According to a study conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Floridians and tourists made 5.5 million visits to public boat ramps, 10 million visits to public saltwater piers and 750,000 visits to piers owned by the agency. The total economic impact of public boat ramps statewide is approximately $1.3 billion per year in Florida, the study reported.

In addition, more than 25,000 jobs are created statewide, and almost $128 million generated in state and local tax revenue. Similarly, the total economic impact of public piers is more than $479 million annually. More than 9,000 jobs are created statewide and $36 million collected as state and local taxes. The average economic impact per year for saltwater boat ramps is $1 million and $440,000 for freshwater ramps. The combined total economic impact for pier and boat ramps is $1.8 billion, generating 34,944 jobs and $165 million in state taxes.

"Clearly, public boat ramps and piers are important not only to their users but also to thousands of Floridians who are inextricably linked to the recreation supported by boat ramps and piers," said Dave McElveen, FWC's planning director, in a press release from the agency. "The information from this study will be used by the FWC and other agencies to make better informed decisions in design and construction of future boat ramps and piers. Such decisions also depend on an accurate assessment of the economic importance of these facilities, including an understanding of how their use might impact the local, regional and state economies and measuring the enjoyment they provide to their users."