Recent Blog Posts
Boating Propeller Injury Cases
Boating propeller injury cases are very prevalent, unfortunately. At this time, right now, our boating injury law firm has five different injury cases arising from five different boat propeller injury cases. It is likely that no other law firm in the State of Florida can make that claim. This demonstrates the level of trust… Read More »
Florida Passes 1 Million Registered Boats
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (“FWC”) just confirmed what we had recently predicted and blogged: Florida has now passed the mark of 1 million recreational boats registered in the State of Florida. And where are most of those boats located? The top five counties are: Miami-Dade 74,622 Pinellas 53,867 Lee 50,304 Broward… Read More »
Boat Propeller Injury Cases
The State of Florida does not require any protective coverings or guards on boat propellers. That is one reason why our maritime law firm has five separate boat propeller injury cases going right now. In the State of Florida there are only perhaps 50-100 maritime attorneys who handle boating injury cases on a regular,… Read More »
No They Don’t Know Boating Law in Florida and It Is Not Even Close
Most every personal injury attorney in the state of Florida advertises for car accidents, motorcycle crashes, fall downs, etc. and many frequently include boating accidents in their sometimes 20 different types of cases they say they handle. For your boating accident case ask them how many boating cases they have had in the last… Read More »
The Florida Legislature Should Pass Ethan’s Law
Ethan Isaacs was a sixth-grader sailing with a youth group off Sarasota when he was struck by a vessel whose operator had fallen overboard while the engine was still engaged. That incident took Ethan’s life but could have been prevented if the operator had been hooked to a vessel cutoff switch (a/k/a a kill… Read More »
The Minimum Age to Operate a Jetski in Florida Is 14 and Other Rules
The minimum age to operate a Jetski (a/k/a personal water craft or PWC) is 14. This is found in Florida Statute 327.39. Some other rules are that the driver of the PWC must wear a life vest while operating the PWC. The driver must also employ a lanyard type engine cutoff switch. (Commonly referred… Read More »
Can a Vessel Be Arrested?
The answer to the question is Yes, even a vessel as large as a cruise ship can be arrested. A second question might be, “Why would anyone arrest a vessel?” The general maritime law of the U.S. provides that a vessel can be held responsible for its debts. This means that when an owner… Read More »
Can I Cancel My Cruise Because of Covid-19?
As of January 13, 2022 each of the cruise lines has different policies on this. It is no surprise that the cruise lines are not looking to give back money. Here are some considerations for you if you need to cancel a cruise or have been advised to cancel by a doctor. First, the… Read More »
Cruiseship Injury Specialists: Scoreboard
The world is full of talkers isn’t it? There are far fewer doers than talkers and that is prevalent throughout all facets of life. This is why it is amusing to us at 888-BOAT-LAW, a maritime law firm for more than 25 years helping injured clients, that some attorneys must think that “saying” they… Read More »
Can I Get Punitive Damages Against a DUI Boat Operator in Florida
Yes, Florida law holds boat operators to the same standard as automobile operators. It is illegal to operate a boat in Florida with a blood alcohol limit of .08 or greater. Boating under the influence, also known as “BUI” is covered by Florida Statute 327.35. Penalties for a Boat DUI in Florida Include the… Read More »