State, Department of Natural Resources v. Johnny's Coral Maintenance Corp.

NESBITT, Judge.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) appeals a final judgment denying its petition for forfeiture of a motor boat. We reverse.

An officer of the Florida Marine Patrol stopped the operator of the vessel in question for a safety check. He saw that the registration number affixed to the bow of the hull did not match that on the registration certificate the operator produced. The number on the hull indicated the boat was registered to a person in Jacksonville while the registration certificate indicated the vessel belonged to a Miami company called Johnny’s Coral Maintenance…