florida council of yacht club members

Florida Yacht Club

Phone: 904-387-1653

Email: [email protected]

Address: 5210 Yacht Club Road Jacksonville, Florida 32210

Website: https://www.thefloridayachtclub.org/

Rich in history and aquatic heritage, the Florida Yacht Club offers exceptional family experiences and outstanding service, making it Jacksonville’s premier destination for social enjoyment since 1876.

FYC is a private club for Members only. Located on the banks of the St. Johns River, its amenities include a newly-renovated Clubhouse serving world-class cuisine, two marinas, a modern Fitness Center featuring a riverfront swimming pool, ten tennis courts, a regulation croquet lawn and a dedicated Fleet & Sailing Center promoting enjoyment on the water.

Our Club Members

Bird Key Yacht Club

Bradenton Yacht Club

Captiva Island Yacht Club

Carlouel Beach & Yacht Club

Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club

Clearwater Yacht Club

Coral Reef Yacht Club

Coral Ridge Yacht Club

Davis Island Yacht Club

Eau Gallie Yacht Club

Fort Walton Yacht Club

Halifax River Yacht Club

Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club

Isles Yacht Club

Key Biscayne Yacht Club

Lake Beresford

Lauderdale Yacht Club

Marathon Yacht Club

Marco Island Yacht Club

Naples Sailing & Yacht Club

Naples Yacht Club

Oyster Bay Yacht Club

Pelican Isle Yacht Club

Pensacola Yacht Club

Sarasota Yacht Club

Smyrna Yacht Club

St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club

St. Charles Yacht Club

St. Petersburg Yacht Club

Tampa Yacht & Country Club

Tarpon Springs Yacht Club

The Field Club

The Moorings Yacht & Country Club

Venice Yacht Club

Vero Beach Yacht Club

The FCYC Burgee The Bradenton Yacht Club is one of the original 13 members of the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs (FCYC). The current membership of FCYC is 36. They are located along the Florida coastline from Pensacola to Jacksonville.  All FCYC clubs are member owned.

http://www.floridacouncilofyachtclubs.com The primary FCYC benefit to BYC members is reciprocity. This is the practice of allowing discretionary use of a Council member club’s facilities by a member in good standing of another member club.  In practice, BYC members can use the facilities of the 36 member clubs for dockage and dining.  FCYC reciprocating members can charge expenses at the clubs they visit to their home club.

Other FCYC Benefits

FCYC also serves as the governmental liaison between the yacht club community and various branches and departments of the state and federal governments and legislature. Cruising Awards FCYC also gives awards to outstanding cruising sailors who verify visits to member clubs. See FCYC website for forms and details  To view the Presentation put out by the FCYC about the member clubs, click FCYC PRESENTATION

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Reciprocity

The florida council of yacht clubs.

The Florida Yacht Club is a Member of The Florida Council of Yacht Clubs giving you Multiple Club Privleges with First Class Experiences. As a Member of FYC, you receive privleges at all Council Clubs without having to pay multiple club dues. Enjoy social and dining experiences at a collection of 36 private clubs throughout the State of Florida, offering excellent marina facilities as well as casual and fine dining options. Each Council Club offers the caliber of service you would expect along with the amenities and family events that make visiting a pleasure.

Council Clubs

Reciprocity

Local country clubs.

Members of the Bird Key Yacht Club can indulge in the best of both worlds with the ultimate land and sea lifestyle. Members enjoy golf privileges at two prestigious Sarasota country clubs: Laurel Oak Country Club and historic Sara Bay Country Club. With a challenging 18-hole course designed by Donald Ross in 1925, Sara Bay offers an unforgettable golfing experience, while Laurel Oak boasts two of the most challenging courses in Sarasota, designed by golf legends Gary Player and Rees Jones.

Yachting Club of America

Bird Key Yacht Club offers its members exclusive privileges at yacht clubs across the United States as a proud member of the Yachting Club of America. Our members experience the best of what other YCA clubs have to offer, from exciting destinations to top-rated amenities and services, by taking membership with them across the nation.

At Bird Key Yacht Club, our commitment to providing exceptional experiences both on and off the water includes enhancing the benefits for our membership through our YCA affiliation. Discover the benefits of our Yachting Club of America reciprocity program by visiting Bird Key Yacht Club today!

The Florida Council Of Yacht Clubs

The Bird Key Yacht Club is a distinguished founding member of the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs. Our affiliation with FCYC offers our members access to reciprocal benefits at clubs throughout the state of Florida, providing limitless opportunities to explore new destinations and experience exciting adventures.

Our members enjoy the perks of complimentary first night's dockage and access to club activities at FCYC Clubs, with charges conveniently billed through their home Club, Bird Key Yacht Club.

We hold our relationship with the FCYC in high regard, and take pride in preserving its rich history and tradition. As you enter our Club, take a moment to appreciate the beautiful display of burgees from our esteemed fellow FCYC Clubs in the stunning atrium.

Bradenton Yacht Club

Captiva Island Yacht Club

Carlouel Beach & Yacht Club

Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club

Clearwater Yacht Club

Coral Reef Yacht Club

Coral Ridge Yacht Club

Davis Island Yacht Club

Eau Gallie Yacht Club

Florida Yacht Club

Fort Walton Yacht Club

Halifax River Yacht Club

Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club

Isles Yacht Club

Key Biscayne Yacht Club

Lake Beresford Yacht Club

Lauderdale Yacht Club

Marathon Yacht Club

Marco Island Yacht Club

Naples Sailing & Yacht Club

Naples Yacht Club

Oyster Bay Yacht Club

Pelican Isle Yacht Club

Pensacola Yacht Club

Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club

Sarasota Yacht Club

Smyrna Yacht Club

St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club

St. Charles Yacht Club

St. Petersburg Yacht Club

Tampa Yacht & Country Club

Tarpon Springs Yacht Club

The Field Club

The Moorings Yacht & Country Club

Venice Yacht Club

Vero Beach Yacht Club

FCYC & Reciprocals

Florida council of yacht clubs.

• Local Reciprocals

Membership in the Venice Yacht Club gives you full privileges at all the other 36 fellow member clubs in the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs ( FCYC ). In addition, many other clubs in the area offer reciprocal programs for Venice Yacht Club members. Some are annual, and others are summer only (will post here when available). This page will be updated as the information changes, so check back often.

Click here to view the list of member clubs over at the FCYC website.

Summer Reciprocals

Full Membership in the Venice Yacht Club gives you dining, golf, and fitness privileges at some of the most esteemed clubs in Sarasota County.  

2023 VYC Summer Reciprocals May 1 st – October 31 st  

Billionaire fights to dock his boat on water behind his house. His 164-foot boat, that is.

The love of the water, and a mega-yacht to enjoy it, is putting one resident at odds with village of north palm beach leaders..

For some people, the ultimate Florida lifestyle is a waterfront house , a private dock and a boat parked next to it. But what if that boat is a mega-yacht , and the mega-yacht stretches 164 feet?

That's the conundrum facing the Village of North Palm Beach.

This tiny community in northern Palm Beach County, with only 13,000 full-time residents, has an identity so tied to the water that a ship's steering wheel is the village's emblem.

But it's that love of the water that is putting one resident at odds with village leaders.

For the past several years, homeowner Michael Bozutto has been battling the village for the right to park his 164-foot Westport, dubbed Honey, behind a home he owns at 932 Shore Drive.

The house, built in 1961, is a one-story, ranch-style property with three bedrooms on a half-acre lot. Bozzuto paid $840,247 for the house in 2014, according to Palm Beach County property records.

Lawsuit rooted in dispute over where to dock mega-yacht

What makes this plain house special is its location. It's on a rare corner bordered on the north and east by navigable waters that provide access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Lake Worth Inlet. The east-facing dock is large enough to accommodate Bozzuto's motor yacht.

Since Bozutto bought Honey for an undisclosed sum a decade ago, he mostly has parked it at the Old Port Cove Marina, near Tiger Woods' 155-foot showy mega-yacht, ironically dubbed Privacy.

More recently, Bozzuto has wanted to park Honey alongside his Shore Drive house, one of four houses he owns in the village. While Bozzuto keeps some personal property at the Shore Drive house, he lives at a house he owns at Harbour Isles Court.

Village officials warned Bozzuto he can't park Honey at 932 Shore Drive because boats can only be parked on docks behind houses that are occupied by the homeowner.

But village rules do not define the word "occupied." For instance, the rules do not state that occupied means the house is a residence where the owner lives. Village rules also contain no restrictions on the size of boats that can be kept at private docks.

After years of pushing back against what he believes are fuzzy rules, Bozzuto in March filed a lawsuit against the village.

More: Cannonsport Marina sells for $58.5 million in big deal for tiny Palm Beach Shores

He alleged the municipality is illegally depriving him of his property rights because nothing in the village code prevents him from mooring Honey at his house. He is asking a Palm Beach County Circuit Court judge to rule that he has a constitutional right to dock Honey there.

Gregory Coleman, Bozzuto's West Palm Beach attorney, said the village has plenty of waterfront homes with yachts parked behind them. But Coleman said the village is illegally blocking Bozzuto from docking Honey at his house because the village is bending to pressure from a handful of neighbors who think the boat is too big.

The selective enforcement is wrong, said Coleman, a former president of the Florida Bar.

"He's a very under-the-radar guy who doesn't cause anybody any problems," Coleman said of Bozzuto. "He pays his property taxes, and he wants to be left alone by the village of North Palm Beach. Unfortunately, they are singling Mike out."

Neither Leonard Rubin, the village's longtime attorney, nor Village Manager Chuck Huff responded to requests for comment.

Eric Stettin, a Fort Lauderdale-based attorney who is representing the village in the Bozzuto lawsuit, said he could not comment on pending litigation.

What good is a man's castle if he can't have a boat in his moat?

Coleman's lawsuit describes the conflict as a battle over property rights, but real estate and yachting experts say it's also a sign of the times.

As wealthy new residents pour into the county wanting all the perks of the Sunshine State, they want a boat to go along with their waterfront homes and golf club memberships. Some longtime residents fear Palm Beach County is turning into a playground for billionaires, to the detriment of everyday people who also want to live in sunshine and peace.

This conflict between Old Florida and new money is an ever-present tension, but even seasoned yacht brokers say they've never seen interest in luxury yachts quite as strong as it is now.

More: Illegal boat slips are popping near Palm Beach Gardens. Residents want regulators to act

"What we've seen in the marketplace right after COVID in the yachting industry, and especially the superyacht segment, is the most incredible growth ever seen in the history of yachting to date," said Shannon McCoy, a luxury yacht advisor and broker with Worth Avenue Yachts in Palm Beach.

"A lot of people are moving here with serious money," added Pascal Savoy, U.S. managing director of Camper & Nicholsons International yacht brokers in Fort Lauderdale.

While in the past Palm Beach County was not considered lively enough for some buyers, Savoy said the county's growing sophistication is putting it on the map in a way never seen before.

"It's a mini-Monaco for us," Savoy said.

Prices for mega-yachts can range from $18 million to $60 million, or many times that, for the largest and most decked-out mega-yachts, Savoy said.

While some yachts can be glitzy, a 164-foot Westport is considered a more low-profile boat, Savoy added.

Michael Bozzuto's interests: Houses, boats and philanthropy

Bozzuto is no newcomer to North Palm Beach. He's been a resident of the village for 20 years.

He is the billionaire owner of a family-owned supermarket wholesaler in Connecticut, and an investor and philanthropist who likes to collect houses and yachts, Coleman said.

In addition to the four North Palm Beach houses and several yachts he owns, Bozzuto in February paid a whopping $31.1 million for a house in the Town of Palm Beach Shores. The house, which has two docks, sits just north of the Palm Beach/Lake Worth Inlet.

Twin City Mall: North Palm clears way for redevelopment, taller buildings at landmark site

Coleman said there is plenty of room for other boaters to navigate the waterway when Honey is parked at the Shore Drive house in North Palm Beach. And while other people may not have as large a yacht, there are other sizeable yachts parked on docks behind other North Palm Beach homes, too, he added.

At a 2017 village council meeting, then-Mayor Darryl Aubrey commented on the issue, according to the complaint.

"When I didn't live here full time, I had a boat sitting in my dock, I was gone nine months of the year. I don't see how you can say that someone has to be in a residence year-round, seems to be some interpretation of occupant, there would be an enormous number of violations," Aubrey said.

Another member of the village council asked if the village had a definition now, the complaint said.

Rubin, the village attorney, replied: "No, we don't," according to the lawsuit.

Show me the money? Here it is: West Palm and Palm Beach rank in top 5 as cities with fastest growth in millionaires

Palm Beach County's waterways run deep, and they are popular

The yacht docking dispute is particularly timely, given the scarcity of dock space for boats of all sizes.

The most convenient place to park a boat is on the water behind a house, brokers say. But not every waterway or channel can accommodate the draft, or depth, of a mega-yacht.

However, the dock behind Bozzuto's Shore Drive house can.

Not only is the Westport not known for its deep hulls, but the waterway also is typical of northern Palm Beach County, which boasts deep water and easy access to the ocean via the Lake Worth Inlet, said Coleman, a lifelong boater.

"In Palm Beach County, they have deeper water, and it allows people to have larger yachts," Savoy agreed.

But not every waterway is deep enough for every boat.

McCoy said she specializes in helping advise potential yacht owners about the county's varied water depths before they buy a house, if they plan to dock their yacht behind it.

If yacht owners don't have a private dock, the other option is a marina. But marina space is hard to find, with many dock berths reserved for months in advance, McCoy said.

Despite the challenges of owning a boat and finding a place to dock it, yacht brokers say demand continues.

They see interest continuing from business executives moving here with their families as they relocate their companies to Palm Beach County. There's also a growing demand for yachts among female buyers, McCoy added.

They also see younger mega-yacht buyers, some even in their early 30s. This is in sharp contrast to the mostly older buyers in the past, Savoy said.

Palm Beach County may not be as go-go as Miami-Dade County when it comes to showy ships, but if interest continues, "it's coming," Savoy said. "You're going to attract bigger yachts."

Put another way: "No one needs a boat, but everyone needs a boat," McCoy said. "It's the ultimate lifestyle."

Alexandra Clough is a business writer and columnist at  The Palm Beach Post . You can reach her at  [email protected] . Twitter:  @acloughpbp .  Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

Local News | Newport Harbor boaters may see rent rise by…

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Local News | Newport Harbor boaters may see rent rise by 400% and they’re asking why

Boaters who anchor their vessels at off-shore mooring fields in the Newport Harbor continue to protest a proposal by a city commission to raise rents , now questioning the appraisal done for adjusting the rates.

There are more than 800 off-shore moorings in the harbor where people can park their boats. Some boaters could see their mooring rent increase by more than 400% – the Harbor Commission is discussing a phasing in plan that would start in 2025, and wouldn’t reach the maximum until five years.

Boaters argue they will be priced out of the harbor and question the size of the increase and whether it is necessary. Commissioners say they are doing their best to bring the price in line with a fair market rate for the use of an asset that is owned by the state and considered part of the public trust.  The State Lands Commission oversees these areas of submerged land known better as tidelands.

The Newport Mooring Association has raised questions there may be a possible conflict of interest for the independent appraiser the city hired to review the moorings and complete a comparative analysis of fair market rates.

They said Jim Netzer of Costa Mesa-based Netzer and Associates is connected to the Newport Aquatic Center, a nonprofit that offers rowing, kayaking, canoeing and other water sport activities, including boat storage, from the bay inland of the harbor with a ground lease from the city, and that may be a conflict of interest. As part of the assignment, the appraisal was to look at the NAC among other boat storage areas, marinas, yacht clubs and the Dunes Waterfront Resort, said Chris Benzen, a mooring holder and member of the Newport Mooring Association at a recent commission meeting.

Netzer is a board member for the center and also made a personal loan in the past to the center, according to city records obtained by Benzen and presented at the meeting. Netzer acknowledged the loan in a later email to the Register, saying there is no conflict of interest.

Benzen also pointed out the city’s harbormaster , Paul Blank, who has been part of the discussions since 2021, has now recused himself as of last month from further discussions on the mooring rates. John Pope, the city’s spokesman, said Blank’s recusal came at the advice of the city attorney.

“It makes you wonder and think there is an appearance of impropriety,” Benzen told the harbor commissioners of the questions the group has raised.

City officials said Netzer and other interested contractors went through the required process of submitting a proposal for providing the appraisal services and was selected from a group of three that submitted; Netzer has one of the highest national appraiser designations possible, Pope said.

Pope said Netzer’s membership on the Newport Aquatic Center board does not present a conflict, and the appraisal he is conducting for the city on the moorings “is distinct and separate from his involvement with NAC.”

“The fact that Netzer is a director with NAC does not create a conflict or prevent him from being able to appraise the moorings,” Pope said. He said the Newport Aquatic Center use in the area is “different in type and kind. So he has no interest in the ‘property’ at issue, the moorings.”

Netzer said that his appraisal was “impartial and independent” and that his position on the NAC board is not a “conflict of interest.”

“To suggest otherwise is defamatory,” he said in an emailed response, adding that “the NAC loan was approximately 10 years ago between two private parties and the city was not involved.”

The appraisal assessed the rental rates of moorings in the harbor using three different comparative analyses, including tidelands market rentals and similar mooring rentals, said Ira Beer, co-chair of the Harbor Commission and chair of its subcommittee on the proposal.

“The comparable rental analysis includes the yacht clubs along with five other mooring rental locations along the coast of California,” he said, adding for a 40-foot mooring, the Balboa Yacht Club charges $16, and the Newport Harbor Yacht Club gets $13.50.

The harbor charges $3.34 per linear foot of boat per month for rental for the offshore moorings, which come with no amenities, such as power or water, and can only be reached by using a dinghy, paddleboard, or another sort of watercraft. The latest version of the proposal discussed by the commissioners would charge between $7.77 and $17.78 per linear foot, with the price increasing with the size of the boat. Netzer’s appraisal had suggested up to $23.25 on the higher end for a fair market value.

Boaters argue the fee increase will make the boating lifestyle unattainable for many, especially those on fixed incomes, and will drive many out of Newport Harbor. However, city officials say the proposed rate increase is commensurate with what the market bears out, and the current rates are too low to maintain the public harbor.

Beer said his group has done the best it can to keep the prices “as reasonable as possible,” including suggesting the phasing in of the increase.

“Six increases over five-and-a-half years are what we think will get us up to what we think fair market value is today,” he said. “We’re saying, ‘Hey, let’s kick this thing down the road as far as we can.’ All we’re saying is pay your fair share and let us be in compliance with state code.”

Benzen also took the boaters’ complaints to the City Council last month.

“What they’re proposing, the 400% to 500% increase to offshore moorings? It’s discriminatory; it’s bullying by the city,” he said.

If the commission votes later to recommend a rate increase, the City Council must approve it. Then, the California Coastal Commission would make the final decision.

“We would like the city to respond to the questions we’ve raised,” Richard Navarro, a Newport Mooring Association board member, said. “They’re very serious … about the conduct of the appraiser and why the harbor master had to recuse himself. In my view, the Harbor Commission has really lost the confidence of the public. It has a job to do to restore that credibility.”

The mooring association will continue to look for assistance, including asking the California State Lands Commission to compare the city’s appraisal with one commissioned by the Newport Mooring Association, Navarro said. “If the intent was to do an objective review, we’d like the city to send that to the State Lands, but they chose not to do it.”

Typically, the State Lands Commission does not engage in the day-to-day management of legislatively granted public trust lands, said Sheri Pemberton, chief of external affairs. That responsibility falls to the city.

“The commission generally does not act to either approve or disprove a grantee’s actions,” she said, adding that the commission staff will “review the city’s appraisal through the lens of whether the appraisal constitutes a reasonable effort to derive fair market value for the occupation and use of public land.”

“Commission staff intend to consider the Newport Mooring Association’s appraisal when providing feedback to the city,” Pemberton added.

Beer said the rates will be discussed again during the commission’s meeting this month. The next meeting is scheduled for April 10.

“We intend to make a recommendation,” he said, “if we have all the data.”

This story has been updated with more details on the scope of the appraisal.

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