Planning & Zoning Board Approves Ft. Lauderdale Marina Project on the New River.

There's a Brand New Marina on the Horizon

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Late Wednesday evening in a 5-to-3 vote, the Planning and Zoning Board for the City of Fort Lauderdale approved the re-development plans for the 12-acre Marina and Boat Yard site called Ft Lauderdale BoatClub, formerly known as Jackson Marine.

"This is a big win for us and it's happening a week before the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show," said Ed Ruff, developer of Ft Lauderdale BoatClub. "We already have our State and Federal environmental permits - this vote of confidence from the City of Fort Lauderdale was the third and final step in the process."

"There used to be 19 ship or boat yards in the Ft. Lauderdale area and that number has dwindled to 13 in recent years," said Ruff. "We are grateful to the City of Fort Lauderdale for understanding the importance of marina facilities to the overall economy of South Florida. We are thrilled to have a marina property in the Ft. Lauderdale market and believe this market is a perfect match for our BoatClub formula. Next week during the Boat Show we will begin taking $5,000 reservation deposits for the wet and dry slips. Perfect timing - this doesn't happen very often in the area of land development. It's nice."

Ft Lauderdale BoatClub will include 300 dry slips available for purchase that will accommodate boats up to 49-feet LOA. Fourteen wet slips are available for purchase and will range in size from 77 to 160 feet. There will also be 14 private executive offices designated for captain & crew management and 14 air-conditioned garages for storage and parking. There will be an extensive amenities package for owners and a world-class Service Center and Boat Yard that will be open to the general public.

"We are redeveloping the entire property, down to every last seawall, floating dock, and including 25,000 yards of underwater dredging surrounding the marina," said Ruff. "When completed, we will have over 300 combined wet and dry slips and over 80,000 square feet dedicated to service, repair and marine-related retail. The list of amenities at the new Ft Lauderdale BoatClub is extensive - encompassing 12 acres located on the New River, there is a lot of room to design with big ideas in mind."

This is Ft Lauderdale BoatClub's first showing at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. "Over the next year we will be exhibiting at every major Florida Boat Show throughout the state. But, this is the show of shows - and we wouldn't think of missing it!" said Ruff.

Ft Lauderdale BoatClub is located off of I-95 from the Davie Road exit and by water is 30-minutes to the Atlantic via the New River, through downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

The parent company for Ft Lauderdale BoatClub is named BoatClubsAmerica. Over the last decade, BoatClubsAmerica has completed the redevelopment of two marina properties located in Bonita Springs and Naples, Florida, and is currently working on the next two located in Ft. Myers and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. BoatClubsAmerica has a diversified business model for creating unique marina properties that includes private club facilities for boat and yacht owners in addition to world-class commercial marine yards accessible to the general public and the retail marine industry. Naples BoatClub is located on the prestigious Naples Bay; Barefoot BoatClub is located in the heart of Bonita Springs; Ft Myers BoatClub is currently under construction and located on the Caloosahatchee River and Ft Lauderdale BoatClub is located on the New River close to downtown Ft. Lauderdale. For more information, visit www.BoatClubsAmerica.com or call Kelly Ruff: 239-860-8615.