The season is coming. Even this month, according to at least one forecaster, the first cool fronts could reach northern Florida’s beaches. Coastal forecaster Evan Thayer reports that the change might even be noticeable along the docks at Key Largo or on the water off Amelia Island with a good squint.
“Definitely not a guarantee,” he wrote in his blog, “but I would not at all be surprised to be sharing some webcams with glassy morning water along the Gulf Coast and Keys later this week.”
It’s not just Thayer who’s optimistic. Florida’s 15 public beach clubs have begun releasing their tentative opening dates for the 2024-25 season, and some of them are betting big on welcoming boaters and paddleboarders early this fall.
The boldest of them all is Florida’s southernmost beach club, the Islamorada Beach Resort. It plans to have its docks open by Nov. 8, which would be its second earliest opening ever.
Islamorada sits at the far southern tip of the state. The season starts earlier that far south and that plus investments in resort amenities, general manager Tom Pettigrew said in an email to The Miami Tribune, fueled the bold opening-day prediction.
“With our resort amenities team’s hard work and Mother Nature’s cooperation,” he wrote, “we hope to open as early as possible and close as late as possible. The goal is to give people the freedom to get on the water.”
Islamorada’s earliest opener was Nov. 4, set during the epic winter of 2022-23 — a record-breaking season in numerous ways for the state. Its second-earliest opening on record is Nov. 10, which it achieved in 2000. The resort pinpointed that date again last season, but a late tropical system forced it to delay its start by a week. It still managed its longest boating season to date, however, at 174 days.
If it hits its mark this year, the beach and watersports resort near Key Largo could have a monopoly on the Florida beach market until Nov. 22. That’s when three more resorts expect to welcome guests. They include: The Amelia Island Beach Club, the Naples Beach Club and the Miami Watersports Complex, Key Largo (Nov. 28) and Siesta Key (Nov. 29) also tentatively plan to be open over Thanksgiving weekend.
Unless it’s an abysmally stormy year, plan on all Florida’s resorts to wake up before December ends. Palm Beach has pegged Dec. 7 to open the first docks and slips of its Palm Beach East development. Marco Island, just to the south, also has pegged that day for its opener. The Dunedin Beach Club near Clearwater, meanwhile, is aiming for Dec. 7 to shake off the stink of last season’s numerous dock malfunctions and fire. Surf Fridays at Eagle Point could begin as soon as Dec. 20, a resort spokesperson said.
Longboat Key, also on the Sarasota coast, is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to its opening date. The resort will unveil one new and two upgraded public marinas this season. For the first time, though, it will set three other docks aside exclusively for private use. Beacon Cove and Cherry Point have not yet picked start dates either. No doubt, all four hope to be open before Christmas.
Likewise, the Intracoastal Waterway resorts Delray Beach and Captiva Island lack firm opening dates. Unlike those others, though, the friendly rivals will be racing to be the first in the state to open — or at least beat their neighbor to the start line.
Captiva Island currently holds the bragging rights. Last year it opened on Nov. 10 but, learning from the previous season’s mistakes, didn’t make its announcement until late in the day on Nov. 9. That gave Delray Beach no time to put the pieces in place to beat it to the jump.
Last season, Delray Beach built its waterfront Seabreeze Grill and upgraded its Crest 6 dock.
“We have no major projects that will slow our start this year,” a resort spokesperson said. “We’re ready.”
Will Delray Beach be able to beat out Islamorada? Only time, and winter, will tell.