FL H1447

Expands the boating safety education requirement effective July 1, 2028, so that all persons operating a vessel powered by a motor of 10 horsepower or greater must carry a Florida boating safety identification card or equivalent documentation, removing the previous exemption for those born before January 1, 1988.

Allows the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, effective October 1, 2027, to include a boating safety identification card symbol on Florida driver licenses and state ID cards at no additional fee, with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission authorized to share applicant records for verification.

Increases criminal penalties for leaving the scene of a boating accident: property damage becomes a first-degree misdemeanor (up from second-degree), serious bodily injury becomes a second-degree felony, and death becomes a first-degree felony, with a mandatory minimum 4-year prison sentence if the offender was boating under the influence (BUI).

Strengthens BUI penalties by requiring mandatory ignition interlock devices on vehicles and vessels for third and subsequent offenses (minimum 2 continuous years at the offender's expense), establishing a mandatory minimum 4-year imprisonment for BUI manslaughter, and requiring BUI offenders with additional criminal violations to maintain vessel liability insurance of at least $100,000/$50,000.

Upgrades navigation rule violations causing serious bodily injury or death from a second-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, adds a required BUI awareness component to boating safety education courses, and revises mandatory education requirements for boating violators with tiered course obligations based on number and severity of infractions.