Day dock fees at The Bay regarded as at the 'lower end'

At $2 per hour with a five-hour limit, Sarasota's parking general manager says fees to tie off a boat at the 10th Street boat basin compare favorably to others in the central Gulf Coast region.

By Andrew Warfield
| 5:00 a.m. February 12, 2026

A floating day dock has been built along the refurbished south seawall in the 10th Street boat basin as part of The Bay park Phase 2.

Sarasota
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Although the Sarasota City Commission in December 2025 approved a schedule of fees for the new floating day docks at The Bay Park, the issue was back before the board on Feb. 2 for a procedural vote to amend the city parking code to include, for the first time, marine vessels.

Commissioners agreed to a charge of $2 per hour with a daily maximum limit of five hours to tie off at the new docks to visit The Bay, take in a show, have lunch or dinner, etc. And, like street parking, enforcement will end at 8 p.m. daily with no overnight docking permitted. Sarasota Parking General Manager Broxton Harvey told commissioners overnight will be considered after 11 p.m., at least for the time being.

Sarasota Parking General Manager Broxton Harvey addresses the City Commission on day dock fees at The Bay.

“We don't even know what the usage is going to be right now, but as the usage changes, we're always monitoring and keeping data,” Harvey said. “We may be back here in front of you saying we need to extend hours until midnight.”

This will be the initial, and perhaps only, foray into day dock parking enforcement by the city, and with few comparisons of municipal and private operations available, Harvey said he intentionally structured the fees on the lower end of the cost spectrum.

Some operators charge by the foot, some by the hour and others by the day.

“This is much more affordable than other places,” observed Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch.

“That is correct, and I wanted that on purpose to actually keep it at that lower end," Harvey replied.

Day dock fee comparisons

By the day, by the hour or by the foot, here is how much other day dock facilities in the region charge.

Sarasota

Marina Jack: $3.75 per foot per day/35-foot minimum; $1 holiday upcharge.

Tampa

City Marina: $2 per hour, 4-hour limit; $2 per foot, 5-24 hours.
Tampa Convention Center: $10 flat fee up to 3 hours.

St. Petersburg

Maderia Beach Marina: $2.10 per foot per day.
St. Pete Pier: Weekdays $2 per hour/4-hour limit, 5th hour $3, 6th hour $4; weekends $2.50 per hour/4-hour limit, 5th hour $3.50, 6th hour $4.50.
Municipal Marina: $2.21 per foot per day.

Clearwater

Clearwater Harbor Municipal Marina: $2.27 per foot per day.
Clearwater Harbor Marina: Free, 4-hour limit 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

Naples

Naples City Dock: $3 per foot per night.

Fort Myers

Pink Shell: $4.25-$5.50 per foot per night.

Bradenton

Twin Dolphin Marina: $4.50 per foot per day, 30-foot minimum.
Bradenton Beach Marina: $5 per foot per day.

Venice

Fisherman’s Wharf Marina: $3 per foot per day.

author

Andrew Warfield

Andrew Warfield is the Sarasota Observer city reporter. He is a four-decade veteran of print media. A Florida native, he has spent most of his career in the Carolinas as a writer and editor, nearly a decade as co-founder and editor of a community newspaper in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.