What does seagrass have to do with diving in the Florida Keys? It seems a lot.Florida takes its seagrass very seriously. If you are a visitor to the Keys and haven’t used your boat here before, it may be a good idea to obtain a booklet of regulations.Boaters can face federal and state fines as well as costs associated with restoration efforts and monitoring if they are caught destroying seagrass. A fine of up to $1,000 can be imposed under Florida law.Bring in the feds and things get more serious. In 1997 federal judge ordered a treasure-hunting company to pay a fine of $589,311 for destroying sea grass while searching without a permit for shipwrecks in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
