Sarasota makes waves in new ranking of Florida boating hotspots.
Warm weather is forecast to return to Sarasota ahead of Valentine’s Day, spring break and boating season along the Suncoast.
The city of Sarasota — hugging its namesake bay and dotted with numerous waterfront homes and restaurants — reclaimed the No. 10 spot in a recent ranking of Florida’s emerging boating hotspots by an international organization.
Miami, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale took the top three slots in a recent report compiled by Getmyboat.com, a Miami-based boat rental and charter marketplace.
Sarasota was also ranked No. 10 in the 2024 compilation, which is determined by a review of boat rental data on its platform.
It does not include rentals from platforms such as Freedom Boat Club, which is headquartered in Venice, or from operators such as Marina Jack in Sarasota and Cannon’s Marina in Longboat Key.
Valerie Streif, marketing manager for Getmyboat, said the platform saw a 24% growth in revenue in Sarasota over the past 12 months from the 60 boats available for rental at an average rate of $113 per hour.
What are the most popular boat rentals in Florida?
In December, Getmyboat merged with another company, Boatsetter, to create the largest provider of its type in the world.
More than two million customers in 184 countries have used the platform to get out on the water.
The most popular rental or charter craft in Miami, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale were yachts.
In St. Petersburg, Fort Walton Beach, Cape Coral, Destin, and Clearwater — ranked 4th through 8th respectively — pontoon boats were the most popular rental choice.
Powerboats were the most popular rentals for No. 9 Pompano Beach and Sarasota.
Holmes Beach and Madeira Beach both fell out of the top 10 in rankings from 2025.
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.
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