Greater Fort Lauderdale is in the center of South Florida’s Gold Coast, midway between Palm Beach and Miami, each just 40 miles away. The area extends from Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach to the north to Hollywood to the south. More than 500,000 acres of Everglades borders the western edge. In this 1,200 square mile region, 1.8 million people call home. The city of Fort Lauderdale has 180,000 residents. With 300 miles of deep water, navigable waterways and 44,000 residential yachts – many more during the winter months – it’s no wonder the area is known as the Yachting Capital of the World.

Bathing suits far outnumber jackets in Fort Lauderdale, almost any time of the year. Temperatures average 77F (25C) year ‘round and 3,000 hours of sunshine are recorded each year. Winter temperatures average 67F (19C) and summer temperatures hover around 84F (29C). January is the coolest month and August is the warmest. South Florida is a tropical climate, therefore, summer is the "rainy season" – the heaviest occurs in August and September.