The Florida Senate

¹324.202  Seizure of motor vehicle license plates by recovery agents.--

(1)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall implement a pilot project in Broward County, Dade County, and Hillsborough County to determine the effectiveness of using recovery agents for the seizure of license plates. Licensed recovery agents and recovery agencies as described in s. 493.6101(20) and (21) may seize license plates of motor vehicles whose registrations have been suspended pursuant to s. 316.646 or s. 627.733 in such counties upon compliance with this section and rules of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

(2)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall:

(a)  Provide a procedure for the payment of fees to recovery agents or recovery agencies who seize license plates pursuant to this section. This procedure shall include the development and distribution of forms and monthly renewal notices, including the name and most current address available to the department of persons not in compliance with s. 316.646 or s. 627.733, which shall be used by the seizing recovery agent or recovery agency to transmit the seized license plate to the local law enforcement agency pursuant to s. 324.201.

(b)  Provide a method for the payment of the fee in s. 627.733(7) to the recovery agent or recovery agency seizing the license plate pursuant to this section. The requirements with respect to payment must provide that when the owner or operator whose driver's license has been suspended under s. 316.646 or s. 627.733 pays the reinstatement fee to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the department shall pay the recovery agent.

History.--s. 4, ch. 95-202; s. 12, ch. 97-100; ss. 48, 308, ch. 99-248.

¹Note.--Section 48, ch. 99-248, amended s. 324.202, effective July 1, 2000, to read:

324.202  Seizure of motor vehicle license plates by recovery agents.--

(1)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall implement a pilot program using recovery agents for the seizure of license plates in Broward County, Dade County, and Hillsborough County. Licensed recovery agents and recovery agencies as described in s. 493.6101(20) and (21) may seize license plates of motor vehicles whose registrations have been suspended pursuant to s. 316.646 or s. 627.733 in such counties upon compliance with this section and rules of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Upon the implementation of the vehicle information system overall reorganization to the Oracle database of driver licenses and a verification of an error rate of 2 percent or less for valid license plates seized during the period following implementation of the database, as determined by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, the program shall be expanded to those counties where a majority of the governing body of the county has requested the program be implemented. The determination by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall be submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives committees responsible for insurance and transportation issues no later than January 1, 2001. The program authorizing recovery agents and agencies to seize license plates shall be repealed July 1, 2002.

(2)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall:

(a)  Provide a procedure for recovery agents or recovery agencies who seize license plates pursuant to this section. This procedure shall include the development and distribution of forms and monthly renewal notices, including the name and most current address available to the department of persons not in compliance with s. 316.646 or s. 627.733.

(b)  Provide a method for the payment of a fee of $25 to the recovery agent or recovery agency seizing an eligible license plate pursuant to this section.