A mooring field is a legally defined area within a body of water. Customers of the mooring field are assigned a mooring, and can then secure their boat to the mooring buoy which is attached to permanent anchors. Mooring buoys provide an organized and secure way to protect both boats and the environment.  The use of mooring buoys helps to protect sea grass and the sea floor from anchor dragging. Derelict boats can be identified and removed. To safety: moorings offer much greater holding strength than anchors and allow for fewer break-away vessels. Boats are kept out of illegal or inconvenient places in the waterway.

In 2018, the City began to investigate the possibility of installing a mooring field. On December 18, 2018, the City’s Marina Consultant, John Sprague, presented the concept to the City Council. Further, on April 17, 2019, the City Council approved, through Resolution 29-19, a $75,000 matching FIND grant for Phase 1 of the Managed Mooring Field project. 

Phase 1 of the Managed Mooring Field project was to obtain all the necessary information required to permit moorings in the waters surrounding the City of Riviera Beach. This project included determining the best locations, the number of moorings, the size of each vessel to be on what location, engineered for hurricane survival and all studies required for permitting such as sea-grass, water depths, layouts, navigational issues, sewerage and trash collection, management, estimated costs, mooring fees, needed MOU’s.

Mr. Sprague is to the point of Phase 1 to bring forth his findings to the City Council for further discussion.