Freedom Boat Club of Northeast Florida Named a First Place Winner at the 2025 Jacksonville Light Boat Parade

The boat club took first place in the corporate boat category

Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 1, 2025 – Freedom Boat Club (FBC) of Northeast Florida was a top winner at this weekend’s Jacksonville Light Boat Parade, which has been a holiday tradition for nearly 40 years. The boat club took first place in the Corporate Boat category. The boat was a pontoon named Perfect Partnership, part of the boat club’s fleet. The theme was “Freedom,” designed by FBC’s Assistant Director of Marketing Luke Bickerstaff, who also decorated it along with FBC Captain Steve Smith and Alex Vita, one of FBC’s dock staff.

“The light boat parade is one of my favorite events of the year, and it is such a great honor that our boat was number one this year in the corporate category,” said Lisa “the Boatanista” Almeida, co-owner of FBC of Northeast Florida. “This parade has been a part of Jacksonville’s holiday tradition for decades, and when it was in jeopardy of cancellation, I worked on the committee that helped save it. It is one of the accomplishments that I am most proud of. This is a magical evening for families, and it has been pure joy for me to help deliver this gift to the crowds.”

The Jacksonville Light Boat Parade has been a city holiday tradition since the late 1980s and takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in coordination with the annual holiday tree lighting. Freedom Boat Club of Northeast Florida has participated since Almeida joined the boat club in 2009. She served on the planning committee for five years when private organizations oversaw the event, and she was instrumental in saving the parade by raising funds to keep it going until the City of Jacksonville took over those efforts.  

This year, the decorated boats cruised along the St. Johns River on a loop from west of the Main Street Bridge to the Acosta Bridge as spectators lined the parade route on the Northbank and the Southbank. The parade was followed by a fireworks display featuring cascading lights from the Main Street and Acosta bridges.

Boat winners are chosen in a variety of categories, including the corporate level, 30 ft. and over, and 29 ft. and under. This year’s overall winner was the number 50 boat, Reel Quick.

About Freedom Boat Club

Freedom Boat Club, owned by Brunswick, is the largest membership-based boating club in the world. It is an alternative to boat ownership, delivering hassle-free boating since 1989. Freedom Boat Club of Northeast Florida provides unlimited access at five local locations: Julington Creek Marina and Julington Creek West in Jacksonville, Beach Marine in Jacksonville Beach, Camachee Cove Marina in St. Augustine, and The St. Augustine Shipyard in St. Augustine, as well as reciprocal access to 415 locations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Members can enjoy boating freedom and fun without stress through various membership options. For more information, visit www.freedomboatclub.com.