Poll: Miami-Dade residents support boat show

A recent poll of registered Miami-Dade County voters shows they support keeping the Miami International Boat Show in the community by a large margin, although they are less enthusiastic about its move to Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin.

The poll was conducted by Miami pollster Dario Moreno and commissioned by a group of local businesses, marine industry advocates and labor groups, including Captain Harry’s; Cigarette Racing; Contender Boats; Hopkins Carter Marine Supply & Fishing Tackle; Marine Industries Association of South Florida; SeaVee Boats; Sign, Display & Allied Trades Local Union 1175; and Teamsters Union Local 769. It surveyed 800 registered voters across Miami-Dade County from December 2 – 4.

Eighty-seven percent of registered Miami-Dade County voters expressed their support for the show continuing in the community, while 51 percent said they favor moving the Boat Show from Miami Beach to Virginia Key. Another 23 percent were against the move.

When asked if they supported the move despite the village of Key Biscayne’s objections, 46 percent of poll respondents supported, while 31 percent objected.

“These results reaffirm what we already knew, which is that the South Florida community embraces the Miami International Boat Show, as well as the local marine industry that it helps support,” said MIASF Executive Director Phil Purcell of the poll’s findings. “The boat show, along with Yachts Miami Beach, which takes place at the same time, supports an $11.5 billion regional marine industry that employs 136,000 people and has a tremendous year-round impact on the marine businesses that exhibit there and the thousands of jobs and families that those businesses support. It was important for us to understand what the entire community wants, and the poll gave us our answer.”

Other key findings of the poll included:

• 86 percent of surveyed County voters believe that the Miami International Boat Show is important to Miami’s image as a tourist destination
• 56 percent of surveyed voters in County Commission District 7, home to the Village of Key Biscayne and Virginia Key, support the Boat Show’s move to Virginia Key
• When told of Key Biscayne leaders’ objections, surveyed District 7 voters still support the Boat Show’s move to Virginia Key by a 48-31 margin, a larger margin than the countywide average
• Residents of County Commission District 7 have attended past Boat Shows at a higher rate than County residents in all but one other Commission District

“Each year, our union membership is heavily involved in putting the Miami International Boat Show together, from move-in to move-out,” said Al Lichtman, of the Sign, Display & Allied Trades Local Union 1175. “Without the Show, our members would lose out on an important source of income, just as local marine businesses would lose out on a key annual sales opportunity. Our hope is that the Boat Show – with the community’s clear support – will move forward as planned.”