Vessel Registration

As an agent for The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Tax Collector is responsible for providing the necessary service and record keeping procedures used in processing vessel titles and registrations. All motorized vessels, commercial and private, must be registered, titled and issued a decal before they can be used in Florida waters. The decal must be affixed to the port side of the boat.

Vessel registrations expire at midnight of the owners birthday.

Vessel registration fees are based on the length of the boat.

FWC: Boating-Safety education requirements change for 2010

     Boating-safety education requirements change in Florida beginning January 1, 2010.  Boat operators who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, must pass and approved boating-safety course and possess photographic identification and a boating-safety education identification card issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to legally operate a boat with a motor of 10 horsepower or more.

     "We want to encourage everyone, regardless of when they were born, to take an approved boating-safety education course, because all of us can learn something new, even if we have been boating all our lives," said Capt. Carol Keyser of FWC's boating waterways section.  "For some, it is now required to take the course."

     There are a few exceptions.  For instance, a person born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, who operates a boat within 90 days after purchasing it, does not need a boating-safety education identification card if a bill of sale, which meets the requirements of Florida law, is onboard.  After the 90-day period ends, the boat operator needs to meet the educational requirements.  Those who possess a current United States Coast Guard license also are exempt.

     For course information and educational requirements, visit http://myfwc.com/ and click "boating," then click "boating safety."  For inquiries, contact FWC's Division of Law Enforcement at 850-488-5600, or email questions to the FWC at bobbercard@myfwc.com .