/state laws) and implement at least 60% of the voluntary best practices. Certified marinas receive a flag and certificate to display, listing on the FDEP website, and there may be financial incentives available, like reduced insurance fees. For those with state submerged land leases, there’s a 10% discount on lease fees.
Florida Sea Grant employs clean-boating coordinators who actively engage with marinas, boaters and FDEP. They perform site visits and assessments of marina operations, identify opportunities to adopt best practices and advise staff in preparation for Clean Marina certification site visits. The clean-boating coordinator positions and Clean Vessel Act education coordinator are funded through the FDEP through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Staff at Monroe County Extension can help get you started toward Clean Marina certification. If a facility is interested in being certified, we will work with them during the process and provide guidance. Any marinas or boatyards that are interested in the Clean Marina program can contact Octavio Franco at Octavio.Franco@ufl.edu or email clean.marina.program@dep.state.fl.us.
More information, visit the FDEP Clean Marina webpage by scanning the QR code.
“The Clean Marina program encourages marine facilities to protect Florida’s waterways through best practices and proper waste handling,” said Franco. “In my role, I leverage my skills in collaboration and problem solving through site visits and workshops to give boating facility staff the knowledge, tools and resources to implement (best practices) and obtain a Clean Marina certification for their facility.”
An important criterion of the Clean Marina program is to have a functional sewage waste disposal resource, such as a pumpout, mobile pumpout vessel, or port-a-potty dump station. Florida DEP’s Clean Vessel Act program offers grants to facilities for the installation, operation and maintenance of pumpouts and dump stations. The grants will cover up to 75% of all eligible expenses.
Once installed, the equipment must be open to the public, listed on the free “Pumpout Nav” app, and facilities can only charge up to $5 per pumpout. The Pumpout Nav app helps boaters find functional and publicly available pumpout locations. Florida Sea Grant’s clean-boating coordinators and Clean Vessel Act education coordinator are available to help with grant applications. More information is at DEP’s CVA webpage at floridadep.gov/rcp/cva. The Monroe County Extension Service is always here to help you get started and is available via email to monroe@ifas.ufl.edu.
