As of July 1, law enforcement in Florida will need probable cause to pull over boats under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis . The law also protects gas-powered boats by preventing local governments from restricting watercraft sales based on what fuel is used, and blocks any "alien power" from getting a fishing license in Florida.

SB 1388, dubbed the Boater Freedom Act, prohibits any law enforcement officer, including Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, from stopping or boarding a vessel solely to conduct a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection. The law makes safety or sanitation equipment violations secondary offenses and requires probable cause for any stops.

“This Boater Freedom Act is going to make sure that Florida remains the boater capital of the world,” DeSantis said May 19 at a press conference at a marina in Panama City. “This is really significant legislation today. I know there’s a lot of people throughout Florida that are going to be happy that this legislation finally got across the finish line.”

The bill requires the creation of a "Florida Freedom Boater" safety registration decal, potentially good for multiple years, to be issued during registration or renewal to show that the vessel has met the safety requirements.

What does SB 1388, Boater Freedom Act do?

Previously, Florida law prohibited fishing licenses for "alien powers" who subscribed to the doctrine of international communism or who had signed a treaty or nonaggression pact with a communist power, but the new law changes that to block licenses for all alien powers. "Alien power" is left undefined. It is unclear how this would affect, for example, foreign-owned yachts.

When does Florida's Boater Freedom Act go into effect?

The law goes into effect on July 1, 2025.