Senate Bill 1494

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1494

    By Senator Williams





    4-526-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to parking permits for persons

  3         who have disabilities; amending s. 320.0848,

  4         F.S.; clarifying who may certify a person as

  5         having disabilities that entitle the person to

  6         receive such a permit; amending the

  7         prerequisites to renewing such a permit;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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12         Section 1.  Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) of

13  section 320.0848, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

14         320.0848  Persons who have disabilities; issuance of

15  disabled parking permits; temporary permits; permits for

16  certain providers of transportation services to persons who

17  have disabilities.--

18         (1)(a)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

19  Vehicles or its authorized agents shall, upon application and

20  receipt of the fee, issue a disabled parking permit for a

21  period of up to 4 years that ends on the applicant's birthday

22  to any person who has long-term mobility problems, or a

23  temporary disabled parking permit not to exceed 1 year to any

24  person who has temporary mobility problems.  The person must

25  be currently certified by a physician licensed under chapter

26  458, by an osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 459,

27  by a chiropractic physician licensed under or chapter 460, or

28  by a podiatrist licensed under chapter 461, by the Division of

29  Blind Services of the Department of Labor and Employment

30  Security, or by the Adjudication Office of the United States

31  Department of Veterans Affairs or its predecessor as being

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1494
    4-526-98




  1  legally blind or as having any of the following disabilities

  2  that limit or impair his or her ability to walk:

  3         1.  Inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to

  4  rest.

  5         2.  Inability to walk without the use of or assistance

  6  from a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, or other

  7  assistive device, or without the assistance of another person.

  8  If the assistive device significantly restores the person's

  9  ability to walk to the extent that the person can walk without

10  severe limitation, the person is not eligible for the

11  exemption parking permit.

12         3.  The need to permanently use a wheelchair.

13         4.  Restriction by lung disease to the extent that the

14  person's forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for 1 second,

15  when measured by spirometry, is less than 1 liter, or the

16  person's arterial oxygen is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at

17  rest.

18         5.  Use of portable oxygen.

19         6.  Restriction by cardiac condition to the extent that

20  the person's functional limitations are classified in severity

21  as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the

22  American Heart Association.

23         7.  Severe limitation in the person's ability to walk

24  due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.

25         (c)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

26  Vehicles shall renew the disabled parking permit of any person

27  who continues to have a qualifying has a disability upon

28  presentation of the certification required by paragraph (b).

29         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 1494
    4-526-98




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  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Clarifies which professionals may certify a person as
      having disabilities that qualify the person to receive a
  4    special parking permit. Amends the prerequisites to
      renewing such a permit.
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