Tampa, Fla. (WFLA) – Starting in July, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Board will no longer be allowed to randomly board boats on the water.
The law restricting ship boarding was signed by the governor on Monday.
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The “Boater Freedom Act” hopes to change water laws and smooth out tensions between sailors and law enforcement.
Secret boats aren’t big for Florida or those visiting the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wanted to confirm that Florida is the boat capital.
“We are the top boat state. We are consistently ranked number one in marine spending and boat registrations. As of 2023, there were over 900,000 boat registrations, and are probably high now,” he said.
Seeing more sailors and tourists on the water, DeSantis signed a new law to alleviate what he calls tensions between sailors and law enforcement officers.
The “Boat Freedom Act” says law enforcement will not be able to pull a boat without a probable cause or suspected violation.
At these stops, officers are now permitted to perform inspections such as searching for personal property, and the governor said it could lead to further enforcement actions beyond safety compliance.
In the presser, Desantis used an example where you can’t stop and search without any possible causes when walking down the street. So he said, it should be the same on the water.
“If there’s a basis for intervention, it’s likely that it’s one thing and there’s a reason to doubt something. “But I think it caused unnecessary friction between the boat community and some people in law enforcement, not the way we want to do in Florida.”
The bill also prevents local governments from banning the use or sale of gas-powered boats.
This law will take effect from July this year.
