Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the Legislature to halt law-enforcement officers from using boat safety inspections as a pretense for “intrusive” checks of “people who are acting responsibly” on Florida waters.
RELATED: Here’s what to know about Florida’s special session on immigration | New Florida special session on immigration begins after Legislature, DeSantis compromise on package of bills
Recommended Videos
DeSantis’ proposal would require a change in a state law that allows law enforcement officers to pull over boaters for safety inspections when no probable cause or suspected violations have occurred.
“By eliminating unwarranted vessel inspections without probable cause, we believe (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) officers should better allocate resources and time in cases where there’s a clear need for intervention,” DeSantis said Wednesday during an appearance at the Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
DeSantis pointed to an incident last year involving a boater and a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer that drew heavy attention online.
“We even had the situation out of Jupiter, which got millions and millions of views on the internet, where you had somebody pulled over for supposedly driving a boat under the influence and then blowing a 0.0 breathalyzer. And then they still went after them. And that’s unacceptable,” DeSantis said.
Under the proposal, which could be considered during the legislative session that will start March 4, DeSantis said the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would also be directed to work with county tax collectors to establish a boater decal that could be obtained at registration to “reassure law enforcement that the boater has done the due diligence of inspecting and maintaining proper boater safety requirements.”