Personal Watercraft (PWC) laws and regulations in Florida Legal requirements while operating a PWC (Jet ski) in Florida?
Do you need a Florida boating license?
You need boater education if you were born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, and will be operating a motorized boat of 10 hp or more in Florida.
Age and Operator Restrictions
- It is illegal for a person under the age of 14 to operate a PWC
- A person must be at least 18 years old to rent a personal watercraft in Florida.
- It is unlawful for a person to knowingly allow a person under 14 years old to operate a personal watercraft (a second-degree misdemeanor).
Life jackets
- Under Florida law, anyone riding or being towed by a PWC must wear a USCG approved PFD type I, II, III or V
- Inflatable PFD are prohibited for personal watercraft use
Lanyard
- The law requires anyone operating a PWC equipped with a lanyard cut-off switch to attach the lanyard to his or her person, clothing or life jacket.
Safe operation
- Operating a PWC equipped with a self-circling device is prohibited if the device has been altered
- Maneuvering a PWC by weaving through congested vessel traffic, jumping the wake of another vessel unreasonably close or when visibility around the vessel is obstructed, or swerving at the last possible moment to avoid collision is classified as reckless operation of a vessel (a first-degree misdemeanor)
- Personal watercraft may not be operated from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, even if the PWCE is equipped with navigation lights. Remember, both federal and state law requires the use of navigation lights during periods of inclement weather and periods of reduced visibility, including the ½ hour before sunrise and the ½ hour after sunset.
- You may not carry more passengers than the number for which the craft was designed to carry by the manufacturer. When towing someone on a tube or on water skis, the PWC must have the appropriate capacity to accommodate the operator, the observer, and the person being towed.
