Florida helping keep nation's boat economy afloat

• Florida's $33.3 billion economic impact included nearly 110,000 jobs across more than 7,000 businesses.

The big picture: Recreational boating, which took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains popular despite what industry experts call a "normalization" of boat sales in the wake of the COVID era's extraordinary growth, Axios' Joann Muller reports.

Zoom in: Florida hit 1 million registered recreational vessels (aka boats) last year, with Pinellas and Hillsborough making up two of the state's top five counties for registration with a combined 95,362.

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hasn't updated its registration count for 2023.

Yes, but: More boats mean more challenges. Florida also has the highest number of reported accidents and a derelict boat problem.