New Florida law requires watercraft operators to be insured and permitted to hit the waters

With the arrival of the new year and starting Sunday, January 1, it will be a little more difficult to rent a boat or jet ski as a new state law goes into effect requiring watercraft renters to carry insurance and obtain a permit before legally hitting the waters.

The Boating Safety Act was passed by the Florida Legislature in June and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Senate Bill 606 requires boat rental and jet ski operators to obtain a no-cost permit through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), secure insurance, and for operators to report accidents or overdue rentals to the FWC.

The law was passed in hopes Florida can improve safety on the waterways by establishing a permitting program and new requirements for boat rental operations. There are also larger penalties for violations.

The objective behind the legislation is to protect marine life and people enjoying the waterways by cutting down on reckless watercraft operators.

The US Coast Guard reported that Florida had the highest number of boating accidents of any state in 2021, with 723 injuries and 8 deaths.

Miami-Dade County had 95 watercraft accidents in 2021, seven of which were fatal, according to the FWC. In 2022, in Biscayne Bay off Key Biscayne Bay, two people died and 10 were injured when two vessels collided.

"Equipping the public with the knowledge they need to change their boating habits will have lasting impacts and benefit our waterways for generations to come, '' said Florida Senator Illeana Garcia, who sponsored the bill.

The new law will impact watercraft rental businesses throughout Florida.

Alexander Mendez, owner of the Saltlyfe Jet Ski Rentals located near Miami Marine Stadium, said the new law could have a devastating effect on businesses.

"That's not going to work. As a business, you tell a customer they need insurance and they will walk out the door," he said, noting that he had been averaging about 30 jet ski customers per day at a rental rate of $150 an hour.

Under the new law, watercraft rental companies can face fines and other penalties if they rent their watercraft to uninsured customers.

Before the new law, Mendez said customers signed a waiver that they would pay for any damages they caused to the jet skies and accidents.

He said he understands safety in the waters but jet skies customers may not be patient enough to get insurance and a permit. "It's going to be hard for business," he said.

Peggy Matthews, Florida's representative for the American Watercraft Association, said it's an unintended consequence of the legislation.

Renter's insurance is "almost redundant in the fact that the insurance companies for the livery covers the renter in most cases," Matthews said.

Matthews said it's likely the legislature will pass a "glitch" bill next session to correct the problem by removing the legislation's renter insurance language.