Tropic Isles Co-Op, Inc.

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 Palmetto, you can cruise the protected Manatee River, explore Terra Ceia Bay and Bishop Harbor, or continue into Tampa Bay’s open water. The Palmetto Boat Ramp puts boaters on the river. Follow it to Emerson Point at Snead Island, near the river entrance; NOAA describes the Manatee River as well protected, and a cutoff beside Snead Island leads into Terra Ceia Bay. For a smaller, shallower outing, the unimproved ramp off Bishop Harbor Road serves shallow-draft vessels at mid to high tide, with mangrove waterways nearby. Tampa Bay is the less sheltered choice once you clear the river mouth.

Source: Manatee County (mymanatee.org)

From Palmetto, boaters can make local day trips to Egmont Key, the Jewfish Key sandbar and downtown Bradenton’s Riverwalk Pier. At the mouth of Tampa Bay, boat-only Egmont Key offers beaches, swimming, shelling, an historic lighthouse and the remains of Fort Dade. In Longboat Pass, the public sandbar and shallow water off Jewfish Key attract boaters who want to anchor and socialize. Bradenton Riverwalk Pier provides a downtown day-dock stop near Old Main Street and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

Source: Florida State Parks (floridastateparks.org)