Calm Before the Storm

The wise make their own luck, and that’s certainly the case with Joe Lewis, owner of Mount Dora Boating Center near Orlando, Fla. While less fortunate marinas were hit hard by Hurricanes Charley and Frances, Mount Dora escaped significant damage. It simply took foresight and common sense.
Nevertheless, Lewis, who is also executive vice president of the Marine Industries Association of Florida, says he would have done several things differently.
“We are in a unique location, which helps us tremendously,” says Lewis. “Our marina is in a protected cove, with high-dry storage built into the side of a hill. All the slips are covered, so a great deal of our prep time is spent inspecting the roofing, making sure all the edges are secure. The same drill goes for the dry storage building.
“The rest of our time is spent moving indoors anything that can blow around and wreak havoc. Our boat inventory, as well as customers’ boats that are in for service, get packed into the dry stack.”
Lewis says they also take care of small items that seem inconsequential, but could easily become missiles, such as trash cans, lawn chairs and hoses on the docks.
“Our last chore is to cut down low hanging branches that may be blown into the buildings or the docks.”
The question of whether marina owners have the right to require their customers to vacate to prevent damage to the property has been a controversial one in recent years.
“We don’t require our customers to leave, but we do make sure all the vessels are properly tied off, and we move the bigger boats away from the end piers to positions closer to land,” says Lewis. Therein lies the rub.
By moving his customers’ boats without their permission, Mount Dora Boating Center opened itself up to being held liable for any damage to – or loss of – the vessel. “We assumed that we would be considered Good Samaritans and thus held harmless,” but not so, according to present Florida statute. However, that may change with the passage of a hurricane bill now before the legislature.
The proposed legislation says that once a storm watch is issued, a boat owner must remove his boat or be held liable for any damage to marina property. The bill also allows the marina management to secure any vessel within the marina when a storm watch is issued.
Lewis says preparation should be ongoing, but suggests preparations begin in earnest once as soon as a storm watch is posted.
Finally, Lewis reminds marina owners that “we should definitely communicate better with customers so that it is crystal clear who is responsible for what when faced with a weather emergency. Both parties will be happier in the long run.”