TAMPA, Fla. — The issue of illegal boat charters has been going on for years in Tampa Bay. Now, more and more of them are promoting their illegal charters on social media, and the U.S. Coast Guard is cracking down.
“We have a fiduciary duty to protect the public,” said Brian Knapp, the chief of the investigative division for the coast guard sector St. Petersburg. “So when we find these people advertising on social media, we tell them what they have to do to be legal. The good ones do what they have to do, but there are others who continue operating illegally, and we have to do our job as the Coast Guard.”
The Coast Guard recognizes two classes of passenger vessels. Uninspected passenger vessels are permitted to carry six or fewer passengers. The other is inspected passenger vessels, which can carry more than six passengers.
Boats allowed to carry more than six people are required to have a certificate of inspection posted on them for every passenger to see. It also lists how many passengers can be on board and the number of crew members that should be on board.
The issue, according to Knapp, some owners of uninspected vessels are choosing to operate as charter boats without having the correct licensing and/or permits. Most of those boats are also too small. Many of them are pontoon boats.
“When passenger vessels are overloaded, and when they’re operated by mariners who aren’t properly trained, that opens the door for tragic accidents to happen,” said Knapp.
It’s important that passengers know they have the right to ask to see the captain's license when getting on any charter. Most of them will be in a booklet that looks like a passport. Knapp said it will have all of their boating information, including an endorsement on the back of the license.
"It's a passenger safety thing,” he said. “You wouldn't get on an airplane without a properly licensed pilot. You should not get on a vessel without a properly credentialed mariner operating the vessel."
If someone is caught operating a charter legally, they can be punished. Punishment can include anything from suspension to a felony conviction.
