Rules · Florida

Stops, boardings and equipment checks

F.S. 327.56since 1 Jul 2025

An officer may not board a vessel or make a vessel stop without probable cause to believe a violation of chapter 327 has occurred or is occurring, and an equipment violation is a secondary offence.

Last checked 21 Oct 2026Not legal advice.

Probable cause, in the words of the section

Since 1 July 2025 the rule for a stop on Florida water is written into the statutes: an officer may not board any vessel or perform a vessel stop unless the officer has probable cause to believe that a violation of chapter 327 has occurred or is occurring. And a vessel may not be stopped or boarded for the sole purpose of performing a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection.

That is the whole of what changed about the encounter. It is not a shield against a stop for anything else, and it says nothing about what a federal officer may do.

What a visiting crew should take from it

Carry the equipment. A violation of safety or marine sanitation equipment requirements is a secondary offence rather than a primary one, which is about the order in which things are reached — not about whether the gear has to be aboard.

The name

This section is widely called the Boater Freedom Act. The statutes do not use that title, and neither does the bill. CS/SB 1388 creates the “Florida Freedom Boater” safety inspection decal and the “Watercraft Energy Source Freedom Act”. Where the decal is written into the statutes, and whether a boat visiting from another state or another country is expected to carry one, is not something this page can answer: the agency page that explains it was not readable when the page was written, and a guess would be worse than the gap.

Worth knowing

A check is not a reason of its own. The section says an officer may not stop or board a vessel for the sole purpose of performing a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection.F.S. 327.56(2)
Secondary, not abolished. A violation of safety or marine sanitation equipment requirements is a secondary offence rather than a primary one. What has to be aboard did not change; how a violation is reached did.F.S. 327.56(2)
There is no "Boater Freedom Act" in the statutes. Neither 327.56 nor CS/SB 1388 carries that name. The bill creates the "Florida Freedom Boater" safety inspection decal and the "Watercraft Energy Source Freedom Act". A nickname does not belong in a citation — or in a web address.ch. 2025-35
Where the decal is written is not established here. The decal comes from the bill summary. 327.56 itself does not mention it, and this page does not say whether a visiting boat needs one or how one is obtained.ch. 2025-35
The equipment itself is another section. 327.56 is about the inspection. What a vessel has to carry, and the alcohol limit, stand elsewhere.F.S. 327.56 Alcohol and the equipment the law asks for

What changed on this rule

1 Jul 2025
CS/SB 1388 · ch. 2025-35
Probable cause for a vessel stopin force
Prohibits an officer from performing a vessel stop or boarding a vessel without probable cause, makes safety and marine sanitation equipment violations a secondary offence, and creates the "Florida Freedom Boater" safety inspection decal. The bill page gives the effective date as 7/1/2025.
State law

Questions

Do I still have to carry the required safety equipment in Florida?

Yes. The section changes how a violation is handled, not what has to be aboard: a safety or marine sanitation equipment violation is a secondary offence rather than a primary one.

Can an officer board my boat to look at my lifejackets?

The section says an officer may not stop or board a vessel for the sole purpose of performing a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection, and may not board or stop at all without probable cause to believe a violation of chapter 327 has occurred or is occurring.

Is this the "Florida Boater Freedom Act"?

That is a nickname, not a title in the law. Neither 327.56 nor CS/SB 1388 is called that; the bill creates the "Florida Freedom Boater" decal and the "Watercraft Energy Source Freedom Act".

Do I need the Freedom Boater decal as a visitor?

This page does not say. The decal comes from the bill summary rather than from 327.56, and the agency page that explains it could not be read when the page was written.

Sources & checks

Written by buoya editorial from the sources above. Every figure was checked against its source on 21 Oct 2026. Found something wrong? Report a correction.