But Florida boaters won't be the only ones subject to increased scrutiny. Boaters across the country can expect additional enforcement of safety equipment and drunken boating laws this weekend. But if you capsize in a small boat, readily accessible means you're wearing it, or it's not going to be accessible. Problems in Florida Florida boasts 1,300 miles of saltwater fishing spots, about 3 million acres of freshwater lakes or ponds and warm weather for most of the year. But in these respects, Florida is not much different from Texas or California, even though it still suffers a third more fatalities than those two states and nearly twice as many accidents.
Authorities blame careless boaters for the high number of incidents.
But alcohol may be a third reason. More than half of Florida's 58 fatalities involved alcohol as a primary cause. Death rate declined Nationwide, alcohol is less of a problem, but it remains pressing. About a quarter of all boating fatalities involved alcohol across the country. As more people have begun boating over the past 10 years, waterborne accidents and injuries have grown as well.