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By: MIASF Staff

Date posted: Jan 31, 2022 Mon

The discussion over how to cross the New River with commuter rail has seen more activity with the City of Fort Lauderdale recently passing a resolution prioritizing a tunnel. However, public meetings continue and the results from these meetings will be presented to the Broward County Commission in February for a vote of the locally preferred option. This step is necessary to move to the environment (NEPA) and design phase of the process which opens the opportunity to apply for federal funding.

In Tallahassee the legislature has begun this year’s session. While redistricting is a top priority overall, marine industry items on the agenda include:

Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission -  Revising the notices a person must be given for failure to submit to certain testsfor alcohol, chemical substances, or controlled substances; authorizing certain athletic teams or sports affiliated with specifiededucational institutions to operate a human- powered vessel within the marked channel of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway;revising the vessel conditions that an officer of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or a law enforcement agencymay use to determine that a vessel is at risk of becoming derelict; prohibiting municipalities and counties from designatingpublic bathing beach areas or swim areas within their jurisdictions which are within the marked channel portion of the FloridaIntracoastal Waterway or within a specified distance from any portion of the marked channel; providing that all employees of commission or the Florida Forest Service may operate drones for specified purposes, etc.
 
Boating Safety -  Citing this act as the "Boating Safety Act of 2022"; authorizing a court to impose a specified fine for certain boating collisions and accidents; prohibiting liveries, beginning on a specified date, from offering a vessel for lease or rent without a livery permit; revising the conditions under which a livery may not knowingly lease or rent a vessel; increasing fines for violations of certain boating regulations; providing that an improper transfer of vessel title is subject to a civil penalty, etc.
 
Yacht and Ship Brokers' Act - Provides visiting broker is not required to be licensed under certain circumstances; requires DBPR to deny license to applicant under certain circumstances; requires person to demonstrate that he or she has been directly involved in specified number of transactions or certify that he or she has completed specified number of continuing education units to be licensed as broker; requires division to create & publish complaint form; provides disciplinary actions against licensed broker or salesperson.