GL: High marina prices

[LRZeitlin at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/10/08 12:00:34 AM, Steve writes:


>
> As a resident of the area I agree!  They also have ridiculous fuel prices
at
> Crow's Nest!  I stayed one night this past weekend at Uncle Henry's in Boca
> Grande and found the same to be true with dockage costs and it too was
> empty.  Can't understand their thinking either but you would think given
the
> economy that they would encourage more people to use their boats and
> facilities if the prices were a little more reasonable.
>
While the heavy hand of economics may eventually force marina prices down,
the first response of may business owners when faced with a downturn is to
raise
prices to maintain their cash flow. After all their suppliers don't reduce
their prices because of empty slips. The bank doesn't lower mortgage payments.
The ex-wife doesn't lower her alimony demands. Of course the higher prices
result in lower slip occupancy, leading to another rise in prices. The
ultimate
end of the process is the sale of the marina property to a real estate
developer
for condominiums. And, given the burst of the housing bubble, even that
escape route is less likely,

Larry Z



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