Florida’s Boater Freedom Act

Senate Bill 1388 is known as the “Boater Freedom Act” which took effect on July 1, 2025.

The Boater Freedom Act provides that a law enforcement officer may not board any vessel or perform a vessel stop without probable cause that a violation of vessel safety laws has occurred or is occurring, regardless of whether the owner or operator of the vessel is on board.

Florida’s Boater Freedom Act provides that a law enforcement officer may not perform a vessel stop or board a vessel for the sole purpose of making a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection and that a violation of safety and marine sanitation equipment requirements may only be considered a secondary offense.

The new legislation requires the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to create a “Florida Freedom Boater” safety inspection decal that will be issued following the demonstration of compliance with safety equipment carriage and use requirements.

The Boater Freedom Act also contains the “Watercraft Energy Source Freedom Act,” which prohibits a state agency, municipality, government entity, or county from restricting the use or sale of a watercraft based on the energy source used to power the watercraft.

Furthermore, the Boater Freedom Act does the following:

1. provides that facilities designated as Clean Marine Manufacturers will be eligible for a discount on sovereignty submerged land leases and a waiver of extended-term lease surcharges;
2. authorizes funding for the construction and maintenance of parking for boat-hauling vehicles and trailers;
3. provides that the FWC may establish springs protection zones to prevent significant harm to springs, spring groups, and spring runs;
4. prohibits the FWC from issuing a fishing license to any commercial fishing vessel owned by any alien power.

This article was last updated on Thursday, June 4, 2026.