Senate Bill 1890

    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1890

    By Senator Diaz-Balart





    37-1294-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to motor vehicles; amending s.

  3         715.05, F.S.; requiring notice to the insurer

  4         of certain unclaimed or impounded vehicles;

  5         providing an effective date.

  6

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

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  9         Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 715.05, Florida

10  Statutes, is amended to read:

11         715.05  Reporting of unclaimed motor vehicles.--

12         (1)  Whenever any law enforcement agency authorizes the

13  removal of a vehicle or whenever any towing service, garage,

14  repair shop, or automotive service, storage, or parking place

15  notifies the law enforcement agency of possession of a vehicle

16  pursuant to s. 715.07(2)(a)2., the applicable law enforcement

17  agency shall contact the Department of Highway Safety and

18  Motor Vehicles, or the appropriate agency of the state of

19  registration, if known, within 24 hours through the medium of

20  electronic communications giving the full description of the

21  vehicle.  Upon receipt of the full description of the vehicle,

22  the department shall search its files to determine the owner's

23  name, the name of the insurance company insuring the vehicle,

24  and whether any person has filed a lien upon the vehicle as

25  provided in s. 319.27(2) and (3) and notify the applicable law

26  enforcement agency within 72 hours.  The person in charge of

27  the towing service, garage, repair shop, or automotive

28  service, storage, or parking place shall obtain such

29  information from the applicable law enforcement agency within

30  5 days from the date of storage and shall, by certified mail,

31  return receipt requested, notify the owner, the insurer, and

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1890
    37-1294-99




  1  all lienholders of the location of the vehicle and of the fact

  2  that it is unclaimed.  Such notice shall be given within 7

  3  days, excluding Saturday and Sunday, from the date of storage

  4  and shall be complete upon mailing; however, if the state of

  5  registration is unknown, the person in charge of the towing

  6  service, garage, repair shop, or automotive service, storage,

  7  or parking place shall make a good faith best effort in so

  8  notifying the owner, the insurer, and any lienholders, and

  9  such notice shall be given within a reasonable period of time

10  from the date of storage.

11         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Requires notice to the insurer of certain unclaimed or
      impounded motor vehicles.
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