St. Augustine, FL (November 23, 2016) – Corporal (Cpl.) Underwood of the Saint Johns County Sheriff’s Office is the recipient of the 2016 NASBLA Boating Safety Award, sponsored by the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), for his efforts to promote responsible boating throughout Florida. As Florida continues to be the top state for recreational boating deaths and
accidents, this is no easy task. Cpl. Underwood’s dedication to the profession, and especially to boating safety, has made a positive change in the local boating community and boaters now know him know him as “the life jacket guy.” Major Richard Moore, Boating Law Administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Chair of the NSBC, awarded Cpl. Underwood with this honor at the Saint Johns County Sheriff’s Office on November 18, 2016.
First presented in 1992, the Boating Safety Award is bestowed upon a state or local government individual, other than a boating law administrator, who is involved in boating safety and who has demonstrated outstanding performance in any area of the program, including but not limited to
enforcement, education, search and rescue, navigational aids or registration and titling.
Cpl. Underwood’s achievements over the past fifteen years with the Saint Johns County Sheriff’s Office are vast and often included overtime hours spent protecting Florida’s waterways. He manages all training aspects of the unit and is an advocate within the community for boating safety. Donating his own time and money, Cpl. Underwood paid for and constructed a life jacket loaner station in St. Augustine, which is still in use today, at one of the county’s busiest boat ramps. He also partnered with Sea Tow St. Augustine to furnish life jackets to the public at no cost through a grant.
“Cpl. Underwood is a shining example of how to be a responsible boater and truly makes a difference within the recreational boating community,” says Rachel Johnson, NSBC executive director. “He educates the boating public through his work on the field and also makes it a point to influence his friends and family about safe boating practices. Cpl. Underwood deserves to be recognized in his tireless efforts to keep our waterways safer, and we are proud to award him with the 2016 Boating Safety Award.”
His dedication and training efforts have taken the marine patrol unit to a fully functional, fulltime staffed marine unit. He focuses on continuing education and training, and has logged the agency’s first boating under the influence arrest in his efforts to focus on the dangers of drinking while boating. Cpl. Underwood’s hard work, dedication, and outreach to his fellow officers and the boating public make him a worthy recipient of this year’s Boating Safety Award.
About the National Safe Boating Council
The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) is the foremost coalition for the advancement and promotion of safer boating through education, outreach, and training. The NSBC accomplishes this mission by promoting outreach and research initiatives that support boating education and safety awareness; improving the professional development of boating safety educators through training; and developing and recognizing outstanding boating safety programs. To learn more about the NSBC and its programs, visit www.SafeBoatingCouncil.org.
About the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. The association offers a variety of resources, including training, model acts, education standards
and publications. Through a national network of thousands of professional educators, law enforcement officers and volunteers, NASBLA affects the lives of over 83 million American boaters.