Freedom Boat Club – Venice Marine Max

Florida law requires you to be at least 18 to rent a livery vessel other than a human-powered vessel. Florida sets no general minimum age to operate a boat, but a personal watercraft operator must be at least 14.

Under section 327.395, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, operating a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or more must carry the required boating safety credentials. An exemption applies when accompanied by a credentialed or exempt person age 18 or older who is attendant to the operation and responsible for safe operation and violations. The rental operator sets its own booking minimum subject to state law, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

Florida does not issue a boating license, but operators born on or after January 1, 1988, must carry photo ID and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boating education card when running a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or more. This includes personal watercraft. There is no general minimum age for boats; personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, and no one under 18 may rent any vessel other than a human powered one. Exemptions include Coast Guard licensed masters, private lake or pond operators, operators accompanied aboard by someone 18 or older who holds the card or is exempt and is responsible for the vessel, and nonresidents with proof of a NASBLA-approved out of state course. Any non exempt operator may instead pass an FWC approved temporary certificate exam and carry that certificate with photo ID for 90 days.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

From Venice, you can cruise the Intracoastal Waterway, explore Roberts Bay, Dona Bay and Lyons Bay, or use Venice Inlet to reach open Gulf waters. The Intracoastal is the marked inside route; the three small bays offer shallow, more protected boating, while the Gulf is the exposed option. The Intracoastal also continues through Blackburn Bay for a longer inside-water run. Boats typically put in at Higel Marine Park or Marina Park and Boat Ramp, both public launches on the Intracoastal.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)

Popular Venice-area day trips include Rattlesnake Island in Lyons Bay, a picnic destination for boaters with shoreline trails and wildlife watching; Stump Pass Beach State Park at the end of Manasota Key, where swimming, shelling and fishing fill a beach day; and Venice Reef in Gulf waters, one of Sarasota County’s public artificial reef sites for anglers and divers. These choices offer three distinct outings: an island picnic, a beach and pass excursion, or an offshore reef trip.

Source: Visit Sarasota County (visitsarasota.com)