The Florida Senate

327.22  Regulation of vessels by municipalities or counties.--

(1)

(a)  Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit any municipality or county that expends money for the patrol, regulation, and maintenance of any lakes, rivers, or waters and for other boating-related activities in such municipality or county from regulating vessels resident in such municipality or county. Any county or municipality may adopt ordinances which provide for enforcement of noncriminal violations of s. 327.33 relating to the careless operation of a vessel which results in the endangering or damaging of property, by citation mailed to registered owner of the vessel. Any such ordinance shall apply only in designated restricted areas which are properly marked and in need of shoreline protection. Any county and the municipalities located within the county may jointly regulate vessels.

(b)  Citations issued to liveried vessels pursuant to this subsection shall be the responsibility of the lessee of the vessel. It shall be the responsibility of the lessor upon request of the agency issuing the citation, to provide the name and address of the lessee. It shall be the responsibility of the livery to provide such information as a part of the rental agreement. The livery is not responsible for the payment of citations if the livery provides the required information.

(2)  Any county may impose an annual registration fee on vessels registered, operated, or stored in the water within its jurisdiction. This fee shall be 50 percent of the applicable state registration fee. However, the first $1 of every registration imposed under this subsection shall be remitted to the state for deposit in the Save the Manatee Trust Fund for expenditure solely on activities related to the preservation of manatees. All other moneys received from such fee shall be expended for the patrol, regulation, and maintenance of the lakes, rivers, and waters and for other boating-related activities of such municipality or county. A municipality that was imposing a registration fee before April 1, 1984, may continue to levy such fee, notwithstanding the provisions of this section.

(3)  Any county which imposes an annual registration fee may establish, by interlocal agreement with one or more of the municipalities located in the county, a distribution formula for dividing the proceeds of the fee or for use of the funds for boating-related projects located within the county or the municipality or municipalities, or the county and the municipality or municipalities.

History.--s. 1, ch. 65-361; s. 8, ch. 74-327; s. 112, ch. 77-104; s. 24, ch. 79-334; s. 2, ch. 82-17; s. 7, ch. 84-184; s. 1, ch. 85-108; s. 1, ch. 85-287; s. 4, ch. 89-168; s. 1, ch. 90-219; s. 1, ch. 92-188.

Note.--Former s. 371.63.