Florida boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What Florida law requires on the water, pulled from official sources and linked line by line: life jackets, boater education, jet skis, paddle craft and registration.
- Kids must wear a life jacket
- Under 6
- Boater education card
- Required (see who)
- Jet ski / PWC minimum age
- 14 to operate …
- Emergency
- 911 · VHF Channel 16
Emergency on the water in Florida
Emergency and non-emergency contacts in Florida
911 for emergencies on all waters; VHF channel 16 to reach the Coast Guard offshore. FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline 888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC / *FWC from a cell phone to report boating violations such as BUI (not an emergency line). Boating accidents are reported to FWC, the county sheriff or local police.
Coast Guard sectors covering Florida
Each sector runs a 24-hour command center. Its line is useful for reporting an overdue boat or reaching the Coast Guard by phone, but in a distress use VHF Channel 16 or call 911 first.
| Sector Jacksonville | (833) 453-1268 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
|---|---|
| Sector Miami | (833) 642-7271 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
| Sector Key West | (888) 245-9727 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
| Sector St. Petersburg | (866) 881-1392 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
| Sector Mobile (Florida Panhandle) | (855) 485-3727 No verified sector line found; this is JRCC New Orleans, the Coast Guard rescue coordination center for the area (24 hours) · checked Oct 2026 · dco.uscg.mil |
Toll-free 8xx numbers may not connect from a foreign SIM or a satellite phone.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region
Florida life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Children under 6 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times on any vessel under 26 ft that is underway. Beyond Florida state waters (3 mi Atlantic / 9 mi Gulf), the federal rule applies: under 13 must wear one unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
Source: assets.kalkomey.com
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
No seasonal or cold-water rule. Anyone being towed (skis, tubes, etc.) must wear a non-inflatable USCG-approved life jacket.
The federal baseline
Federal default: children under 13 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket on a recreational vessel that is underway, unless they’re below decks or in an enclosed cabin. Where a state has its own child-wear rule, the state rule applies on its waters (33 CFR 175.15(c), 175.25). Coast Guard required safety equipment →
Boater education card (the “Florida boating license”)
Most states don’t issue a boating license. What they require is a boater education card: proof you passed an approved boating safety course.
Who needs it
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 operating a vessel powered by a motor of 10 hp or more; carry the card plus photo ID.
The card
Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card (plastic or electronic)
Source: assets.kalkomey.com
Florida jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
14 to operate (no one under 14 may operate a PWC, even with a card); 18 to rent
Rules on the water
Everyone aboard or towed must wear a non-inflatable USCG-approved life jacket; attach the engine cut-off lanyard; no operation from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise (sunrise-sunset only without nav lights); no weaving through congested traffic, last-second swerving, or jumping wakes too close to other vessels.
Source: assets.kalkomey.com
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
FWC: canoes, kayaks and paddleboards (except paddleboards used within swimming, surfing or bathing areas) are vessels under USCG rules - carry one USCG-approved wearable life jacket per person (children under 6 must wear it) and a sound device (whistle). Non-motorized craft under 16 ft and canoes/kayaks need no registration. No Florida-specific kiteboarding statute found; local ordinances may restrict launch areas.
Boat registration in Florida
All vessels must be registered (Certificate of Registration + decal via county tax collector) except non-motorized vessels under 16 ft, non-motorized canoes, kayaks, racing shells and rowing sculls of any length, and vessels used only on private lakes/ponds. Register within 30 days of purchase; out-of-state registered boats may use Florida waters 90 days.
Popular boating waters in Florida
- Florida Keys
- Biscayne Bay
- Tampa Bay
- Indian River Lagoon
- St. Johns River
- Lake Okeechobee
- Charlotte Harbor
- Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
Some of the waters Florida boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on Florida waters
- Life in danger? One tap dials 911. The screen shows your GPS position and a word-for-word script: say “Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and the name of the lake, river or bay you’re on.
- On the coast and the Great Lakes it also shows which Coast Guard sector covers your position, with that sector’s 24-hour line as a second Call button, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY script filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
- A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
- Not an emergency? The tow screen has Call buttons for the TowBoatUS and Sea Tow 24-hour dispatch lines, or your own member number.
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t call the Coast Guard for you and isn’t connected to 911 or any rescue system. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. The return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. It doesn’t replace a VHF radio, a PLB or EPIRB, or the life jackets the law requires.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. US support (911 routing, American English) is in beta version 1.4 and later.
Quick answers
What is the Florida life jacket law for kids?
Children under 6 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times on any vessel under 26 ft that is underway. Beyond Florida state waters (3 mi Atlantic / 9 mi Gulf), the federal rule applies: under 13 must wear one unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
Do you need a boating license in Florida?
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 operating a vessel powered by a motor of 10 hp or more; carry the card plus photo ID.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in Florida?
14 to operate (no one under 14 may operate a PWC, even with a card); 18 to rent.
Do you have to register a boat in Florida?
All vessels must be registered (Certificate of Registration + decal via county tax collector) except non-motorized vessels under 16 ft, non-motorized canoes, kayaks, racing shells and rowing sculls of any length, and vessels used only on private lakes/ponds. Register within 30 days of purchase; out-of-state registered boats may use Florida waters 90 days.
Sources
State boating agency: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
- https://assets.kalkomey.com/boater/pdfs/handbook/florida-handbook-entire.pdf
- https://myfwc.com/boating/regulations/paddleboard/
- https://myfwc.com/contact/wildlife-alert/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Southeast-District/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Southeast-District/Units/Sector-St-Petersburg/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Heartland-District/Units/Sector-Mobile/Units/
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with FWC before you go.
This page summarizes the law for planning; it isn’t legal advice. Where this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Spotted an error? Email support@vesselsos.com.