Miami Beach seeks funds to expand water taxi service

Written by Kelly Sanchez on May 27, 2026

Miami Beach leaders are digging into how to expand the city’s water taxis into a larger transit system connecting the city’s three neighborhoods with each other and the City of Miami.

Options they’re exploring include expanding to weekends, adding vessels for rush hours and specific events, and adding routes – a South of Fifth route linking the Miami Beach Marina to Bayside Marketplace in Miami, a north-south route between Maurice Gibb Memorial Park and Mount Sinai Medical Center, and a North Beach north-south route.

The city aims to probe operating and capital options and explore funding streams.

Officials say a citywide system could cut traffic congestion and improve emergency and regional transportation access.

From its launch Jan. 20 through May 1, the city-run service has carried 73,254 riders, about 1,000 per day, according to a memo from the mayor. An average 8% of would-be waiting passengers are left behind due to strong demand and limited capacity.

The free service now flows hourly weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. between Maurice Gibb park and the Venetian Marina & Yacht Club in Miami. The 40-foot vessels can carry up to 55 people. Miami Beach and the Florida Department of Transportation are splitting the cost in half.

“In terms of funding, again, I’m sure we can find some type of business that wants to sponsor the water taxi, either putting advertisements inside the water taxi or … if it was like a restaurant or something, they could pass out a little food,” Commissioner Monica Matteo-Salinas told the most recent commission meeting. “I want to encourage us to look at advertising… It could be local brands, it could be a business opening… There’s just so many opportunities here for private sponsorships.”

With the ridership, she said, “that’s some serious eyes on these brands that might want to come in.”

Commissioner David Suarez, who’s a member of the countywide Transportation Planning Organization, cited a meeting last month at which county commissioners raised concerns about making the water taxi self-sustainable by charging a fare before requesting state funds.

“Our city has tried paid-for services by private operators, which I voted against because they failed,” Mayor Steven Meiner told the commission. “Maybe sometime in the future there’s a place to charge a minimum amount” but the service is “still in its infancy.”

“When you look at the State of Florida and FDOT … they were talking about doing a Baylink … which would cost over $1 billion. This is $1 million. We are providing a service literally almost every … weekday and for $10 million, $15 million, $20 million, we could have a whole network going. It’s literally peanuts compared to a bigger picture and other options.”

Jose Gonzalez, Transportation and Mobility director, looked to the course ahead.

“To apply for federal funds we need to show success,” he said. “We also need to show that we’ve done our due diligence and our research in terms of where the dock will be located, what will it cost… Something we’re working on now is taking the initial feasibility study that we did that was done by a national water taxi expert [and] drilling down.”

Docks under review are at the Police North Substation/Fire Station No. 4, the street-end at Bonita Drive, and the area between the John F. Kennedy Causeway and the International Inn on the Bay, according to the mayor’s memo.