The Fort Lauderdale Anchorage and Mooring Field is located in the charted cove indenting the westerly banks south of the Las Olas bascule bridge. If your vessel is under 40ft, this is an inexpensive way to stay in Fort Lauderdale.

The anchorage was completely empty for us. Nice beefy tackle on the mooring ball handled our 15,000 lb 32 foot boat just fine in the modest current. We arrived at 4PM and left at 7AM and we not asked for a mooring fee. Nice spot.
John Byrne

Also, don’t forget about Lake Sylvia [see link below], just south of Bahia Mar. Plenty of cruisers still anchor there without a problem.
Capt. Norman Quinn

fyi – you’re expected to go into the Marina office and pay there…they don’t come out to the ball for you.
Just so you know…
Wally Moran

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Anchorage Directory Listing For Ft. Lauderdale Official Anchorage/Mooring Field

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Ft. Lauderdale Anchorage/Mooring Field

Click Here To View An Earlier Report on Lake Sylvia