The US Sailing Center Miami, the nation’s only Olympic sailing training site, will continue to operate at Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove through 2037, preserving public access to Biscayne Bay for local and competitive sailors.
During their May 8 meeting, Miami city commissioners voted unanimously to exhaust all possible lease renewals, extending the center’s lease through the end of March 2037. The decision supports the center’s mission of training the next generation of Olympic sailors while fostering a competitive sailing community in Miami, ensuring residents have waterfront access and a place to store their boats.
The US Sailing Center is one of only 18 official US Olympic Training sites sanctioned by the US Olympic Committee and the only one dedicated to sailing. The center has leased the property at 2476 S Bayshore Drive from the city since 1986, operating within David Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove.
As the center’s lease renewal approached in 2018, the Florida non-profit corporation campaigned for more time at the site and worked with city staff to negotiate a long-term extension. After many residents and athletes who used the sailing center spoke strongly in favor of the new deal at city hall as the proposal was being voted on, asking commissioners to keep the facility in the Grove, the commission approved a 10-year extension with two additional four-year options to renew.
With the current lease set to expire on March 31, 2029, the center requested the commission simultaneously approve both four-year renewal options, effectively extending the lease through March 31, 2037.
City commissioners granted the request in a 3-0 vote, with Commissioner Miguel A. Gabela recusing himself due to a voting conflict, citing a prior business transaction involving the sale of a boat to a center representative. Under the renewed agreement, the center will pay the city $2,250 per month in rent or 12% of gross revenues, whichever is greater, with a 3% annual increase.
The lease also stipulates community obligations, including offering sailing scholarships to five children annually, with priority given to inner-city children from Miami, for a year of free sailing lessons. When city-run sailing programs are not in operation, the center must provide year-round storage for city vessels used in those programs.
Additionally, the center must host at least six recreational and educational activities per year, preferably on weekends, with priority access for inner-city children, including at least two boating excursions during June, July or August. The center will also provide transportation if necessary.
“This is something a lot of people want to see happen,” Commissioner Joe Carollo said as the lease renewal was being voted on. “It originally got approved when I was mayor of the city and it’s been a tremendous help to our Olympic teams in sailing throughout all these years. While it’s a prime property they’re using that belongs to the city, it’s a very worthy cause,” he continued.
Commissioner Damian Pardo, who represents District Two and Coconut Grove, thanked the sailing center for its contributions to the city. “You do an amazing job. I love going there and we benefit from your service and everything you do in the community,” he emphasized.
Built specifically for competitive sailing, the US Sailing Center facility covers two acres of Biscayne Bay waterfront and features a two-story building equipped with two three-ton hoists for launching larger watercraft, as well as two ramps for smaller sailboats, windsurfers, paddleboards or kayaks.
The center is open to Miami residents and the public seven days a week for a nominal fee.
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