{"id":741,"date":"2015-04-28T10:24:43","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T14:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=741"},"modified":"2020-03-27T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T15:34:11","slug":"boating-safety-education-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/boating-safety-education-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida&#8217;s Boating License Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Mandatory Florida Boating License Requirements<\/h2>\n<p>According to Florida&#8217;s boating license Boat operators in Florida are required to obtain a <a href=\"\/us\/florida\">Boating Safety Education ID Card<\/a> (commonly referred to as a &#8216;boating license&#8217;) and are required to carry it on board during boat operation. They are also required to carry photo ID on the boat while operating.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/cart.boatsmartexam.com\/register-now\">Florida Boating License<\/a> is required for any person born on or after January 1st, 1988 in order for them to operate a boat with a motor of 10 horsepower or more.<\/p>\n<p>To obtain a Florida\u00a0Boating License, boaters must complete a <a href=\"\/us\/florida\/\">NASBLA-approved Boating Safety Course<\/a>, or pass an equivalency exam.<\/p>\n<p>Boating License\u00a0Cards are issued by the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).<\/p>\n<h2>Boating License Exemptions:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A person licensed by the USCG as a master of a vessel.<\/li>\n<li>A person operating exclusively on a private lake or pond.<\/li>\n<li>An operator who is accompanied on board by a person who is at least 18 years old and who has obtained a Boating Safety Education ID Card, provided that the person is responsible for the safe operation of the boat.<\/li>\n<li>A non-resident who has in their possession proof that he or she has completed a NASBLA-approved Boating Safety Course or equivalency examination from another state.<\/li>\n<li>A person who is operating a boat within 90 days of purchasing the boat and has available for inspection, a bill of sale meeting Florida&#8217;s requirements.<\/li>\n<li>A person operating a boat within 90 days after completing a NASBLA-approved Boating Safety Course, who has photo ID and a certificate showing proof of completion of a Boating Safety Course. The certificate must display the person\u2019s first and last name, their date of birth and the date the course was completed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To learn more about Boater Education Requirements, or to get your Official Florida Boating License visit:\u00a0<a href=\"\/us\/florida\/\">\/us\/florida\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Changes to Boating Safety Education ID Card Regulations<\/h2>\n<p>As of October 1st, 2011, a course-completion certificate from an approved Boating Safety Education Course can be used by a boat operator as proof of complying with the boating Safety ID Card requirements (so long as the operator carries the correct certificate, as well as photo ID with them).<\/p>\n<p>Note: The course completion certificate is NOT a permanent replacement for the Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card.<\/p>\n<h2>Florida&#8217;s Liveries<\/h2>\n<p>Florida\u2019s liveries (rental facilities) are prohibited from renting any vessel that does not have proper safety equipment on board, exceeds the recommended load capacity or is not in seaworthy condition.<\/p>\n<p>All renters who are required by law to have obtained a Boating Safety Education ID Card, must have the card in their possession in order to rent a boat.<\/p>\n<p>Rental facilities are required to provide pre-rental instruction to renters with safe separation information (for boats of 10 horsepower or more). The person instructing must have completed a NASBLA-approved Boating Safety Education Course and the rental instructor\u2019s course must include at least the following information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Operational characteristics.<\/li>\n<li>Safe operation rules.<\/li>\n<li>Right-of-way rules.<\/li>\n<li>Operator responsibilities.<\/li>\n<li>Local waterway characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The rental operation must also display boating safety information in a location that is visible to the renters.<\/p>\n<h2>Renting a Personal Watercraft in Florida<\/h2>\n<p>PWC rental operations must provide an on-water demonstration and a \u2018check-ride\u2019 to evaluate the proficiency of the renter and must also display safety information on the proper operation of a PWC, including the following information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Propulsion, steering and stopping characteristics of the PWC.<\/li>\n<li>The location and information included on PWC warning labels.<\/li>\n<li>How to re-board a PWC.<\/li>\n<li>The Navigation Rules and how they apply to PWC operation.<\/li>\n<li>Issues such as seeing and being seen by other boaters, reckless operation, noise levels and environmental concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note: No person under the age of 18 is allowed to rent a PWC.<\/p>\n<h2>Florida&#8217;s Age\/Horsepower Restrictions<\/h2>\n<p>In Florida, no person under 14 years of age is permitted to operate a personal watercraft (PWC), even if they have obtained their Boating Safety Education ID Card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","article-category":[7],"article-tag":[251,15,37,41,247],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Florida&#039;s Boating License Requirements | BOATsmart!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Florida&#039;s Boating License Safety Education Requirements. 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