Title: Vessels

Summary: Creates Deviny's Law; prohibits person under certain age from operating vessel towing person; prohibits operating vessel towing person within certain distance from stationary structure; provides for exceptions.

Full Text:
An act relating to vessels; providing a short title; amending s. 327.37, F.S.; prohibiting a person under a certain age from operating a vessel towing a person; prohibiting the operation of a vessel towing a person within a certain distance from a stationary structure; providing exceptions; providing penalties; reenacting s. 327.73(1)(i), F.S., relating to noncriminal infractions, to incorporate changes made by th eact; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. This act may be cited as "Deviny's Law." Section 2. Section 327.37, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 327.37 Water skis, parasails, and aquaplanes regulated.-(1)(a) A person may not operate a vessel on any waters of this state towing a person on water skis, or an aquaplane, or similar device unless there is in such vessel a person, in addition to the operator, in a position to obse rve the progress of the person being towed, or the vessel is equipped with a wide-angle rear view mirror mounted in such manner as to permit the operator of the vessel to observe the progress of the person being towed. This subsection does not apply to cla ss A motorboats operated by the person being towed and designed to be incapable of carrying the operator in the motorboat. (b) A person may not operate a vessel on any waters of HB 2013 this state towing a person attached to a parasail or similar device unless there is a person in the vessel, in addition to the operator, in a position to observe the progress of the person being towed. A wide-angle rear view mirror is not acceptable for this purpose. (c) A person younger than years of age may not operate a vessel on any waters of this state towing a person in, on, or above the water unless there is a person in the vessel who is at least years of age and in a position to observe the progress of the vessel and the person being towed. (2)(a) A person may not engage in water skiing, parasailing, aquaplaning, or any similar activity at any time between the hours from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. (b) A person may not engage in water skiing, parasailing, aquaplaning, or any simila ractivity unless such person is wearing a noninflatable type I, type II, type III, or type Vpersonal flotation device approved by the United States Coast Guard. (3) The provisions of subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to a performer engaged in a prof essional exhibition or a person preparing to participate or participating in an official regatta, boat race, marine parade, tournament, or exhibition held pursuant to s. 327.48. (4) A person may not operate or manipulate any vessel, tow rope, or other de vice by which the direction or location of water skis, parasail, aquaplane, innertube, sled, or similar device may be affected or controlled, in such a way as to cause HB 2013 the water skis, parasail, aquaplane, innertube, sled, or similar device or any person th ereon to collide or strike against or be likely to collide or strike against any vessel, bridge, wharf, pier, dock, buoy, platform, piling, channel marker, or other object, except slalom buoys, ski jumps, or like objects used normally in competitive or rec reational skiing. (5) A person may not operate any vessel towing a parasail or engage in parasailing within feet of the marked channel of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. (6) A person may not operate any vessel that is towing a person in, on, or above the water within yards of any stationary structure, including a moored vessel, bridge, wharf, pier, dock, buoy, platform, piling, channel marker, or any other stationary object, except slalom buoys, ski jumps, or like objects used normally in comp etitive or recreational skiing. Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment made by this act to section 327.37, Florida Statutes, in a reference thereto, paragraph (i) of subsection (1) of section 327.73, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 327.73 Noncriminal infractions.-(1) Violations of the following provisions of the vessel laws of this state are noncriminal infractions: (i) Section 327.37, relating to water skiing, aquaplaning, parasailing, and similar activities. Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2013.