05 Nov Superyacht Marinas and Refit Yards in South Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach

Superyacht Marinas and Refit Yards in South Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach

Fort Lauderdale is home to most of the superyacht marinas and refit yards in this guide, with deep-water marinas such as Pier Sixty-Six and Las Olas Marina and refit yards along the New River and in Dania Beach, while Miami and Palm Beach add berths for even larger yachts at Island Gardens and Rybovich. This guide covers the main marinas and yards, what each says it can handle, the Florida tax rules for visiting and repairing yachts, hurricane season, and the questions to ask before you book a berth or a refit, as of November 5, 2026.

Facts come from the marinas and yards themselves, the Florida Department of Revenue, Florida law and established trade press, as dated in the Sources box. Published sizes often differ between sources, so we attribute each figure. This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice.

At a Glance

Why Superyachts Winter in South Florida

BOAT International recommends southern Florida and the Keys from December to March, notes that “Hurricane season runs from June to the end of November,” and puts the Bahamas about 75 nautical miles east of the coast. That makes South Florida a natural winter base before the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and the place where many yachts are serviced between seasons. The season traditionally starts with the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which ran October 28 to November 1, 2026; the show’s site says it “returns October 27-31, 2027.”

The industry behind it is large. The Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) puts the marine industry’s economic impact at $18.5 billion across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and $9.9 billion in Broward County alone; Boating Industry reported in March 2023 that the $18.5 billion figure is for 2022, and we found no newer study. In October 2026, the boat show announced RefitX, a new conference and exhibition “dedicated to the yacht refit industry,” to debut on October 27–28, 2027.

Fort Lauderdale’s Superyacht Marinas

Pier Sixty-Six Marina

Pier Sixty-Six, at 2301 SE 17th Street, takes yachts up to 400 feet, Trade Only Today reported after its 2018 expansion, when it counted 157 slips; Forbes Travel Guide now lists 164 slips. The resort reopened in 2025 after a redevelopment, Local 10 reported in July 2025, and Pier Sixty-Six is the boat show’s superyacht venue.

Las Olas Marina

Las Olas Marina, on the beach, was rebuilt and is run by Suntex Marinas under a 50-year partnership with the City of Fort Lauderdale, Marina Dockage reported in October 2024. It reported 70 slips for yachts from 65 to 315 feet; the Miami Herald covered the ribbon cutting on October 29, 2024. Suntex’s own page lists a smaller figure, so ask the marina for current limits.

Bahia Mar and Hall of Fame Marina

Bahia Mar Yachting Center, a boat-show venue, has about 250 slips (Florida YIMBY, October 2026; the Sun Sentinel has reported 245). The land around it is planned for The St. Regis Residences, Bahia Mar, and the developers now expect construction to start in 2027 and finish in 2030, Florida YIMBY reported; earlier forecasts have slipped. Next door, Hall of Fame Marina, another show venue, is listed by Waterway Guide at 43 slips for vessels up to 175 feet.

City docks and Lauderdale Marina

The City of Fort Lauderdale’s most recent published transient rates for its New River and downtown docks (October 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026) were $4.20 a foot per day for a 100- to 109-foot yacht and $4.70 for 130 feet and up, plus 7% sales tax; ask the city for current rates. Those are municipal docks, not superyacht marina rates; private marinas do not publish nightly prices, so ask for a written quote. Lauderdale Marina, on SE 15th Street, says it was established in 1948 and takes yachts up to 165 feet.

Miami’s Deep-Water Berths

Miami’s Island Gardens publishes the deepest draft of the marinas in this guide. Yacht Haven Grande Miami at Island Gardens lists 50 berths, a maximum vessel length of 550 feet (167 meters) and a maximum draft of 27 feet (8.2 meters). It is operated by IGY Marinas.

Across the bay, Miami Beach Marina, at 300 Alton Road, describes “our 400 boat slips” and dock space for vessels up to 250 feet.

Palm Beach: Rybovich, the Town Marina and Old Port Cove

Safe Harbor Rybovich, at 4200 North Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach, is a superyacht marina and refit yard. Safe Harbor’s page lists slips from 80 to 450 feet, a 25-foot maximum draft and a lift with a 660-ton maximum weight, though the same page also describes berths “for yachts up to 100 meters,” so confirm your size. A plan to expand the yard in Riviera Beach was rejected in 2023; a “significantly reduced project” was approved in February 2025, and Safe Harbor expected the work to take about a year, Stet News reported; we could not confirm whether it is finished.

On the island, the Town of Palm Beach Marina reopened in November 2021 after a $40 million renovation, with 84 slips for vessels up to 294 feet, Marina Dockage reported. To the north, Safe Harbor Old Port Cove in North Palm Beach lists slips from 30 to 200 feet and a 12-foot maximum draft.

The Refit and Repair Yards

• Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center, 2029 SW 20th Street on the New River, calls itself “the largest yacht repair facility in the country.” It lists a 485-ton lift and hurricane haul-out for yachts up to 164 feet long and 35 feet of beam. The Real Deal reported that Safe Harbor paid $340 million for it in 2021, and Safe Harbor itself was bought by Blackstone Infrastructure in April 2025.
• Bradford Marine, on State Road 84, took over the neighboring Roscioli Yachting Center in 2023 and now handles yachts up to about 164 feet on a 38-acre campus, Megayacht News reported in October 2024.
• Derecktor Florida, 775 Taylor Lane in Dania Beach, lists “900 ton & 200 ton Cimolai® mobile boat hoists” and a maximum vessel length of 220 feet (67 meters).
• RMK Merrill-Stevens, on the Miami River, says its North Yard shiplift has a “2,700LT lifting capacity” and takes vessels up to 73 meters (240 feet).
• Merritt’s Boat & Engine Works in Pompano Beach, “established in 1948 and building boats since 1955,” runs a full-service boatyard, and Cable Marine, in business “since 1977,” has yards on SE 16th Street and State Road 84 in Fort Lauderdale.

Hurricane Season and Your Insurer

Hurricane season runs from June through November. A May 2026 article by Prestige Insurance Group, a Florida agency, explains that a yacht policy’s named windstorm deductible is “separate and substantially higher than the standard deductible,” and that policies may “restrict where the vessel may be during hurricane season, or require it to be hauled, relocated, or secured.” Before you sign a summer berth or a refit contract, ask your broker what your policy requires and whether the yard’s hurricane plan meets it.

Florida Tax Rules for Visiting and Repairing Yachts

Florida’s rules can make a big difference to a refit budget. According to section 212.05 of the Florida Statutes and the Florida Department of Revenue’s boat tax guide:

• The sales or use tax on each sale or use of a boat “may not exceed $18,000,” and the tax on each repair “may not exceed $60,000.”
• A boat that is not taxed in Florida may stay up to 20 days in a calendar year, counted from first dockage at a registered facility, under Rule 12A-1.0071. The Department says “The 20-day period stops while the boat is being repaired or modified” at a registered repair facility, but “Storage of a boat at a registered repair facility does not qualify for tolling.”
• A nonresident who buys a boat of 5 net tons or more in Florida can avoid Florida tax if the boat leaves within 90 days and other conditions are met; a $425 decal can extend that to a total of 180 days.
• The Department says foreign-flagged yachts with a valid U.S. Customs cruising license “are not subject to Florida use tax.” Cruising licenses are issued for up to one year and only to yachts flagged in listed countries; Malta was added in 2026, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection final rule published in the Federal Register in October 2026.

These rules have conditions and paperwork; have a Florida tax adviser review your plan before the yacht arrives.

Questions to Ask a Marina or Refit Yard

1. What are your maximum length, beam and draft at the berth and on the approach, in writing, for my yacht?
2. Are you registered with the Department of Revenue as a dockage or repair facility, and will you document repair dates in writing?
3. What are your haul-out limits in tons, length and beam, and can you lift my yacht at its loaded weight?
4. Do you offer hurricane haul-out or hurricane berths, and will that satisfy my insurer?
5. Can my crew and outside contractors work aboard, and what are the add-on fees?
6. How will the repair invoice be taxed, and how do you define a single repair for the $60,000 cap?
7. Is the marina affected by a redevelopment, lease change or sale?
8. How far are you from the inlet, and what bridges or channel depths are on the way?

The Bottom Line

For the biggest yachts, Miami’s Island Gardens and Palm Beach’s Rybovich publish the largest limits, while Fort Lauderdale offers the deepest bench of yards and the boat show on its doorstep. Published sizes vary from source to source, so get written limits for your yacht, line up a hurricane plan your insurer accepts, and plan refits around Florida’s 20-day and repair rules with a tax adviser.

More From Everything Luxury

• Yachts at Everything Luxury
• Top Yacht Builders in South Florida
• Top Yacht Brokerages in South Florida
• How to Buy a Superyacht
• Miami and Palm Beach Boat Show Guide

Last updated November 5, 2026. Facts come from the sources listed above, checked on that date, and may change. Not legal, financial, tax or investment advice. Full disclaimer