Chapter 327 Vessel Safety
- 327.01 Short title.
This chapter shall be known as the "Florida Vessel Safety Law." History.--s. 1, ch. 59-399; s. 1, ch. 65-361; s. 1, ch. 84-184; s. 5,...
- 327.02 Definitions of terms used in this chapter and in chapter 328.
As used in this chapter and in chapter 328, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning, the term: (1) "Airboat" means a vessel that is...
- 327.04 Rules.
The commission has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this chapter conferring powers or duties upon...
- 327.22 Regulation of vessels by municipalities or counties.
(1) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit any municipality or county that expends money for the patrol, regulation, and maintenance of any lakes,...
- 327.30 Collisions, accidents, and casualties.
(1) It is the duty of the operator of a vessel involved in a collision, accident, or other casualty, so far as he or she can...
- 327.301 Written reports of accidents.
(1) The operator of a vessel that is in any manner involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury, death, or disappearance of any person or...
- 327.302 Accident report forms.
(1) The commission shall prepare and, upon request, supply to police departments, sheriffs, and other appropriate agencies or individuals forms for accident reports as required in...
- 327.31 Transmittal of information.
In accordance with any request made by an authorized official or agency of the United States, any information compiled or otherwise available to the Division...
- 327.32 Vessel declared dangerous instrumentality; civil liability.
All vessels, of whatever classification, shall be considered dangerous instrumentalities in this state, and any operator of a vessel shall, during any utilization of the...
- 327.33 Reckless or careless operation of vessel.
(1) It is unlawful to operate a vessel in a reckless manner. A person is guilty of reckless operation of a vessel who operates any vessel,...
- 327.331 Divers; definitions; divers-down flag required; obstruction to navigation of certain waters; penalty.
(1) As used in this section: (a) "Diver" means any person who is wholly or partially submerged in the waters of the state and is equipped with...
- 327.34 Incapacity of operator.
It is unlawful for the owner of any vessel or any person having such in charge or in control to authorize or knowingly permit the...
- 327.35 Boating under the influence; penalties; "designated drivers".
(1) A person is guilty of the offense of boating under the influence and is subject to punishment as provided in subsection (2) if the person...
- 327.352 Tests for alcohol, chemical substances, or controlled substances; implied consent; refusal.
(1)(a)1. The Legislature declares that the operation of a vessel is a privilege that must be exercised in a reasonable manner. In order to protect the...
- 327.35215 Penalty for failure to submit to test.
(1) A person who is lawfully arrested for an alleged violation of s. 327.35 and who refuses to submit to a blood test, breath test, or...
- 327.353 Blood test for impairment or intoxication in cases of death or serious bodily injury; right to use reasonable force.
(1)(a) If a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that a vessel operated by a person under the influence of alcoholic beverages, any chemical...
- 327.354 Presumption of impairment; testing methods.
(1) It is unlawful and punishable as provided in s. 327.35 for any person who is under the influence of alcoholic beverages or controlled substances, when...
- 327.355 Operation of vessels by persons under 21 years of age who have consumed alcoholic beverages.
(1)(a) Notwithstanding s. 327.35, it is unlawful for a person under the age of 21 who has a breath-alcohol level of 0.02 or higher to operate...
- 327.359 Refusal to submit to testing; penalties.
Any person who has refused to submit to a chemical or physical test of his or her breath, blood, or urine, as described in s....
- 327.36 Mandatory adjudication; prohibition against accepting plea to lesser included offense.
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 948.01, no court may suspend, defer, or withhold adjudication of guilt or imposition of sentence for any violation of s....
- 327.37 Water skis, parasails, and aquaplanes regulated.
(1)(a) A person may not operate a vessel on any waters of this state towing a person on water skis, or an aquaplane, or similar device...
- 327.38 Skiing prohibited while intoxicated or under influence of drugs.
No person shall manipulate any water skis, aquaplane, or similar device from a vessel while intoxicated or under the influence of any narcotic drug, barbiturate,...
- 327.39 Personal watercraft regulated.
(1) A person may not operate a personal watercraft unless each person riding on or being towed behind such vessel is wearing a type I, type...
- 327.391 Airboats regulated.
(1) The exhaust of every internal combustion engine used on any airboat operated on the waters of this state shall be provided with an automotive-style factory...
- 327.395 Boating safety identification cards.
(1) A person 21 years of age or younger may not operate a vessel powered by a motor of 10 horsepower or greater unless such person...
- 327.40 Uniform waterway markers for safety and navigation; informational markers.
(1) Waterways in Florida which need marking for safety or navigation purposes shall be marked under the United States Aids to Navigation System, 33 C.F.R. part...
- 327.41 Uniform waterway regulatory markers.
(1) The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 120 establishing a uniform system of regulatory markers for the waters of the state, compatible with the...
- 327.42 Mooring to or damaging of markers or buoys prohibited.
(1) No person shall moor or fasten a vessel to a lawfully placed aid-to-navigation marker or buoy, regulatory marker or buoy, or area boundary marker or...
- 327.43 Silver Glen Run and Silver Glen Springs; navigation channel.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is directed to mark a navigation channel within Silver Glen Run and Silver Glen Springs, located on the western...
- 327.44 Interference with navigation.
No person shall anchor, operate, or permit to be anchored, except in case of emergency, or operated a vessel or carry on any prohibited activity...
- 327.46 Restricted areas.
(1) The commission has the authority to establish by rule, pursuant to chapter 120, restricted areas on the waters of the state for any purpose deemed...
- 327.461 Safety zones, security zones, regulated navigation areas, and naval vessel protection zones; prohibited entry; penalties.
(1)(a) A person may not knowingly operate a vessel, or authorize the operation of a vessel, in violation of the restrictions of a safety zone, security...
- 327.47 Competitive grant programs.
The commission shall develop and administer competitive grant programs funded with moneys transferred pursuant to s. 206.606(1)(d). Grants may be awarded for the construction and...
- 327.48 Regattas, races, marine parades, tournaments, or exhibitions.
Any person directing the holding of a regatta, tournament, or marine parade or exhibition shall secure a permit from the Coast Guard when such event...
- 327.49 Testing vessels and vessel motors.
Subject to reasonable rules adopted by the commission, manufacturers of vessels and vessel motors that operate vessel and vessel motor test facilities may be authorized...
- 327.50 Vessel safety regulations; equipment and lighting requirements.
(1)(a) The owner and operator of every vessel on the waters of this state shall carry, store, maintain, and use safety equipment in accordance with current...
- 327.52 Maximum loading and horsepower.
(1) Except for sailboats, canoes, kayaks, and inflatable boats, this section applies to all monohull motorboats less than 20 feet in length that are: manufactured or...
- 327.53 Marine sanitation.
(1) Every vessel 26 feet or more in length which has an enclosed cabin with berthing facilities shall, while on the waters of the state, be...
- 327.54 Liveries; safety regulations; penalty.
(1) A livery may not knowingly lease, hire, or rent a vessel to any person: (a) When the number of persons intending to use the vessel exceeds...
- 327.56 Safety and marine sanitation equipment inspections; qualified.
(1) No officer shall board any vessel to make a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection if the owner or operator is not aboard. When the...
- 327.58 Jurisdiction.
The safety regulations included under this chapter shall apply to all vessels, except as specifically excluded, operating upon the waters of this state. History.--s. 1,...
- 327.59 Marina evacuations.
(1) After June 1, 1994, marinas may not adopt, maintain, or enforce policies pertaining to evacuation of vessels which require vessels to be removed from marinas...
- 327.60 Local regulations; limitations.
(1) The provisions of ss. 327.01, 327.02, 327.30-327.40, 327.44-327.50, 327.54, 327.56, 327.65, 328.40-328.48, 328.52-328.58, 328.62, and 328.64 shall govern the operation, equipment, and all other matters...
- 327.65 Muffling devices.
(1) The exhaust of every internal combustion engine used on any vessel operated on the waters of this state shall be effectively muffled by equipment so...
- 327.70 Enforcement of this chapter and chapter 328.
(1) This chapter and chapter 328 shall be enforced by the Division of Law Enforcement of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and its officers, the...
- 327.71 Exemption.
The commission may, if it finds that federal law imposes less restrictive requirements than provided herein or if it determines that boating safety will not...
- 327.72 Penalties.
Any person failing to comply with the provisions of this chapter or chapter 328 not specified in s. 327.73 or not paying the civil penalty...
- 327.73 Noncriminal infractions.
(1) Violations of the following provisions of the vessel laws of this state are noncriminal infractions: (a) Section 328.46, relating to operation of unregistered and unnumbered vessels....
- 327.731 Mandatory education for violators.
(1) Every person convicted of a criminal violation of this chapter, every person convicted of a noncriminal infraction under this chapter if the infraction resulted in...
- 327.74 Uniform boating citations.
(1) The commission shall prepare, and supply to every law enforcement agency in this state which enforces the laws of this state regulating the operation of...
- 327.803 Boating Advisory Council.
(1) The Boating Advisory Council is created within the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and shall be composed of 18 members. The members include: (a) One representative...
- 327.804 Compilation of statistics on boating accidents and violations.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shall compile statistics on boating accidents and boating violations of the age groups of persons affected by chapter 96-187,...
