Family Pushes Florida Bill to Promote EPIRBs and Boating Safety

The parents of 14-year-old Austin Blu Stephanos, who went missing at sea with a friend during a summer fishing trip, are working with Florida lawmakers to reduce registration costs for boats that carry a properly registered 406 MHz EPIRB. The proposed legislation would provide a 25 percent discount on boat registration fees when the vessel owner registers a certified emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB).

A family’s effort to prevent future tragedies

Austin’s mother, Carly Black of Jupiter, Florida, said the immediate priority is getting the bill passed. The family created the AustinBlu Foundation to honor Austin’s memory and to focus on practical steps that can prevent similar losses. The foundation’s mission includes raising awareness of boating safety, promoting boater education, and increasing public access to life-saving tools and technology such as EPIRBs and personal locator beacons (PLBs).

“We want to help parents — help anyone, really — not have to go through what we’ve had to go through,” Black said during an appearance at beacon maker ACR Electronics’ booth at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The foundation aims to make safety technology and education more common among recreational boaters, emphasizing how quick location by rescuers can save lives.

Legislative details and partnerships

Austin’s father, Blu Stephanos, was meeting with state Sen. Joe Negron and Rep. MaryLynn Magar in Tallahassee to draft the bill for the spring legislative session. Florida requires all motorized vessels to be registered, with fees ranging from $10.25 for craft under 12 feet to $194.50 for vessels 110 feet or larger. The proposed 25 percent discount would apply to owners who register a properly functioning 406 MHz EPIRB with the appropriate authorities.

The family is also collaborating with ACR Electronics to educate the boating public about the value of beacons. As part of that partnership, ACR pledged to donate $10 to the AustinBlu Foundation for every new EPIRB and PLB rebate redeemed through the end of the year, helping the foundation buy equipment, fund education, and support outreach programs.

Education, life jackets, and long-term goals

Beyond the registration incentive, the foundation plans to raise awareness of life jacket use and to promote boater education at all levels. One longer-term goal is to introduce kindergarten-through-high-school boating safety education in Palm Beach County, with the aim of making safe boating practices a standard part of youth education. “We’d like to do that in the future,” Black said, underscoring how early education can change habits and save lives.

The incident that prompted the campaign

Austin and his close friend Perry Cohen, also 14, often fished and dived together. On July 24, they went out through Jupiter Inlet in Austin’s 19-foot SeaCraft to fish and did not return. Authorities believe their boat likely capsized when a line of squalls passed through the area. Rescuers discovered the overturned boat two days later off Daytona Beach, but neither boy was found. The boat was not equipped with an EPIRB or PLB at the time.

The U.S. Coast Guard searched roughly 50,000 square miles over seven days before suspending the search. Black has said the national and international outpouring of support, donations and volunteer search efforts helped sustain the family and the community during the crisis. “I couldn’t have gotten through it without that support,” she said. “We live in a small beach town. Jupiter stopped for 10 days.”

Why EPIRBs matter

EPIRBs and PLBs are satellite-linked emergency beacons that can quickly alert search-and-rescue authorities and help rescuers determine a vessel’s location. Cospas-Sarsat, the organization that oversees the international satellite-based distress alert system, reports that emergency beacons have helped in the rescue of more than 37,000 people since 1982. For recreational boaters, a properly registered and maintained 406 MHz EPIRB can significantly shorten response times and improve the odds of a successful rescue.

Black says the family’s motivation is to turn grief into proactive action. “This was an awful tragedy, but we want to give back,” she said. “We want to honor [Austin]. There’s no better way for us to do that than to educate people and get them out on the water safely.” The AustinBlu Foundation continues to promote EPIRB use, life jacket awareness and boating education as practical ways to keep families safer on the water.

This article originally appeared in the January 2016 issue.