Bad News About Water Taxi

There is a political battle going on that has resulted in severe cutbacks in our wonderful Water Taxi service, at least for now. here%26#39;s the story from this morning%26#39;s newspaper for those who need the information. How this will turn out is uncertain. I%26#39;ll try to keep everyone posted:

Water Taxi owner to make cuts, raise fares to $10 and return boats to Broward

By Scott Wyman

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Posted February 10 2006

The Water Taxi ferry service on Fort Lauderdale%26#39;s New River and Intracoastal Waterway was cut drastically on Thursday, the victim of a dispute with Broward County over whether the company should get $1 million a year in government aid.

Taxi owner Bob Bekoff said hourly service will continue between Shooter%26#39;s restaurant off Oakland Park Boulevard and State Road A1A and Las Olas Riverfront and that all-day fares will jump from $7 to $10. He is discontinuing all other ticket options, including discounts for seniors and children.

Bekoff said he also plans to return to the county today the 10 boats it purchased for the service, and operate with only the six he owns.

Although Bekoff said he wants to keep negotiating with the county over financing for full service, Broward Mayor Ben Graber and county attorneys accuse Bekoff of breaking his contract and threaten legal action.

For Canadian tourists Dave and Winnie Fulcher, the change is a disappointment.

They were taking Water Taxi from Las Olas Riverfront to the beach for dinner Thursday and said they have liked the ability to use the ferry to get around when visiting.

';We enjoy it because you get to see all the homes and all the variety that you can%26#39;t see from land,'; Winnie Fulcher said. ';It%26#39;s a good way to get around.';

Negotiations hit an impasse last week when Bekoff rejected a county-proposed contract to manage the ferries under tighter government control.

He wants a long-term deal in which the county would give him $859,000 in federal and state transit aid and $250,000 in dock space at Port Everglades.

About 750,000 people ride Water Taxi each year, but it fell into financial trouble after an audit last year alleged that Bekoff was making excessive profits.

Regular ferry service began in 2001 under a no-bid contract between the county and Bekoff.

Under Bekoff%26#39;s plans to scale back, hours of operation will largely remain the same. The difference will be that with fewer boats on the water, they will be more crowded and some patrons may be left waiting on the dock for the next one to come along.

Bekoff said none of his 50 employees will be laid off, but some may have their hours reduced.

';I didn%26#39;t have any choice,'; Bekoff said. ';I was forced into this.';

County officials maintain that Bekoff cannot suddenly cease service and he must buy the county-owned boats if the contract is terminated early. The county paid another Bekoff-owned company, Canal Boats, to build them and then leased them to Water Taxi for $10 a year.

Graber said if Bekoff follows through on his plans, the county should immediately seek bids for someone else to run a ferry service using the county boats.

Commissioner John Rodstrom, who has largely supported Bekoff so far, said he may share those thoughts and that Bekoff shouldn%26#39;t believe he will ever get the boats back.

';The problem I have with this is politically it%26#39;s a risky move on his part because it says maybe we can never reach a contract with him,'; Rodstrom said. ';That%26#39;s a shame because it could result in the service being permanently scaled back, even though it%26#39;s something a lot of people use.';

Bad News About Water Taxi

who knows - this could be a blessing in disguise....it might force some competition and competition is a good thing!

Bad News About Water Taxi

Lulutoo:

I hope they reslove this problem! I think it might be a big part of the tourist pull. It also (maybe) helps with car traffic.

Ken

I certainly agree that the Water Taxi is a necessary and appealing part of our tourist aura- and useful to residents as well. This battle has been brewing for some time. I think in the end the service will be maintained, but in the short term there could be some problems. I will try to keep up with the latest developments.

I%26#39;m not sure anyone could compete and make much $$$. When the water taxi first started, many years ago, it could not sustain itself, it didn%26#39;t charge $5.00 a day, unlimited, or $7.00, nor $10.00.

If I remember, it was over $20.00 for a round trip. It didn%26#39;t pull may people. The fees were $5.00 all day pass, $10.00 for a three day pass, and $20,00 for a 7 day pass.....unlimited use, a very big tourist builder....and the county needs to consider this. (I don%26#39;t like the %26#39;family%26#39; getting $250,000 each (husband %26amp; wife)....but the county can change that.

I%26#39;ve only had three boating courses to get various certifications, and the person who runs the boat isn%26#39;t exactly a novice. Some (maybe all) are certified captians or pilots (Merchant Marine %26amp; Coast Guard certified). These folks get paid quite well (unless they are volunteers for the county). I can%26#39;t imagine the insurance costs.

It is easy to compare.......the Palm Beach water taxi is a lot more expensive, and most cannot afford to use it like the Ft Laud one.

Did you remember the Hollywood Fl water taxi. They tried out of Ann Kolbe Park on the intracoastal and Sheridan. It could go as far N as the furthest N Ft Laud stop (by port Everglades). It cost too much to continue.

I expect the same for the Miami water taxi....unless there is some kind of help from a government agency, or from the places the taxis service.

IMO- If they need to do it on their own, they will vanish.....just like the American Airline Industry would, and like Amtrak will, (Who pays for the airports %26amp; flight controllers....we all do...via taxes, And some RRs are the same.

Bumping this up so folks counting on using Water Taxi can be aware of the changes