The U.S. state of Florida passed legislation (House Bill CS-CS-HB 427) that for a year between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 will give pleasure boaters a reduction in vessel registration fees upon proof of ownership of a Cospas-Sarsat type-approved emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or personal locator beacon (PLB) that has been properly registered with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Media attention on the recent deaths of fishermen off of the Florida coast, including two 14-year-old boys last year and a 9-year-old boy in early April, has heightened public and political awareness of the lives that can be saved with a relatively inexpensive Cospas-Sarsat distress beacon.