PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that will prevent law enforcement from conducting random vessel safety inspections without probable cause.
The governor signed Senate Bill 1388 Monday during a news conference in Bay County.
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“I want to thank Roger Young for really being strong on this to making sure that our law enforcement efforts are focused, that they’re targeted and that they’re really doing what we expect them to do," DeSantis said, "which is identify possible violations, bring people to account and ultimately protect the safety of everybody else in our communities who are using our waterways.”
SB 1388, better known as the Boater Freedom Act, will also allow Florida boaters to be "free from undue government interference in their enjoyment of Florida’s waters by preventing local bans on gas vessels" and will lead to the creation of a "five-year safety inspection decal program linked to vessel registration" via joint efforts by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
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DeSantis says new initiative is 'fair and balanced approach' to boater safety
As it currently stands, law enforcement officers can pull over boaters for safety with no probable cause.
WPTV reporter Kendall Hyde spoke with boaters about the Boater Freedom Act in February, when DeSantis first announced the initiative.
"In my opinion, there is a lot of boneheads out there," said Mike Gannon. "Anything that would make boating safer, I tend to agree with. As long as it doesn't go overboard."
This new law goes into effect July 1.
