An effort to impose stricter penalties on reckless boaters continues moving forward in the legislature.
A House panel recently approved the bill, known as “Lucy’s Law,” after a Senate committee passed similar legislation last week.
Both proposals are named after Lucy Fernandez, a 17-year-old killed in 2022 when the boat she and 13 others were on hit a channel marker in Miami-Dade County.
In backing increased boater education, Lucy’s mother, Melissa Fernandez, told the committee that Florida leads the nation in registered vessels along with boating fatalities.
“The only real way to prevent these tragedies is to make boater education and safety the priority across all ages and all groups. If you are operating a boat, you should be able to show you know how to do it safely. Anything less is gambling with lives," Fernandez said.
Florida requires boat operators born after 1988 to take a boating safety course.
Under the legislation, people born before 1988 would have to take the course if they are charged with reckless boating or if they receive two non-criminal boating violations within a 12-month period.
The legislation would also increase penalties for boat operators that leave the scene of a crash or make false statements to law enforcement.
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