Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signs the Boater Freedom Act into law.
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00:00And I know we've got a lot of exciting stuff.
00:03I mean, Memorial Day weekend, I'm sure, is going to be really, really incredible.
00:08I know you guys do very well here, and people have been really flocking here for almost the entire time I was governor.
00:15I mean, in really, really major ways, and it's obvious to see why.
00:19We've got outstanding coastline here, a great fishing and boating culture.
00:26I'm happy to have initiated record red snapper season for the golf, which I know our anglers have enjoyed.
00:33And we blew that out of the water with this year.
00:39And actually, we get to start on Memorial Day.
00:42You get to start on red snapper early.
00:44So we were talking about what to do, and it's like, okay, we challenged the orthodoxy.
00:50We knew there were a lot of fish in the sea.
00:52We wanted to make sure people, and honestly, the populations are very healthy as a result of what we were doing.
00:57And we wanted to give people, but, you know, you've got to figure out, even doing the biggest season ever, you pick, like, which.
01:03I was like, we've got to do Memorial Day weekend.
01:05We've got to do these key days.
01:07So, like, that's really exciting that people are going to be able to do that and have a good time.
01:12So we always love coming back to this area.
01:16There's a lot to do, and I know it's going to continue to be a great engine economically, not just for people that live and work here, but really for the state as a whole.
01:24We're joined here by our Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Roger Young, Senator Jay Trumbull, Representative Griff Griffiths, and Ben Special, Special President of Yamaha's U.S. Marine Business Unit, which I know is a really big deal.
01:44I want to thank him for being here.
01:47We take pride in our state of Florida being the best fishing and boating state in the United States of America, and honestly, it's not even close.
01:58We're the place to do this.
02:00We have more than 7,000 marine businesses that just those businesses alone support over 100,000 jobs across the state.
02:10The total economic impact of recreational boating in Florida is over $31 billion.
02:19Now, what does that mean?
02:20I think most people know that's a lot of numbers.
02:22But go back to 2018.
02:25That's a 53% increase just since 2018.
02:29And part of it was, you know, with COVID, people are like they wanted to do things.
02:33And so I think COVID was probably the best thing that ever happened in terms of pushing, not media is going to say, oh, he said it was good.
02:41No.
02:43Don't misquote me.
02:44But COVID drove people outside more.
02:48And so golf did phenomenal.
02:50Boating and fishing did phenomenal.
02:52And so I think that really helped drive that people wanted to be outdoors and they wanted to do things, especially new people coming to Florida.
03:00And I know there were a lot of people that would move here and they're like, okay, I guess I got to start boating.
03:06And so they'd buy a boat.
03:07Now, some of them didn't know how to operate the boat, which caused some problems.
03:10But we kind of, you know, hopefully can figure that out.
03:13I know we've worked hard on that.
03:14So you've had this.
03:16So this massive boom in outdoor recreation, and we've really been at the forefront of that.
03:21We are the top boating state.
03:22We consistently rank number one in marine expenditures and boat registrations.
03:27We have over 900,000 boat registrations as of 2023 and probably higher now that we do that.
03:35And we have over 4 million licensed anglers and is known as, and of course, you know, you would expect that being the fishing capital of the world.
03:43We've been able to do a lot of really neat things.
03:46We did do discounts on sportsmen hunting and fishing licenses.
03:50We were able to issue more than 75,000 gold sportsmen's licenses, which generated 24 million in revenue, even though it was a big discount for the purchaser.
04:01We did extend that program to provide even more discounts on several fishing and hunting licenses, including the lifetime licenses.
04:09If you want to get out and try your hand at fishing on any of our salt or fresh waters,
04:13you can purchase a combined annual fresh and saltwater combo license for just $5, and $5 doesn't buy what it used to buy.
04:23So if that's there, that's a pretty good deal.
04:26We've also solidified our state's reputation for boating and fishing.
04:31We want to continue to do that.
04:34So if you look at people that are here, our Florida residents, this is an important part of our culture.
04:40It's also an important thing that draws people to want to visit the state of Florida.
04:45You know, when I became governor, Florida typically would get about 80 to 90 million visitors a year.
04:52And we saw that increase a lot over the years.
04:55And most recently, we had 142 million visitors to the state of Florida.
05:00Now, I view that as something that can help the economy, all this stuff.
05:05I also view it, I would rather have them pay the taxes than us pay the taxes.
05:09And so, you know, you have an opportunity.
05:11People come, they buy things, they pay taxes on all this.
05:16And so we have an opportunity to continue to offload tax burden away from Florida residents
05:23and towards some of these 142 million visitors.
05:26I mean, I think that only makes sense.
05:27And we're probably the only state in the country that can get away with that.
05:31That's why I've been going after these property taxes so hard, because we can do something about this.
05:36People see property taxes go up because their values of their homes.
05:40I just saw the Tampa Bay area saw an increase of 23% going up.
05:45And it's because the values have gone up.
05:49That's true nationwide, but Florida has been even more because there's been a lot of demand.
05:53And so people are now having to pay on a home that they bought 10 years ago for a certain amount.
06:00Now they're being told it's worth twice that much and they got to pay more in taxes.
06:04Well, how is that good?
06:05And then at what point do they stop taxing you?
06:08You know, it's like you buy, you engage in transactions and like you pay a tax.
06:14I mean, hopefully you don't have to pay any tax, but if you do, you want it to just pay and then not have to deal with it anymore.
06:21And yet on these property taxes, it's like you could live, you could be a productive citizen 50 years in your home
06:27and they still hit you up for more and more tax.
06:30At some point, you either own your property or you don't.
06:33And if they can come in and take the property from you because you're not ponying up tax, then you don't really, really, truly have private property.
06:41So this property tax issue is a really big deal.
06:44I know where I go and talk with folks around the state, this is the one thing.
06:50Now, the state doesn't administer that.
06:52That's done locally.
06:53And you've had local governments.
06:55And, you know, some have been more reasonable and more responsible by rolling back rates so that taxpayers are held harmless.
07:02But others have not done that.
07:04Others have increased millage rates.
07:05And for what?
07:07Why would we be going after homeowners?
07:10So I think it's a really significant issue.
07:12We're going to want to continue to do it.
07:14But you have all these people that visit.
07:16And it used to be they did the analysis when we used to have 80, 85 million visitors.
07:20It was about 18 to 20 percent of the state sales tax revenue came from those visitors.
07:25But now that we have 142 million, I think it's at least a quarter of Florida sales tax revenue and maybe as much as a third.
07:33But then you also have to count in snowbirds.
07:36We've got people that live here for three, four, five months a year who are not Florida residents.
07:41They're also contributing to be able to do that.
07:45So so so I just I view that as a potential for us to really deliver relief to Florida homeowners.
07:53That'd be the best thing we can do.
07:55You know, we can't control at state government the amount of value that that your home goes up or not or how much a home costs.
08:04You know, that's a private market.
08:06I think there's a lot of distortions in that market.
08:08I think the Fed, how they've mishandled interest rates.
08:11We can go on and on about that.
08:12But the reality is we're limited in what we can do.
08:16But the people of Florida, through their constitution, have the ability to set or not set taxes.
08:24Right. So you're able to to do big time reforms.
08:28So we're teeing that up, certainly for the 26th ballot.
08:31And I think this is really, really important.
08:33But nevertheless, we have people coming here and this is a big reason why they're they're doing it.
08:39We have had the the biggest tourism year in Florida history.
08:43We have secured an all time record, almost 16 percent share of the total domestic visitation market for the entire United States of America is just in Florida.
08:57Now, you do the math.
08:58We got to 23 plus million people.
09:01The United States as a whole has 330 plus million people.
09:04So we're like six, six and a half, seven percent.
09:08And yet we account for more than double our share of the population in terms of the visitation.
09:14So that's really, really good.
09:15Now, that's all great.
09:17And it's all great to say you're doing good stuff.
09:20But my view is, is, you know, we always want to do better.
09:23And when it comes to our anglers, our boating community, people that really thrive on enjoying the all that Florida has to offer, we do get feedback about, hey, what can be done better?
09:38So we've done a number of different things and we've been working very closely with Senator Jay Trumbull over the last many weeks to make sure that the legislation we're going to sign today actually got across the finish line.
09:51I want to thank Representative Griffiths for also leading the charge in the House of Representatives to make sure that we're doing what people expect us to do.
10:02So there's been a movement for local governments to regulate the type of vessels you are allowed to purchase regarding energy use.
10:14Now, look, if you want to buy an electric boat, I mean, I don't think you should be prohibited for it, but you certainly shouldn't be required to do that if you want a boat.
10:24You should be able to buy traditional vessels.
10:27And so the legislation that we're going to sign today, this Boater Freedom Act, is going to make sure that Florida remains the boater capital of the world.
10:36We're going to make sure that boaters are able to choose the type of vessel that they want.
10:42We're not going to allow local governments to step in and block the ability to purchase and for the businesses to sell vessels based on the source of fuel that those vessels are using.
10:55You know, we know a lot of families opt for used vessels, and of course, they're going to be gas powered.
11:03People want to be able to afford this.
11:05And if you don't, if you impose these draconian restrictions, you're not going to be able to do it.
11:10We also want to right a wrong that has happened in terms of how people are approached on the water by law enforcement.
11:22Now, current law allows both state and local law enforcement to pull a boater over when no probable cause or suspected violation has incurred and to conduct inspections.
11:34Inspections may include personal property searches, sometimes leading to further law enforcement action beyond merely safety compliance.
11:43Now, people have tried to address this in the past.
11:46It hasn't really fully worked, but if you think about it, if you're walking down the street, law enforcement can't just go up to you and stop you and search you if there's not a basis to do that.
12:00You've got to have probable cause to be able to do it.
12:03Same thing if they want to go on your property, or they usually would have to have an actual search warrant by a judge that would say probable cause is there.
12:12But even in exigent circumstances, they would never be able to just do this without there being a basis to do it.
12:19But yet on the water, that really isn't the case.
12:23And so you've had people, I mean, we had a guy, it made the video, went viral.
12:28You know, they board his vessel.
12:30They have him blow the breathalyzer 0.0.
12:36Didn't have any, wasn't drinking.
12:38And there was no basis to do it.
12:40There was no activity that was suspicious.
12:43There was no safety violations.
12:46There was no reckless voting.
12:48And it was this whole thing.
12:50This guy ends up getting arrested.
12:51And I'm just thinking to myself, that is not what we want.
12:54And I know that the folks at FWC and, by and large, the local law enforcement, you know, have worked really hard to respect this under most circumstances.
13:05You had examples where you need swift response.
13:09I mean, we just had, you know, there were kids polluting waterways.
13:13They were dumping full trash cans of rubbish off their boat.
13:16And so you go in and you obviously want to see an intervention there.
13:21You see somebody operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol or just recklessly operate.
13:26That puts other people in danger.
13:27You want to see an intervention there.
13:29And I think by this legislation protecting you against suspicionless searches, I think it actually will be a better allocation of resources, not just for FWC, but also for the other local law enforcement agencies who are really important in keeping our people safe.
13:50If there's a basis to intervene, you know, that's one thing, and no one's going to say.
13:56And you may have probable cause to suspect something, and then it may turn out that things are fine.
14:02That's kind of the way it goes.
14:04But to just go in without any basis is not the way we want to do it in the state of Florida.
14:09And I think it's unnecessarily created friction between the boating community and some folks in law enforcement.
14:16So I want to thank Roger Young for really being strong on this to making sure that our law enforcement efforts are focused, that they're targeted, and that they're really doing what we expect to do, which is identify possible violations, bring people to account, and ultimately protect the safety of everybody else in our communities who are using our waterways.
14:40Finally, the legislation I'm signing today will invest in additional boat ramps, parking, and marina programs through Florida Fish and Wildlife that will ensure the public has access to the waters of our great state, both here in northwest Florida, further down on the Gulf Coast, and our communities on the Atlantic Coast.
15:03So this is really significant legislation today.
15:07I know there's a lot of people throughout Florida that are going to be happy that this legislation finally got across the finish line.
15:13I know there were some hurdles along the way, and I know that the folks in the Senate, particularly, we were working very closely with, were able to get it teed up in a way that led to its passage in both chambers.
15:27So thanks for everybody that's been involved.
15:30We'll hear from Roger first, and then we'll hear from Senator Trumbull.
15:34Roger.
15:37Thank you, Governor.
15:40It is an honor to be here.
15:42And as always, we appreciate your leadership and your support for our marine industries and our marine resources here in the boating and fishing capital of the world.
15:49And hearing your list of accomplishments and promotions that we've done, both in the fishing industry with license promotions and helping promote people to get outside, there is no doubt that you support our citizens and our visitors getting outside and enjoying our great outdoors.
16:04And there's no better place to enjoy a day on the water than here in the panhandle and here in this beautiful community of Panama City.
16:12You know, as summer grows near, so does boating season.
16:15And as boating season comes, we want to make sure that we're out in full force, making sure everybody's safe on the water.
16:21We want everybody to enjoy their time on the water.
16:23So this bill will do just that.
16:25It will enable us to help keep our families on these waterways safe by us focusing on violations that are occurring that we're seeing.
16:32Reckless operation, careless operation on the water.
16:34Help keeping our waterways safe and keeping our families safe.
16:36And don't forget, as the governor said, this is Memorial Weekend coming up, so this marks the start of our Gulf recreational red snapper season here in the Gulf.
16:44So we encourage everybody to get your families outside and enjoy that.
16:47We want everyone to go out and enjoy our environment and to fish in the boat and enjoy the outdoors with your families because that's really what it's all about.
16:55It's what living in Florida is all about.
16:57And, Governor, I want to thank you for your continued support as we work together to provide more access, more freedoms, and more opportunities for the Floridians and visitors here in Florida to keeping this the great free state of Florida.
17:10All right, Jay.
17:16Thank you so much, Governor DeSantis, for your unwavering support and leadership in making sure that Florida continues to stay the most free,
17:26state, and the nation, and being a model for defending our individual liberties and putting Floridian's rights first.
17:34I really do want to point out Representative Griffiths and recognize him.
17:39You know, we can't get anything done without both chambers, and your work, sir, and your commitment on this issue is incredibly important.
17:48It helps that both of us boat on a regular basis and have a very sensitive ear to other boaters as they're on the water and hearing some of their frustrations.
18:01You know, with the signing of this bill, Senate Bill 1388, the Boater Freedom Act, we're reaffirming that the principles of freedom and limited government do not stop at the shoreline.
18:10At its core, the Boater Freedom Act is about protecting personal freedoms and preventing government overreach.
18:17The right to move freely without being stopped or questioned without cause is fundamental in a free society, and the right should apply whether you're on the highway or on the water.
18:29We do respect our law enforcement officers and their mission, but there has to be a balance.
18:34This bill is about restoring common sense to marine enforcement.
18:38It's about trusting the vast majority of Floridians who are doing the right thing and letting law enforcement officers focus on those who are truly violating the law.
18:48We're not removing oversight.
18:49We're reinforcing fairness.
18:52Voter safety will continue to be a top priority, and the law doesn't eliminate inspections.
18:56It ensures that they happen for the right reasons and not at random.
19:01I'm thankful and very proud to stand with the governor as we reaffirm that Florida is and always will be a place where freedom is protected on land and on water.
19:11And to every boater who's reached out to us, thank you for sharing their experiences.
19:16I've shared this story, and I'll share it with you in my closing statement here.
19:18I have a neighbor who was stopped three times in one day last year for no reason, just a random safety inspection.
19:25That's got to stop, and it's going to stop today and allow people the opportunity for their constitutional rights to continue, not just to continue once they get off the dock.
19:35Thank you, Governor.
19:36Okay.
19:36Hello, everyone.
19:43I'm Ben Special, as he mentioned.
19:45I'm with Yamaha.
19:45I've been with Yamaha for over 40 years.
19:47I'm actually sitting in this room.
19:49I'm a little bit of a gearhead, a geek, and I'm looking at every one of these engines that say Yamaha on.
19:53I've been involved with it since conception, so I'm very excited about what you're doing.
19:57I was just in Washington, D.C., and I hope you don't mind, but I used Florida as the lighthouse example of what's doing right for the marine industry and for marine consumers.
20:05As I explained to some of the outreach to the White House is, don't forget what you're doing is you're helping everyday people go boating.
20:11The boats behind me right here are relatively small boats.
20:14Those are the things I really focus on.
20:15What I'm proud about this legislation that you're doing in Florida, I hope to be able to take to other states to show is the boating freedom bill is about all technologies should be available to boaters.
20:25We shouldn't limit it.
20:26I can give you a dissertation on the reason why I've been in several meetings with the EPA on why you can't have these select technologies.
20:35You've got to use the broad technologies because boating is very unique.
20:39The other part of what I'm proud about you guys are doing is making grants for more water access.
20:44I like to tell my friends and stuff that I look really smart when the industry grows.
20:48You know what the biggest barrier of that?
20:49Access to fish and access to water.
20:51The more boat slips, the more ramps, the more capabilities everyday people can go boating, the industry will grow.
20:57And that creates jobs both here and in many other states.
21:00I know many of the companies that have built these boats and these components, and they really appreciate Florida.
21:05I travel the globe for Yamaha, and I use Florida as the lighthouse for the marine industry.
21:10It's sad to see other countries not have this type of water access.
21:14And access to everyday consumers, it's important that you're doing this stuff.
21:18Very proud of what you're doing down here, and we thank you very, very much.
21:20And I do have to say one comment.
21:22We woke up yesterday in Louisville, Kentucky, after flying from Washington, D.C. back to Louisville.
21:27We live in Atlanta.
21:28My lovely wife spent 12 and a half hours driving me down here yesterday because of this event.
21:33That's how important it was to me.
21:35So I cannot express to you enough how important it is.
21:37And I know we have other items that we want to work on getting South Atlantic right like we did in the Gulf of Mexico some years ago.
21:43And I'm very passionate about making sure that gets done with NOAA fisheries.
21:45So thank you very, very much, and I'll be around for a little bit if you have any questions for me.
21:50Thank you, thank you, Governor.
21:57I think everybody in this room knows that we have a friend in Governor DeSantis.
22:01He was here as a candidate before Hurricane Michael.
22:04He's been here ever since.
22:05We've seen him through COVID.
22:07We've seen him through every wildfire, the events that have really traumatized Bay County.
22:12In Bay County's comprehensive plan, it talks about water access.
22:15It's truly written in our comprehensive long-term plan for the citizens of Bay County.
22:20This bill helps address that.
22:21Senator Trumbull, who, as he, I appreciate the credit he gives me, but this was truly some legislative chess work from our senator.
22:31We have a great advocate in the Senate for us who is going to shine in the next few years.
22:36With his chess work, I promise you, we got this across the finish line.
22:39It was very, very fun to watch it evolve over the last few days and to watch some of the surprise faces how we finished this project.
22:46I will tell you, water access, that Bay, I learned to water ski right up this back door here.
22:54I got my first little John boat from my dad when I was 12 years old.
22:57I have run this Bay from one end to the other.
22:58I have fished every little nook and cranny, and I've also been pulled over by most of the FWC officers out here.
23:05They're great guys.
23:06They are.
23:07They're amazing officers.
23:08They do a great job, and they protect our waterways, and that's the intent of this bill, is to put them back on the perspective where they really need to go out and protect the waterways
23:14and concentrate on those bad actors that we have in this Bay.
23:18We do have some bad actors.
23:20We want to thank you all for all being here.
23:21We know that you all love this Bay and the waterways of Bay County as much as I do.
23:25Thank the governor, his staff, Cody Farrell, who and I have been talking about this bill for over three years now.
23:31I'm glad to see you get over the finish line, and thank you all for being here.
23:34We appreciate it.
23:34All right, let's get it done.
23:44Okay, so today is May what, 19th?
23:5119th?
23:5219th.
23:53All right.
24:14This is the first one.
24:18That's the big one.
24:20And this is the add-on.
24:29All right.
24:30Who wants a pen?
24:31The only one, buddy?
24:32All right.
24:33Anyone else?
24:37Okay.
24:38I got one more.
24:40All right.
24:41There you go.
24:42I want you guys to hold that up for the camera.
24:44I'll hold this one.
24:46Here, you hold it up with me.
24:48Here we go.
24:53All right.
24:54Another one in the book, guys.
25:05Well, thanks so much.
25:07We have been working on this for a while.
25:09I'm glad I got across the finish line, and I know a lot of people will be very much appreciative.
25:14I do want to take a moment as we get into Memorial Day weekend, as people are going to enjoy the largest golf red snapper season since state assumed management in the history of the state, which is in this era.
25:28We need to do the same in the Atlantic.
25:31I think they had one or two days last year where you all had 103, or what was this?
25:37I'm over 100 here.
25:38We're going to do much more than that this time.
25:42We're going to do much more than that.
25:43Don't tell.
25:43It's the same thing.
25:45The federal bureaucracies, everything, they inhibit access.
25:49They have flawed data.
25:51We could do the same thing in the Atlantic, just like we've done here in the Gulf.
25:55I could tell you that everything is thriving, the populations are strong, the anglers are having a great time.
26:03It's important for our culture, for tourism.
26:06So we can do the same thing over there.
26:08So we have put in a request through the Department of Commerce and the NOAA agency, send us the management of the Atlantic red snapper.
26:17We will do it very strongly, just like we've done in the Gulf, and I think a lot of people will be very, very happy.
26:24I mean, I can tell you that if we're able to announce that the state has resumed management in the Atlantic, we will be able to move very quickly to get some dates out, and people will be thrilled if that were able to happen.
26:37And I think it's something that we've gotten good signals from, from the administration, because they are trying to empower the states.
26:44So this is a great opportunity to be able to do that in a way that's going to make a meaningful difference, not just to our residents, but for the people that really love coming and visit in Florida.
26:54Okay, we got any questions?
26:55I think Senator Trumbosek was referring to some of the common sense practices back into some of these things like the stops.
27:03What specific portions of what this bill is going to be going at, would you say, the last common sense as far as the stops or what it is?
27:13Well, I think what the Senator said, I mean, when you have somebody who has stopped three times in one day without there ever being a basis to stop them, then you know something's wrong.
27:25The way we do things in America is government's supposed to leave you alone.
27:30If there's something you're doing that gives law enforcement a basis, and it doesn't have to be beyond a reasonable doubt, you've committed a serious crime.
27:39It could be reasonable suspicion, probable cause, depending on the circumstances.
27:43And I saw Tommy Ford here.
27:45These guys all know what they do in regular police practicing.
27:49So when you say you could just board a vessel and start searching for no reason, it's not even like people are doing anything wrong and that they're worried that they're going to get discovered, although they could find something that they didn't have a basis to that would normally not be allowed.
28:06But I think it's more just people feel like they're being violated to have someone come in and start rummaging through.
28:12It's just not how we do.
28:13It's the same thing if someone wanted to come in and just start searching your house without a basis.
28:19People just would feel that that's something that's wrong, even if there was no wrongdoing involved in terms of that law enforcement found anything.
28:27So I just think that it cuts contrary.
28:29I don't think that that's how most of our officers have actually behaved.
28:35I think a lot of them have been very respectful and very professional.
28:37But I also just know the law being what it was, the prior attempts to get this in a better place weren't really successful.
28:45You have had these situations.
28:47So I think because of what the senator and Representative Griffiths did, I think this is going to end the issue once and for all.
28:56I think we finally have great protections for people, and I think people are going to be very pleased with it.
29:02All right.
29:03God bless, everybody.
29:04Take care.
29:05We'll see you.