Florida Senate Bill 1388/ House Bill 1001 entitled “Vessels” if passed, could undermine vital safety and environmental protections for boaters and Florida’s waterways.

You can use this handy Waterkeepers Florida form to ask your Florida statehouse members to vote NO on this bill:
https://waterkeepersflorida.good.do/SB1388_2025/SB1388FP/

Or contact your statehouse members some other way (telephone, in-person, etc.):

• https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/florida-senate/
• https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/florida-house/

This bill will be before the Florida Senate Fiscal Policy Committee when it meets at 11 AM, Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Fecal bacteria is one of the leading causes of pollution in Florida waters. One way that the state combats this issue is by tasking Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) officers with inspecting live-aboard vessels to make sure that they are not dumping raw sewage into our waterways. If passed, SB 1388/ HB 1001 would make it significantly more difficult for FWCC officers to enforce sanitation standards by prohibiting them from boarding vessels to conduct these inspections without probable cause of an additional offense. These bills would also limit officers’ ability to conduct safety checks on vessels, to ensure that all required safety equipment is onboard.

Another way that FWCC works to protect our waterways is by enforcing boating restricted areas in environmentally sensitive waterways such as manatee congregation areas or places where seagrass restoration is taking place. This bill would eliminate the ability of FWCC and local governments to prohibit motorized vessel traffic in areas where they would damage or destroy sensitive ecological resources.

We need your voice to protect public safety and the environment! Contact your legislators today and urge them to oppose SB 1388/ HB 1001. Florida’s waterways deserve better. Speak up now for safer, cleaner waters!

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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