Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Who May Operate a Vessel
To operate a vessel powered by a motor of 10 horsepower
or greater (including PWCs), a person 21 years of age or
younger must have completed a boater education course approved
by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
(NASBLA) or passed an approved equivalency exam.
- Operators who are required to have completed a boating
education course or exam must carry on board:
- His or her Boating Safety Education ID Card issued
by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
(FWC) and ...
- A photographic identification card.
- These operators are exempt from the boater education
requirement:
- Persons licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard as a
master of a vessel
- Persons operating on a private lake or pond
- Operators who are accompanied on board by a person
who is exempt from the education requirement or
by a person who is at least 18 years old, possesses
the required identification cards, and is attendant
to the operation of the vessel and responsible
for any violation that occurs
No one under 14 years of age may operate any PWC on Florida
waters at any time, even if such person possesses a Boating
Safety Education ID Card.
No one under the age of 18 years may rent/lease a PWC.
It is also illegal for the owner of a PWC to knowingly
allow a person under 14 years of age to operate a PWC.
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Boating Safety Education
ID Card
Operators required
to have a Boating Safety Education ID Card must carry
it and a photographic identification card on board. |
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