Florida Senate - 2013 SB 830
By Senator Latvala
20-00564A-13 2013830__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to vessels; providing a short title;
3 amending s. 327.37, F.S.; prohibiting a person under a
4 certain age from operating a vessel towing a person;
5 providing exceptions; reenacting s. 327.73(1)(i),
6 F.S., relating to noncriminal infractions, to
7 incorporate changes made by the act; providing an
8 effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. This act may be cited as “Deviny’s Law.”
13 Section 2. Section 327.37, Florida Statutes, is amended to
14 read:
15 327.37 Water skis, parasails, and aquaplanes regulated.—
16 (1)(a) A person may not operate a vessel on any waters of
17 this state towing a person on water skis, or an aquaplane, or
18 similar device unless there is in such vessel a person, in
19 addition to the operator, in a position to observe the progress
20 of the person being towed, or the vessel is equipped with a
21 wide-angle rear view mirror mounted in such manner as to permit
22 the operator of the vessel to observe the progress of the person
23 being towed. This subsection does not apply to class A
24 motorboats operated by the person being towed and designed to be
25 incapable of carrying the operator in the motorboat.
26 (b) A person may not operate a vessel on any waters of this
27 state towing a person attached to a parasail or similar device
28 unless there is a person in the vessel, in addition to the
29 operator, in a position to observe the progress of the person
30 being towed. A wide-angle rear view mirror is not acceptable for
31 this purpose.
32 (c) A person younger than 18 years of age may not operate a
33 vessel on any waters of this state towing a person in, on, or
34 above the water unless there is a person in the vessel who is at
35 least 18 years of age and in a position to observe the progress
36 of the vessel and the person being towed.
37 (2)(a) A person may not engage in water skiing,
38 parasailing, aquaplaning, or any similar activity at any time
39 between the hours from one-half hour after sunset to one-half
40 hour before sunrise.
41 (b) A person may not engage in water skiing, parasailing,
42 aquaplaning, or any similar activity unless such person is
43 wearing a noninflatable type I, type II, type III, or type V
44 personal flotation device approved by the United States Coast
45 Guard.
46 (3) The provisions of subsections (1) and (2) do not apply
47 to a performer engaged in a professional exhibition or a person
48 preparing to participate or participating in an official
49 regatta, boat race, marine parade, tournament, or exhibition
50 held pursuant to s. 327.48.
51 (4) A person may not operate or manipulate any vessel, tow
52 rope, or other device by which the direction or location of
53 water skis, parasail, aquaplane, innertube, sled, or similar
54 device may be affected or controlled, in such a way as to cause
55 the water skis, parasail, aquaplane, innertube, sled, or similar
56 device or any person thereon to collide or strike against or be
57 likely to collide or strike against any vessel, bridge, wharf,
58 pier, dock, buoy, platform, piling, channel marker, or other
59 object, except slalom buoys, ski jumps, or like objects used
60 normally in competitive or recreational skiing.
61 (5) A person may not operate any vessel towing a parasail
62 or engage in parasailing within 100 feet of the marked channel
63 of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway.
64 Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
65 made by this act to section 327.37, Florida Statutes, in a
66 reference thereto, paragraph (i) of subsection (1) of section
67 327.73, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
68 327.73 Noncriminal infractions.—
69 (1) Violations of the following provisions of the vessel
70 laws of this state are noncriminal infractions:
71 (i) Section 327.37, relating to water skiing, aquaplaning,
72 parasailing, and similar activities.
73 Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2013.