CS/HB 347 - White-Miskell Act

• Defines "commercial parasailing" as providing towing activities for consideration where persons are tethered to a motorboat, ascend above water, and remain suspended under a canopy while the vessel is underway.

• Requires commercial parasailing vessel owners to obtain and maintain liability insurance with minimum coverage of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million annual aggregate, with proof available for inspection.

• Requires commercial parasailing operators to hold a current United States Coast Guard license for carrying passengers for hire and prohibits parasailing if sustained wind speeds exceed 20 mph, wind gusts exceed 15 mph above sustained speed, visibility is less than 0.5 mile, or lightning storms are within 7 miles.

• Mandates operators maintain a weather log documenting prevailing and forecasted conditions each time passengers are taken out on the water, available for inspection at the operator's place of business.

• Prohibits parasailing and moored ballooning within 100 feet of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway marked channel or within 2 miles of airport boundaries; establishes second-degree misdemeanor penalties for violations.

• Effective date: October 1, 2014.