In Florida, a bill named the “Uniform Certificate of Title for Vessels Act” became effective July 1. Dubbed “Carfax for boats,” the new law requires full disclosure of any hull damage or theft on a boat’s certificate of title, allowing sellers and buyers access to the vessel’s history. It’s patterned after motor vehicle statutes.
Florida is the fifth state to institute such a law, following Virginia, Connecticut, the District of Columbia and Hawaii. It is notable that reporting a vessel’s history will mostly rely on self-reporting, as boat insurance is not required in Florida. However, failure to do so can result in the responsible party getting slapped with a fine of $5,000 for a first offense.
The LAKES Act
This may surprise you — it surprised me — but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is among the biggest federal, outdoor-recreation providers in the nation. It manages nearly 257,000 facilities in 43 states, so some are likely near you and utilized by customers.
Under existing law, local USACE managers cannot retain recreation fee revenues collected on-site to be reinvested in facilities and services. That authority is granted to the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.
Currently, revenues from USACE-managed launches and other recreation sites must be sent directly to the Treasury Department, not reinvested in the infrastructure and facilities that are generating the revenue. It’s past time for a change.
Although USACE manages recreation visitation on scale with the National Park Service, the agency’s recreation program is historically underfunded, resulting in a $4 billion deferred maintenance backlog across USACE-managed recreation sites. This is the system that provides the most water-based public recreation opportunities.
In Congress, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee recently held a hearing that reviewed the fiscal year 2024 budget request for USACE. The hearing emphasized the need for proper funding to maintain managed lands, an issue the pending Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong (LAKES) Act would solve. Obviously, support for this bill is important to boating’s future.
U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, a committee member representing parts of southwest Missouri, including USACE-managed Table Rock Lake, raised concerns regarding how fees from recreation at that lake are used. It’s drummed up awareness of this issue, but it’s only a start.
Marine interests must weigh in if the LAKES Act stands any chance of passing in the next budget round. Dealers and others located anywhere near a USACE facility should take a few minutes to send an email to their members of Congress (your representative and two senators) asking them to co-sponsor and support the LAKES Act.
We may not have recognized the outsized role USACE has played in supporting the increased demand for public launches and related facilities in recent years. But we have surely benefitted. This retention of fees authorization is both justified and critical, recognizing that USACE is among the nation’s leading providers of boating and fishing access.
