In March, Governor Rick Scott passed House Bill 427 also known as the “Safe Boating” bill, 
prompted by the disappearance of Florida teens Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen.
The bill offers boaters a state vessel registration discount for buying and registering emergency locator devices.
Emergency beacons such as a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) can alert the Coast Guard to vessels in distress and lead rescuers to their location with a satellite signal. Statistics show that use of 406 MHz beacons have saved more than 37,000 lives since the system’s establishment in 1979.
