Port Everglades Pilots Association

What Port Everglades Pilots Association does

Port Everglades Pilots Association is a privately held Florida-based professional association of licensed maritime harbor pilots, founded in 1931 and operating from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The association provides compulsory marine pilotage services to commercial vessels calling at Port Everglades and Port Dania, with all 16 pilots and 2 deputy pilots dual-licensed by the State of Florida and the United States Coast Guard under Florida Statute 310 and federal regulations (46 USC 8501/8502). Services span full transit from berth to point of embarkation/disembarkation, including docking and undocking, and are available 24/7/365 via VHF Channel 14/16 dispatch, an Outlook 365 online booking calendar, and direct agent coordination.

The underlying operating model is a regulated professional service franchise rather than a technology product. Revenue is generated entirely through transaction-based pilotage fees calculated using a four-factor formula applied to vessel dimensions: (LOA Rate × LOA) + (Beam Rate × Beam) + (Draft Rate × Draft) + (GT Rate × GT). Rates are tiered across standard vessels, vessels under 10,000 GT, and vessels with draft of 31'0" or greater, and include ancillary charges for detention, cancellation, late payment, running lines, shifting, and anchoring. The current rate schedule, effective February 11, 2026, was approved by the Pilotage Rate Review Committee. The association is led by Co-Managing Pilots Brendon McDonnell and Travis Diemert and participates in industry bodies including the American Pilots' Association, International Maritime Pilots' Association, Florida Harbor Pilots Association, Florida Ports Council, and the Port Everglades port authority.

The business is structurally a closed statutory monopoly at a single port: compulsory pilotage demand combined with multi-year licensing and apprenticeship requirements creates a high barrier to entry and caps competitive pressure on pricing. No funding rounds, acquisitions, technology products, or geographic expansion beyond the Port Everglades/Port Dania footprint are evidenced in the source data, and no AI/ML capability has been disclosed. Growth, if any, is a function of vessel-call volume and periodic rate adjustments administered through the regulatory review process rather than active commercial expansion.

Name

Port Everglades Pilots Association

Legal name

Port Everglades Pilots Association

Website

https://pepilots.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Port Everglades Pilots Association is a Florida-based, state-licensed maritime pilotage association providing compulsory ship-handling and navigation services to commercial vessels calling at Port Everglades and Port Dania, operating 24/7/365 since 1931.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Pilotage Services

NAICS

Navigational Services to Shipping (48833)

akta.pro primary industry

Harbor Pilots (Compulsory Pilotage) (TLAHAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pilot Boat / Pilot Transfer Services (Pilot Launch Operations) (TLAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Marine pilotage services
• Harbor pilot services
• Ship navigation services
• Vessel docking services
• Maritime pilot association

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Everglades

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Pilotage Fees: Transaction-based pilotage fees calculated using a formula based on vessel dimensions: ((LOA Rate*LOA) + (Beam Rate*Beam) + (Draft Rate*Draft) + (GT Rate*GT)). Rates vary by vessel category (standard, vessels under 10,000 GT, vessels with draft 31'0" or greater). Additional charges apply for detention, cancellation, running lines, delivering persons, anchoring, and shifting services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Port Everglades Pilots Association provides compulsory marine pilotage services to commercial vessels calling at Port Everglades and Port Dania. Pilots board vessels at the embarkation point and provide complete navigation assistance to and from the berth, including docking and undocking maneuvers. All pilots are dual licensed by both the State of Florida and the United States Coast Guard, serving foreign flag vessels and U.S. flag vessels with a draft of 7 feet or greater.

Product overview

The Port Everglades Pilots Association provides compulsory marine pilotage services for vessels at Port Everglades and Port Dania. All pilots are dual licensed by the State of Florida and the United States Coast Guard. The service encompasses complete navigation assistance to and from berth, including vessel docking and undocking. Services are not offered as discrete branded products but as a unified pilotage service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Pilotage Services Compulsory state and federally licensed pilotage for vessels entering, leaving, or underway upon the navigable waters of Port Everglades and Port Dania. Pilots board vessels via pilot boats and provide complete navigation assistance from the point of embarkation/disembarkation to the berth. Available 24/7/365 with two-hour advance notice via VHF Channel 14/16.
• Vessel Docking and Undocking Professional docking and undocking maneuvering of vessels at berth. Although Florida law provides the option for the Master to perform these maneuvers in certain circumstances, the association strongly recommends the Pilot perform them for safety.
• Vessel Shifting Services Shifting of vessels between berths or within port waters. A two-hour advance notice is required prior to shifting, and a separate shifting fee of $300 applies per shift.
• Anchoring Services Pilotage service for taking a vessel to or from anchor within Port Everglades waters. A fee of $300 applies per anchoring or taking vessel from anchor.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• American Pilots AssociationminorOthersIndustry membership organization for pilots' associations at the national level.
• International Maritime Pilots AssociationminorOthersGlobal industry organization representing maritime pilots' associations worldwide.
• Florida Harbor Pilots AssociationminorOthersState-level association for harbor pilots in Florida.
• European Maritime Pilots AssociationminorOthersEuropean regional organization for maritime pilots.
• Florida Ports CouncilminorOthersOrganization representing Florida's seaports, providing industry coordination and advocacy.
• Port EvergladesminorOthersThe port authority for Port Everglades, a major cargo and cruise port in Broward County, Florida.
• Seafarers House - Port EvergladesminorOthersOrganization providing support services to seafarers visiting Port Everglades.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Canaveral Pilots Association: State-licensed harbor pilots providing compulsory pilotage at Port Canaveral, Florida. Operates the same state-mandated, formula-based fee model under Florida Statute 310 for a competing Florida cruise/cargo port.
• Tampa Bay Pilots Association: Licensed harbor pilots providing compulsory pilotage for Tampa Bay, Florida. Shares the same regulatory framework, dual state/federal licensing structure, and transaction-based fee schedule as PEPA.
• Biscayne Bay Pilots: Pilots providing services in the PortMiami and Biscayne Bay area. Direct Florida-state competitor authorized to provide compulsory pilotage under the same Florida statute, serving a neighboring cruise/cargo port.
• Jacksonville Pilots Association: Provides compulsory marine pilotage for vessels transiting Jacksonville, Florida. Operates under the same Florida Statute 310 regime, with a comparable pilot group structure and formula-based pricing.
• San Francisco Bar Pilots: Compulsory pilotage provider for San Francisco Bay. Closest U.S. analogue to PEPA's structure — a self-governing pilots' association with statutorily required services and fee regulation by a public body.
• Sandy Hook Pilots: Provides compulsory pilotage for the Port of New York/New Jersey. Large, established pilots' association with a similar fee-regulated, monopoly-style governance model for one of the busiest U.S. ports.
• Columbia River Pilots: Licensed pilots providing compulsory pilotage on the Columbia River bar and river system. Comparable in operational complexity and regulatory exclusivity to PEPA's port approach and channel work.
• Houston Pilots: Provides compulsory pilotage for the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. Operates a similar state-regulated, formula-based fee structure for one of the largest U.S. petrochemical ports.

Others

• American Pilots Association: National industry association representing U.S. state pilots' associations. PEPA is a member; not a competitor but an industry/regulatory counterpart that shapes the legal and political environment for compulsory pilotage.

Regional players

• Southeast Alaska Pilots Association: Provides pilotage in Southeast Alaskan waters. A comparable compulsory-pilotage association model but operating in a distinctly different geography and operating environment from PEPA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/portevergladespilotsassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/port-everglades-pilots-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Port Everglades Pilots Association