The Florida Senate

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall oversee and license all commercial driver’s schools except truck driving schools. All commercial truck driving schools shall be required to be licensed pursuant to chapter 1005, and additionally shall be subject to the provisions of ss. 488.04 and 488.05. No person, group, organization, institution, business entity, or corporate entity may engage in the business of operating a driver’s school without first obtaining a license therefor from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles pursuant to this chapter or from the Commission for Independent Education pursuant to chapter 1005.

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this chapter.

An application for a license shall be made in the form prescribed by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Every application for an original license must be accompanied by an application fee of $50, which fee may not be refunded. If the application is approved, a further fee of $200 must be paid before the license may be issued. The license shall be valid for a period of 1 year from the date of issuance and is not transferable. In the event of any change in ownership or interest in the business, an application for a new license, together with all instructors’ certificates issued thereunder, must be surrendered to the department before a license will be issued to a new owner of the business. The fee for the annual renewal of a license is $100.

A person may not serve in the capacity of an agent for a commercial driving school without first obtaining an agent identification card issued for such purpose by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. An application for a card shall be made in the form prescribed by the department. The fee for the initial application is $25, which is not refundable. The fee for the annual renewal of a card is $10. A card is valid for use only in connection with the business of the driver’s school or schools listed on the card by the department.

A motor vehicle owned or controlled by a driver’s school may not be used for the purpose of giving driving instructions until the licensee has obtained a school vehicle identification certificate from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which certificate shall be carried in such vehicle at all times. An application for an initial certificate shall be accompanied by a fee of $15, which is not refundable. The fee for the annual renewal of a certificate is $10. A school vehicle certificate will not be issued by the department unless the vehicle is equipped in accordance with safety requirements established by the department.

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may suspend or revoke any license or certificate issued under the provisions of this chapter if the holder of the license or certificate or an instructor, agent, or employee of the commercial driving school has:

For purposes of subsection (2), fingerprints shall be submitted by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for state processing, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shall forward them to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for national processing. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall screen the background check results to determine if an applicant, instructor, agency, or employee meets licensure or certification requirements.

A person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or any of the rules or regulations promulgated hereunder is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

All moneys received from the application for, or from the issuance of, licenses and certificates under this chapter shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall include an amount in its legislative budget request sufficient for the proper administration of the provisions of this chapter.