FWC outlines rollout for 2025 vessel laws: decals, derelict-vessel push and new anchoring permit

Tallahassee — The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Boating and Waterways section leader told the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday that the agency is taking a staged approach to implement five vessel-related laws passed during the 2025 legislative session.

Bill Holcomb, section leader for Boating and Waterways, told the committee the first law he reviewed, Senate Bill 1388 (the Boater Freedom Act), restricts vessel stops without probable cause, makes some equipment violations secondary offenses and directs FWC and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue a five-year "Florida Freedom Boater Safety Inspection" decal after an attestation of compliance. Holcomb said law enforcement received training on the changes and that the new decals should be available to vessel owners through registration renewals "by mid to late November."

Holcomb then summarized Senate Bill 164 (Vessel Accountability), which revises derelict-vessel and anchoring rules. He reported there are about 365 active derelict vessel investigations statewide, with 210 awaiting removal or contractor action and nearly 500 removals last year. The law lengthened the window for at-risk violations from 18 to 24 months, removed a same-paragraph requirement, allowed immediate means-of-propulsion tests for occupied vessels, shortened occupied-vessel timeframes from 72 to 48 hours, and established a no-cost electronic long-term anchoring permit for vessels anchored within one linear nautical mile of a designated point for 14 or more days in a 30-day period; Holcomb said that permit system is in development and is slated to begin January 1, 2026.

Holcomb described House Bill 289 (Lucy's Law), which tightens penalties for certain boating offenses, adds mandatory boating-safety education for convicted operators and establishes enhanced penalties for certain accidents and repeat infractions. He said the agency updated electronic enforcement forms to reflect new violation levels and is incorporating the new educational requirements into its processes.

Senate Bill 830 addresses disposition of migrant vessels, Holcomb said, defining migrant vessels and establishing a five-day removal-notice period that authorizes law enforcement to remove and dispose of unclaimed vessels. Holcomb added that FWC developed an identifying decal for migrant vessels and updated emergency response protocols. He also detailed House Bill 735, which expands grant eligibility for water-access infrastructure and creates a Department of Environmental Protection clean marine manufacturers program with lease incentives for qualifying participants.

In question-and-answer, Senator Harrell asked whether the state recoups removal costs from owners. Holcomb said removal is initially funded by grants or legislative funding; if the vessel owner is identified, the owner is required to repay removal costs and may lose the right to register a vehicle or vessel until repayment. He said that enforcement and electronic forms have been updated to reflect new violation levels and that officers will receive continuing refresher training.

Senator Smith probed changes to the standard for establishing springs protection zones in SB 1388, which replaces an undefined "harm" threshold with a requirement that agency reviewers find "significant harm" and that vessel activity be the "predominant cause" of the harm. Holcomb described the outcome as a shift toward subject-matter-expert evaluation: FWC will solicit input from counties, water-management districts, the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers to identify causation and whether vessel activity predominates; he said Silver Glen Springs will be reproposed for review under the new criteria and rules.

Holcomb outlined procedural next steps: amended and new rules tied to the bills are in the FWC rule-making process and are expected to go before the commission in November; officers have received initial training and will receive ongoing refresher training; the new long-term anchoring electronic permit is under development with an anticipated January 1, 2026 rollout; and the Florida Freedom Boater Safety Inspection decal will be coordinated with DHSMV and available via registration renewals in the coming weeks.

The presentation provided statutory references, implementation timelines and enforcement changes that local marinas, boat-owners and law enforcement agencies will need to follow as the rules and electronic systems are finalized.