PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Monday morning that aims to protect boaters against “suspicionless” searches and prevent local regulations on vessel purchases.
The “Boater Freedom Act,” introduced by Senator Jay Trumbull in February, was signed into law during a news conference in Panama City.
According to DeSantis, the law will 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.
“Inspections may include personal property searches, sometimes leading to further law enforcement action beyond merely safety compliance,” DeSantis said. “If you think about it, if you’re walking down the street, law enforcement can’t just go up to you and stop you and search you. If there’s not a basis to do that, you got to have probable cause to be able to do it.”
Press play above to watch DeSantis’ remarks on the Boater Freedom Act
DeSantis said this new law will protect boaters from baseless searches.
“To just go in without any basis is not the way we want to do it in the state of Florida, and I think it’s unnecessarily created friction between the boating community and some folks in law enforcement,” DeSantis said.
The law also establishes the right to boat by preempting local governments from banning the sale or use of boats based on fuel sources.
“This Boater Freedom Act is going to make sure that Florida remains the boater capital of the world. We’re going to make sure that boaters are able to choose the type of vessel that they want,” DeSantis said.