Florida governor signs Boater Freedom Act into law
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1388, the Boater Freedom Act, into law on May 19, preventing local bans on gas vessels and random vessel safety inspections without probable cause. The bill also directs the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to create a five-year safety inspection decal program linked to vessel registration.
“Florida is the boating and fishing capital of the world — and the Boater Freedom Act will ensure that this remains the case,” says DeSantis.
The act, effective July 1, prohibits local governments from restricting the use or sale of gas-powered watercraft. Additionally, it will prohibit boat inspections without probable cause. Instead, it will direct FWC to work with tax collectors to provide a decal at registration. This decal will indicate the boater has taken the necessary steps to maintain proper safety requirements, eliminating unnecessary disruptions for law-abiding boaters. The bill will maintain statewide protections of wake speeds, manatee zones, and seagrass areas.
The Boater Freedom Act is the culmination of DeSantis’ boater freedom initiative proposal announced in February.
DeSantis also signed House Bill 735, which provides additional funding for public boat ramps, parking, and marina programs through the FWC.
