Florida Senate - 2025 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 628
Ì128674EÎ128674
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RS .
03/20/2025 .
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The Committee on Transportation (Martin) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Between lines 113 and 114
4 insert:
5 Section 8. Section 327.731, Florida Statutes, is amended
6 and subsections (2) through (4) are redesignated as (3)-(5)to
7 read:
8 327.731 Mandatory education for violators.—
9 (1) A person convicted of a criminal violation under this
10 chapter, convicted of a noncriminal infraction under this
11 chapter if the infraction resulted in a reportable boating
12 accident, or convicted of a two noncriminal infractions
13 infraction as specified in s. 327.73(1)(h)-(k), (m), (o), (p),
14 and (s)-(y), the infractions occurring within a 12-month period,
15 must:
16 (a) Enroll in, attend, and successfully complete, at his or
17 her own expense, a classroom or online boating safety course
18 that is approved by and meets the minimum standards established
19 by commission rule;
20 (b) File with the commission within 90 days proof of
21 successful completion of the course; and
22 (c) Refrain from operating a vessel until he or she has
23 filed proof of successful completion of the course with the
24 commission. ; and
25 (d) Pay a fine of $500. The clerk of the court shall remit
26 all fines assessed and collected under this paragraph to the
27 Department of Revenue to be deposited into the Marine Resources
28 Conservation Trust Fund to support law enforcement activities.
29 (2) A person convicted of a criminal violation under this
30 chapter, convicted of a noncriminal infraction under this
31 chapter if the infraction resulted in a reportable boating
32 accident, or convicted of two noncriminal infractions as
33 specified in s. 327.73(1)(h)-(k), (m), (o), (p), and (s)-(y),
34 the infractions occurring within a 12-month period, must pay a
35 fine of $500 and complete a boater safety education course that
36 meets the requirements of s. 327.395. The clerk of court shall
37 remit all fines assessed and collected under this paragraph to
38 the Department of Revenue to be deposited into the Marine
39 Resource Conservation Trust Fund to support law enforcement
40 activities.
41 (3) (2) For the purposes of this section, “conviction”
42 means a finding of guilt, or the acceptance of a plea of guilty
43 or nolo contendere, regardless of whether or not adjudication
44 was withheld or whether imposition of sentence was withheld,
45 deferred, or suspended. Any person who operates a vessel on the
46 waters of this state in violation of the provisions of this
47 section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree,
48 punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
49 (4) (3) The commission shall print on the reverse side of
50 the defendant’s copy of the boating citation a notice of the
51 provisions of this section. Upon conviction, the clerk of the
52 court shall notify the defendant that it is unlawful for him or
53 her to operate any vessel until he or she has complied with this
54 section, but failure of the clerk of the court to provide such a
55 notice shall not be a defense to a charge of unlawful operation
56 of a vessel under subsection (3) (2).
57 (5) (4) The commission shall maintain a program to ensure
58 compliance with the mandatory boating safety education
59 requirements under this section. This program must:
60 (a) Track any citations resulting in a conviction under
61 this section and the disposition of such citations.
62 (b) Send specific notices to each person subject to the
63 requirement for mandatory boating safety education.
64
65 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
66 And the title is amended as follows:
67 Delete line 13
68 and insert:
69 amending s. 327.731, F.S., requiring a boating safety
70 course after certain conditions; amending s. 782.072,
71 F.S.; defining the term "unborn