Margolis parasail safety bill passes another Senate committee

Increased safety standards may come into play for commercial parasailing operators. A measure proposed by Sen. Gwen Margolis, a Sunny Isles Beach Democrat, to limit the hours and areas where parasailing can take place passed unanimously Tuesday morning in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.

Margolis's bill comes in the wake of the August 2007 death of a Jupiter teen killed when heavy winds caused her parasail chute to lose control, slamming the teen against a bill. Under Margolis's bill commercial parasailing on bodies of water less than 2,000 feet wide would be prohibited as would parasailing when there are wind speeds higher than 18 knots. The measure would also ban parasailing during sunset to sunrise or any other time there is poor visibility.

The "Amber May White Act'" - named after the Jupiter teen - only needs one additional committee vote to go before the Senate floor. The House version of the bill sponsored by Rep. Carl Domino, a Jupiter Republican, has passed through the Conservation and State Lands committee, and needs two more committee votes for a final House vote.