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CS/HB 7055 — Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
by Economic Affairs Committee; Highway and Waterway Safety Subcommittee; and Rep. Steube (CS/SB 7072 by Fiscal Policy Committee and Transportation Committee)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Transportation Committee (TR)
The bill revises multiple laws administered by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). More specifically, the bill:
- Allows an employing state agency to pay up to $5,000 directly to a venue to cover funeral and burial expenses for full-time law enforcement, correctional, or correctional probation officers killed in the line of duty;
- Allows a golf cart to be operated on a two-lane county road within the jurisdiction of a municipality, if allowed by such municipality;
- Revises the size of required red hazard flags from 12-inches square to 18-inches square on loads that extend four feet or more beyond a vehicle’s perimeter, to comply with federal regulations;
- Authorizes the Department of Transportation to issue a special permit for truck tractor-semitrailer combinations carrying multiple sections or single units of manufactured buildings on an overlength trailer of no more than 80 feet;
- Increases the fine a local government may issue for an unlawfully displayed vehicle for sale, hire, or rental, which is parked upon public property or parked upon private property without permission from the property owner, from $100 per violation to $500 per violation.
- Extends the repeal of the Pilot Rebuilt Motor Vehicle Inspection program from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2018, and revises program requirements, including:
- Increases the amount of the required surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit an applicant must have from $50,000 to $100,000;
- Requires an applicant to secure and maintain a facility at a permanent structure where the only services provided are rebuilt inspection services;
- Requires the operator of such facility to annually attest he or she is not employed by, does not have an ownership interest in, or does not have a financial arrangement with certain entities from which he or she receives remuneration, directly or indirectly, for the referral of customers for rebuilt inspection services;
- Requires program participants to maintain records of each rebuilt vehicle examination processed at the facility for at least five years; and
- Requires the DHSMV to terminate an operator from the program who does not meet the minimum eligibility requirements.
- Provides that residential manufactured buildings located on mobile home lots shall be treated as a mobile home for purposes of ch. 319, F.S., which addresses titling;
- Directs the DHSMV to include language on motor vehicle registration, driver license, and identification card application forms, permitting a voluntary contribution of $1 or more per applicant, for the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation;
- Requires the DHSMV, and their authorized agents, to provide each applicant for a motor vehicle registration or driver license the option to register emergency contact information and to be contacted with information about state and federal benefits available as a result of military service;
- Removes certain obsolete requirements for establishing a specialty license plate, including the application fee, marketing strategy, and financial analysis of the requested specialty plate;
- Removes provisions for the issuance of the Corrections Foundation license plate, the Children First license plate, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars license plate, which have been discontinued by the DHSMV for failure to meet minimum sale or presale requirements;
- Includes Major League Soccer within the Florida Professional Sports Team license plate;
- Revises the identification of ancient and antique motor vehicles by requiring the use of the model date of the vehicle to determine its age rather than the manufacture date of a vehicle’s engine;
- Allows disclosure of confidential personal injury protection and property damage liability insurance policy numbers of a person involved in a motor vehicle accident to DHSMV-approved third parties that provide data collection services to an insurer of any person involved in such accident, and to governmental entities if necessary to perform its duties;
- Provides that certified emergency medical technicians with proper training can administer emergency allergy treatments; and
- Provides reenactments and conforming cross-references to reflect the changes made in this bill.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect October 1, 2015.
Vote: Senate 40-0; House 115-0