14 May 2025

Help Us Secure a Veto for Florida’s Latest Anti-Anchoring Bill

The Florida Legislature has passed a bill that is bad for boating! HB 481 closes additional key areas of Biscayne Bay to anchoring for even one night. It also negates the requirement that the State regulate anchoring by allowing municipalities in the most populous counties to designate their own anchoring laws. This will result in a patchwork of rules that are hard for well-meaning boaters to follow.

Our only chance to prevent this bill from becoming law is to secure a veto from Governor DeSantis. Our Coalition has developed a multi-pronged strategy that includes letters, emails, and calls to the Governor – we’ll be asking you to do all three!  We are also in need of boaters who have cruised Florida to submit videos for social media (see below). 
 
All of the details, talking points, and contact information are on our Coalition’s website. That site also walks you through the process of submitting an email and sending a letter.  
 
We need to flood the Governor with calls, emails, and letters. Please, each and every one of you reading this, take a moment to: 

  1. Send an email to Governor DeSantis. 

  1. Send a letter to Governor DeSantis. If you are without access to a printer or post office, email your letter to [email protected] and we’ll print and mail it for you. 

  1. Call the Governor’s office at (850) 488-7146 and let the person you talk with know you want the Governor to veto HB 481. 

Then, ask your spouse to do the same. Ask your friends and neighbors, and especially ask your boating friends, to write and call too! 
 
Please tell Governor DeSantis to welcome boaters to Florida by vetoing HB 481! 
 
To stay up to date on this issue, please like and follow our Coalition’s social media channels: 

https://www.facebook.com/BoatersRightsCoalition 

https://x.com/Boaters_Rights 

https://www.instagram.com/boatersrights/ 

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