This is Safe Boating Week in Florida

This is Safe Boating Week – and state officials are urging boaters to stay safe on the waters this summer.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is keying in on three core messages as it gears up for a busy summer boating season: stay alert, wear your life jacket and don’t drink and operate a boat.

55 people died in boating accidents in Florida last year – that’s down from 70 in 2014.     

Franklin County ranked 33rd in the state in the number of boating accidents last year with 4, those led to one fatality and 1 injury.

Those accidents also caused over 150 thousand dollars in damage.

Gulf County also had 4 boating accidents last year - there was one injury and no deaths.

Wakulla County had no reported boating accidents in 2015.

The two largest contributors to boating deaths in Florida are alcohol and not wearing a life jacket.

The leading cause of death in fatal boating accidents is people falling overboard and drowning.

64 percent of Florida’s boating fatalities were drowning, and most could have been avoided if the boater was wearing a life jacket.

February and May were the deadliest months in 2015 with eight fatalities each. ·

Alcohol or drug-use is reported to have played a role in nearly 1 out of every 5 Florida boating deaths.

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