Florida dept. of Revenue

[Kern O]

Yesterday's mail brought a very firm letter from the Florida tax folks asking for proof that I had moved the boat out of Florida within 10 days of purchase and that it was either registered in another state or in the course of being documented elsewhere. I sent 'em a copy of my trip log along with a credit card statement showing the motel bills and fuel bills for the trip back from Florida. Hawaii handled the registration without having to see the boat, which is lucky. The sale date was 9/21 and the letter was dated October 11th, so they are not messing around here.

When I bought the Jupiter last year, I did not get the same routine. Apparently the difference is the Jupiter was not traded in, so there was not a sales tax credit taken on it.

But, for whatever reason, they wanted proof and they wanted it now.....Every other state I've dealt with on cars and boats has assumed I've complied and that the new state of registration is entitled to the fees. I can understand their attitude if the boat had been operated in the state after my purchase, but it had not. If, as an out of state resident, you buy a car and operate it on the streets of the state of purchase, you either need to pay the tax or get a trip permit. But the boat was on a trailer, so no permit was required.

The bottom line is if you buy a boat from a dealer in Florida, make sure you are prepared to move it and register it quickly.

[bluffman2]

very good post......same thing happened when i bought from gulf coast in fort walton.....

[Capt. Fred]

Man, that's something I never would have considered. If I'd bought a boat in Fla. I'd want to go fishing down there for a few days. That could turn out to be one expensive fishing trip!!

[Kern O]

You could probably put down a 100% deposit and sea trial the boat to your heart's content. But once you sign the paperwork it is time to hit the road.....

[nccoaster]

These days, with computers the powers that be want all of their tax money. NOW!

[surfncnow]

Originally Posted by nccoaster

These days, with computers the powers that be want all of their tax money. NOW!

That's for sure. I did my taxes and messed up and the state wanted the $1.50 sent to them right away.

[Elusive]

Originally Posted by Kern O

Yesterday's mail brought a very firm letter from the Florida tax folks asking for proof that I had moved the boat out of Florida within 10 days of purchase and that it was either registered in another state or in the course of being documented elsewhere.

Or what ?

What recourse do they have if you leave the state and don't register it immediately

[welder]

I bought my boat package in Calif. and they wanted me to regerster it to leave the state [ 250 miles for about $4000.00 ] so I ask the nice lady at the DMV for travel permit for like $16.00 and she wouldn't do it.
In her mind I had to reg. it to drive to Texas to reg. it AGAIN. So I ask her " does that sound right , bout $8000.00 to drive 1600 miles " she couldn't give me an answer.

But it all ended well , my salesman Kenny at Tradewind and Inflatables marine got me my travel permit and we were on are way. Thanks Kenny.

Lester

[Kern O]

Lester, the critical issue is the trailer. In theory, it has to have either a temporary permit (what California calls a trip permit) or be registered. Now here's the rub. A California trip permit is no good in any other state. Most states, like Texas, will issue a 20 day permit - which other states will recognize. But not greedy California. Since the boat does not use the highway, it does not need to have tax or registration paid to move on a trailer. What's worse is a lot of states won't let you buy something unless you have an address in the state so they can allocate the tax. I could not buy a trailer in Florida, because I wanted it to have at least temporary registration. I don't care where I pay the taxes on a trailer, because I DO need to register it, but Florida just did not want my money for a trailer. But they sure did for the boat. They did not care where I lived. Weird.

When you buy a boat without tax in Florida, you sign an affidavit stating that you will provide proof of removal from the state and registration elsewhere. That affidavit is notarized, so it does have teeth. All they have to do is to walk into court with it and get a judgment to collect it.

[welder]

Heck thats just boats and trailers.
My truck in Ca. was right at 600.00 to reg. and in Tx. is right at 70.00

Lester