What: Press conference to announce an establishing movement in Florida’s boating industry advocated by the founders of the AustinBlu Foundation, Blu Stephanos and Carly Black.
When: Wednesday, November 4th at 1:30 p.m.
Where: 404 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301 in the Capitol Rotunda.
Why: Senator Joe Negron’s and Representative Marylynn Magar’s worked to create a discount to incentivize boaters on the benefits of 406 MHz beacon carriage. As of July 2016, if passed, every recreational boat owner in Florida, who proves they have a properly registered Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), will receive an annual discount on their boater’s registration.
About The AustinBlu Foundation: The foundation was formed in 2015, in the wake of, Austin, being lost at sea. Austin Blu Stephanos from Jupiter, Florida was 14 years old when he was lost at sea and is the namesake of this foundation created by his loving parents , Blu Stephanos and Carly Black. The foundation is dedicated to raising awareness, providing education, making tools and technology available to boaters; all of which will help prevent near- shore and off-shore boating accidents in Florida. The foundation will also work to ensure more people respectfully and safely experience the majesty, beauty, and power of the ocean.
About 406 MHz Beacons: Since the mid 1980’s 406 MHz beacons have saved approximately 40,000 lives worldwide. To learn more about 406 MHz beacons please visit: www.sarsat.noaa.gov. They communicate directly to government owned and operated satellites alerting rescue agencies of an incident. Most notably they work in areas where cell phones and vhf radio commonly lose reception.
