Latest news with #FloridaFreedomBoater
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida's Boater Freedom Act takes effect this July: Here's what it means
The Brief Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Boater Freedom Act on Monday, which will change how law enforcement pulls over boaters on the water. Starting July 1, officers will no longer be allowed to conduct random "safety compliance" stops unless they have probable cause. Instead, boaters can display a "Florida Freedom Boater" decal, indicating they've already met required safety standards. The new law also protects the rights of residents to use gas-powered boats on Florida waters. ORLANDO, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Boater Freedom Act into law on Monday during a news conference with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in Panama City. The new law, also known as Senate Bill 1388, will take effect this summer on July 1, which will change how law enforcement pulls over boaters on the water. Here's what we know about the law. What we know According to DeSantis' office, the Boater Freedom Act will protect boaters by allowing them to use any energy source — including gas, diesel fuel, electricity, hydrogen, or solar power — to operate their vessels. This ensures that gas-powered boaters won't be restricted by local rules. The law will also put a stop to random boat inspections unless there's a good reason. Currently, law enforcement can stop or board a vessel for a safety compliance check. Instead, it will direct the FWC to work with tax collectors to provide a "Florida Freedom Boater" decal at registration – which will let officers know that the boater has already taken steps to maintain safety requirements. In addition, DeSantis signed House Bill 735, which increases funding for public boat ramps, parking, and marina programs – improving access to Florida's public waterways. The bill will also keep important protections in place for manatee zones, seagrass areas, and wake speeds across the state. What they're saying "This Freedom Boater Act is going to make sure that Florida remains the boater capital of the world," DeSantis said. "We're going to make sure that boaters are able to choose the type of vessel that they want. We're not going to allow local governments to step in and block the ability to purchase, and for the businesses to sell, vessels based on the source of fuel those vessels are using." Dig deeper To read the Boater Freedom Act in its entirety, click here or see below: Click to open this PDF in a new window. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference in Panama City on May 19, 2025. Additional details were provided in an online press release from the governor's office.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some FWC, police stops of boats, boarding to be halted by new Florida law. What to know
As of July 1, law enforcement in Florida will need probable cause to pull over boats under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The law also protects gas-powered boats by preventing local governments from restricting watercraft sales based on what fuel is used, and blocks any "alien power" from getting a fishing license in Florida. SB 1388, dubbed the Boater Freedom Act, prohibits any law enforcement officer, including Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, from stopping or boarding a vessel solely to conduct a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection. The law makes safety or sanitation equipment violations secondary offenses and requires probable cause for any stops. 'This Boater Freedom Act is going to make sure that Florida remains the boater capital of the world,' DeSantis said May 19 at a press conference at a marina in Panama City. 'This is really significant legislation today. I know there's a lot of people throughout Florida that are going to be happy that this legislation finally got across the finish line.' The bill requires the creation of a "Florida Freedom Boater" safety registration decal, potentially good for multiple years, to be issued during registration or renewal to show that the vessel has met the safety requirements. SB 1388 makes the following changes to Florida law: Law enforcement officials may no longer stop, board and search boats, even with consent, solely to inspect the craft's safety or marine sanitation equipment. Probable cause to believe a violation has happened or will happen is required Violations of safety or marine sanitation equipment requirements bumped down to secondary offense The FWC and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are ordered to create a 'Florida Freedom Boater' safety inspection decal to be issued at registration or renewal. The FWC may decode on the expiration date but it must be between one and five years. Local governments and entities may not pass laws or regulations restricting the use or sale of a watercraft based on the energy source it uses, such as a ban on gas or diesel-powered boats to encourage environmentally-friendly electric motors The FWC's ability to establish springs protection zones where the speed and operation of vessels can be restricted and some methods of anchoring or beaching vessels can be prohibited to protect the environment has been weakened. Now the agency may only act to prevent "significant" harm, rather than just harm, and only if "the operation, anchoring, mooring, beaching, or grounding of vessels is determined to be the predominant cause of negative impacts" The FWC may not license any vessel owned in whole or in part by any alien power. Previously, Florida law prohibited fishing licenses for "alien powers" who subscribed to the doctrine of international communism or who had signed a treaty or nonaggression pact with a communist power, but the new law changes that to block licenses for all alien powers. "Alien power" is left undefined. It is unclear how this would affect, for example, foreign-owned yachts. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2025. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida Boater Freedom Act: mew law to block random stops
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis signs law that restricts when authorities can stop boaters
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the Boater Freedom Act on Monday, which places new restrictions on when state and local law enforcement can stop boaters and board their vessels. DeSantis was joined at the a news conference in Panama City ahead of Memorial Day weekend by sponsors Rep. Griff Griffitts and Sen. Jay Trumbell, who touted SB 1388 as one that rids boaters of 'government overreach.' The bill, which goes into effect July 1, says an officer cannot stop a boat or board someone's boat solely to do a safety or equipment inspection. Officers are only allowed to stop a boat when there is probable cause of a violation. DeSantis at the news conference Monday said the law previously allowed officers to stop boaters without probable cause or suspicion of any violation in order to conduct safety inspections, like property searches, which could then lead to unexpected further law enforcement action. Boaters will be protected from 'suspicionless searches' under the new law, DeSantis said. He appeared to reference one stop of a boater that went viral online, where Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers pulled a Jupiter man over for violating a slow speed minimum wake zone and then arrested him for BUI, even though testing later proved he was sober. 'If there's a basis to intervene, that's one thing … But to just go in without any basis is not the way we want to do it in the state of Florida,' DeSantis said. 'And I think it's unnecessarily created friction between the boating community and some folks in law enforcement.' Trumbell, a frequent boater himself, said one of his neighbors shared with him that he had been stopped by law enforcement out on the water three times in the same day last year for random safety inspections. The bill does not get rid of inspections, he said, but 'ensures that they happen for the right reasons and not at random.' 'We do respect our law enforcement officers and their mission, but there has to be a balance,' he said. 'This bill is about restoring common sense to marine enforcement.' Boaters will be able to receive a 'Florida Freedom Boater' decal to show law enforcement that they are keeping the needed safety requirements and 'strikes an appropriate balance between ensuring compliance with boating laws and reducing unnecessary disruptions for law-abiding boaters,' the governor's office said in a news release Monday. The law also prohibits state and any local governments from imposing restrictions on the types of boats people can use or sell based on the fuel it uses. DeSantis said there has been a 'movement' with some local governments to regulate boat usage based on its energy source. 'We know a lot of families opt for used vessels and of course they're gonna be gas powered,' he said. 'People want to be able to afford this, and if you impose these draconian restrictions, you're not gonna be able to do it.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Florida is the boating and fishing capital of the world,' Governor Ron DeSantis signs act
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1388, the Boater Freedom Act, into law, freeing Florida boaters from government interference. Florida's Boater Freedom Act prevents local bans on gas vessels, random safety inspections without probable cause and directs the FWC to establish 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,' said Governor Ron DeSantis. The new act will guarantee that boaters who favor gas-powered vehicles won't face restrictions from local activist groups. Additionally, it preserves statewide regulations concerning wake speeds, manatee habitats and seagrass areas. The bill will additionally prohibit boat inspections unless there is probable cause, replacing the previous practice of conducting these as 'safety compliance' checks. The bill will also require the FWC to collaborate with tax collectors to actively supply a 'Florida Freedom Boater' decal during registration. The decal will signal law enforcement that the boater has fulfilled the safety requirements. This effectively establishes a proper balance between adhering to boating regulations and minimizing unwarranted disturbances for law-abiding boaters, thereby rendering enforcement more pragmatic and efficient. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida boaters' rights to be protected with Boater Freedom Act
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Florida State Senator Jay Trumbull has filed Senate Bill 1388, establishing the Boater Freedom Act to protect the rights of Florida Boaters. This act protects boaters by prohibiting Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers from stopping boats for inspections without probable cause. 'Governor DeSantis and the Legislature have built a state that promotes and protects freedom and individual liberty, and those principles should extend to Florida's waters and our responsible boating community,' Senator Trumbull said. SB 1388 prohibits officers from boarding any vessel in Florida unless the officer has probable cause or knowledge to believe a violation has occurred or is occurring, officials wrote. Panama City man found guilty of trafficking over 1,400 grams of meth 'Florida fishermen and recreational boaters should not be randomly subjected to stops and searches when the vast majority are simply trying to enjoy a day on the beautiful waters of our great state and are not doing anything wrong. While our law enforcement officers have good intentions, this current practice, which allows them to stop and inspect any boat without cause, is infringing on the rights of Florida boaters. Too often I have heard about, or myself experienced, boats being stopped multiple times in one outing. The Boater Freedom Act will put an end to this misguided practice and ensure the Free State of Florida extends to our waterways,' Trumbull added. Under SB 1388, probable cause would not include any actions to make a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection. The bill also establishes that safety and marine sanitation equipment requirement violations may only be considered a secondary offense. Additionally, the bill creates the 'Florida Freedom Boater' decal, which is issued at the time of registration or renewal. This safety decal signifies that the vessel complies with application safety equipment carriage and use requirements. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
