Senate Bill sb2332

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 2332

    By Senator Clary





    7-1457-02

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to motor vehicles; amending s.

  3         320.084, F.S.; allowing certain disabled

  4         veterans to purchase additional

  5         disabled-veterans license plates; amending s.

  6         320.0848, F.S.; authorizing certain additional

  7         health care professionals to issue

  8         certifications of disability; eliminating

  9         parking-permit fees for disabled persons;

10         providing an administrative processing fee;

11         revising provisions relating to fees for

12         temporary parking permits for disabled persons;

13         providing an effective date.

14

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

16

17         Section 1.  Subsection (6) is added to section 320.084,

18  Florida Statutes, to read:

19         320.084  Free motor vehicle license plate to certain

20  disabled veterans.--

21         (6)  A disabled veteran who has received a free license

22  plate under this section may purchase additional

23  disabled-veterans license plates. The cost for additional

24  plates may not exceed the cost provided in s. 320.06(1)(b).

25         Section 2.  Section 320.0848, Florida Statutes, is

26  amended to read:

27         320.0848  Persons who have disabilities; issuance of

28  disabled parking permits; temporary permits; permits for

29  certain providers of transportation services to persons who

30  have disabilities.--

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 2332
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  1         (1)(a)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

  2  Vehicles or its authorized agents shall, upon application and

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

  4  period of up to 4 years, which period ends on the applicant's

  5  birthday, to any person who has long-term mobility impairment,

  6  or a temporary disabled parking permit not to exceed 1 year to

  7  any person who has a temporary mobility impairment.

  8         (b)1.  The person must be currently certified as being

  9  legally blind or as having any of the following disabilities

10  that render him or her unable to walk 200 feet without

11  stopping to rest:

12         a.  Inability to walk without the use of or assistance

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

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

15  If the assistive device significantly restores the person's

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

17  severe limitation, the person is not eligible for the

18  exemption parking permit.

19         b.  The need to permanently use a wheelchair.

20         c.  Restriction by lung disease to the extent that the

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

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

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

24  rest.

25         d.  Use of portable oxygen.

26         e.  Restriction by cardiac condition to the extent that

27  the person's functional limitations are classified in severity

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

29  American Heart Association.

30         f.  Severe limitation in the person's ability to walk

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

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 2332
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  1         2.  The certification of disability which is required

  2  under subparagraph 1. must be provided by a physician licensed

  3  under chapter 458, chapter 459, or chapter 460, by a podiatric

  4  physician licensed under chapter 461, by an optometrist

  5  licensed under chapter 463, by the Adjudication Office of the

  6  United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its

  7  predecessor, or by a similarly licensed physician from another

  8  state if the application is accompanied by documentation of

  9  the physician's licensure in the other state and a form signed

10  by the out-of-state physician verifying his or her knowledge

11  of this state's eligibility guidelines, by an advanced

12  registered nurse practitioner licensed under chapter 464 in a

13  facility operated by the United States Department of Veterans

14  Affairs under the protocol of a licensed physician as stated

15  in this subparagraph, or by a physician assistant licensed

16  under chapter 458 or chapter 459 in a facility operated by the

17  United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

18         (c)  The certificate of disability must include, but

19  need not be limited to:

20         1.  The disability of the applicant; the certifying

21  physician's name and address; the physician's certification

22  number; the eligibility criteria for the permit; the penalty

23  for falsification by either the certifying physician or the

24  applicant; the duration of the condition that entitles the

25  person to the permit; and justification for the additional

26  placard pursuant to subsection (2).

27         2.  The statement, in bold letters: "A disabled parking

28  permit may be issued only for a medical necessity that

29  severely affects mobility."

30         3.  The signatures of:

31         a.  The applicant's physician;

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  1         b.  The applicant or the applicant's parent or

  2  guardian; and

  3         c.  The employee of the department's authorized agent

  4  which employee is processing the application.

  5         (d)  Beginning April 1, 1999, the Department of Highway

  6  Safety and Motor Vehicles shall renew the disabled parking

  7  permit of any person certified as permanently disabled on the

  8  application.

  9         (e)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

10  Vehicles shall, in consultation with the Commission for the

11  Transportation Disadvantaged, adopt rules, in accordance with

12  chapter 120, for the issuance of a disabled parking permit to

13  any organization that can adequately demonstrate a bona fide

14  need for such a permit because the organization provides

15  regular transportation services to persons who have

16  disabilities and are certified as provided in this subsection.

17         (2)  DISABLED PARKING PERMIT; PERSONS WITH LONG-TERM

18  MOBILITY PROBLEMS.--

19         (a)  The disabled parking permit is a placard that can

20  be placed in a motor vehicle so as to be visible from the

21  front and rear of the vehicle. Each side of the placard must

22  have the international symbol of accessibility in a

23  contrasting color in the center so as to be visible. One side

24  of the placard must display the applicant's driver's license

25  number or state identification card number along with a

26  warning that the applicant must have such identification at

27  all times while using the parking permit. A validation sticker

28  must also be issued with each disabled parking permit, showing

29  the month and year of expiration on each side of the placard.

30  Validation stickers must be of the size specified by the

31  Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and must be

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  1  affixed to the disabled parking permits. The disabled parking

  2  permits must use the same colors as license plate validations.

  3         (b)  License plates issued under ss. 320.084, 320.0842,

  4  320.0843, and 320.0845 are valid for the same parking

  5  privileges and other privileges provided under ss. 316.1955,

  6  316.1964, and 526.141(5)(a).

  7         (c)  The administrative processing fee for each initial

  8  4-year disabled parking permit or renewal permit shall be

  9  $1.50, and all proceeds of that fee shall be retained by the

10  tax collector of the county in which the fee was collected.

11         (c)1.  Except as provided in subparagraph 2., the fee

12  for a disabled parking permit shall be:

13         a.  Fifteen dollars for each initial 4-year permit or

14  renewal permit, of which the State Transportation Trust Fund

15  shall receive $13.50 and the tax collector of the county in

16  which the fee was collected shall receive $1.50.

17         b.  One dollar for each additional or additional

18  renewal 4-year permit, of which the State Transportation Trust

19  Fund shall receive all funds collected.

20

21         (d)  The department shall not issue an additional

22  disabled parking permit unless the applicant states that he or

23  she is they are a frequent traveler or a quadriplegic. The

24  department may not issue to any one eligible applicant more

25  than two disabled parking permits except to an organization in

26  accordance with paragraph (1)(e). Subsections (1), (5), (6),

27  and (7) apply to this subsection.

28         (e)2.  If an applicant who is a disabled veteran, is a

29  resident of this state, has been honorably discharged, and

30  either has been determined by the Department of Defense or the

31  United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 2332
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  1  predecessor to have a service-connected disability rating for

  2  compensation of 50 percent or greater or has been determined

  3  to have a service-connected disability rating of 50 percent or

  4  greater and is in receipt of both disability retirement pay

  5  from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, he or

  6  she must still provide and has a signed physician's statement

  7  of qualification for the disabled parking permits., the fee

  8  for a disabled parking permit shall be:

  9         a.  One dollar and fifty cents for the initial 4-year

10  permit or renewal permit.

11         b.  One dollar for each additional or additional

12  renewal 4-year permit.

13

14  The tax collector of the county in which the fee was collected

15  shall retain all funds received pursuant to this subparagraph.

16         3.  If an applicant presents to the department a

17  statement from the Federal Government or the State of Florida

18  indicating the applicant is a recipient of supplemental

19  security income, the fee for the disabled parking permit shall

20  be $9 for the initial 4-year permit or renewal permit, of

21  which the State Transportation Trust Fund shall receive $6.75

22  and the tax collector of the county in which the fee was

23  collected shall receive $2.25.

24         (f)(d)  To obtain a replacement for a disabled parking

25  permit that has been lost or stolen, a person must submit an

26  application on a form prescribed by the department and must

27  pay a replacement fee in the amount of $1.00, to be retained

28  by the issuing agency. If the person submits with the

29  application a police report documenting that the permit was

30  stolen, there is no replacement fee.

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 2332
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  1         (g)(e)  A person who qualifies for a disabled parking

  2  permit under this section may be issued an international

  3  wheelchair user symbol license plate under s. 320.0843 in lieu

  4  of the disabled parking permit; or, if the person qualifies

  5  for a "DV" license plate under s. 320.084, such a license

  6  plate may be issued to him or her in lieu of a disabled

  7  parking permit.

  8         (3)  DISABLED PARKING PERMIT; TEMPORARY.--

  9         (a)  The temporary disabled parking permit is a placard

10  of a different color from the color of the long-term disabled

11  parking permit placard, and must clearly display the date of

12  expiration in large print and with color coding, but is

13  identical to the long-term disabled parking permit placard in

14  all other respects, including, but not limited to, the

15  inclusion of a state identification card number or driver's

16  license number on one side of the temporary permit. The

17  temporary disabled parking permit placard must be designed to

18  conspicuously display the expiration date of the permit on the

19  front and back of the placard.

20         (b)  The department shall issue the temporary disabled

21  parking permit for the period of the disability as stated by

22  the certifying physician, but not to exceed 1 year.

23         (c)  The fee for a temporary disabled parking permit is

24  $15.

25         (4)  From the proceeds of the temporary disabled

26  parking permit fees:

27         (a)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

28  Vehicles must receive $3.50 for each temporary permit, to be

29  deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund and

30  used for implementing the real-time disabled parking permit

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    Florida Senate - 2002                                  SB 2332
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  1  database and for administering the disabled parking permit

  2  program.

  3         (b)  The tax collector, for processing, must receive

  4  $2.50 for each temporary permit.

  5         (c)  The remainder must be distributed monthly as

  6  follows:

  7         1.  To the Florida Governor's Alliance for the

  8  Employment of Disabled Citizens for the purpose of improving

  9  employment and training opportunities for persons who have

10  disabilities, with special emphasis on removing transportation

11  barriers, $4.  These fees must be deposited into the

12  Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund for transfer to the

13  Florida Governor's Alliance for Employment of Disabled

14  Citizens.

15         2.  To the Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund to

16  be used for funding matching grants to counties for the

17  purpose of improving transportation of persons who have

18  disabilities, $5.

19         (5)  The applications for disabled parking permits and

20  temporary disabled parking permits are official state

21  documents. The following statement must appear on each

22  application form immediately below the physician's signature

23  and immediately below the applicant's signature:  "Knowingly

24  providing false information on this application is a

25  misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.

26  775.082, Florida Statutes, or s. 775.083, Florida Statutes.

27  The penalty is up to 1 year in jail or a fine of $1,000, or

28  both."

29         (6)  Any person who knowingly makes a false or

30  misleading statement in an application or certification under

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  1  this section commits a misdemeanor of the first degree,

  2  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

  3         (7)  Any person who fraudulently obtains or unlawfully

  4  displays a disabled parking permit that belongs to another

  5  person while occupying a disabled parking space or an access

  6  aisle as defined in s. 553.5041 while the owner of the permit

  7  is not being transported in the vehicle or who uses an

  8  unauthorized replica of such a disabled parking permit with

  9  the intent to deceive is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second

10  degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

11         (8)  A law enforcement officer may confiscate the

12  disabled parking permit from any person who fraudulently

13  obtains or unlawfully uses such a permit.  A law enforcement

14  officer may confiscate any disabled parking permit that is

15  expired, reported as lost or stolen, or defaced, or that does

16  not display a personal identification number.

17         (a)  Beginning April 1, 1999, The permit number of each

18  confiscated permit must be submitted to the Department of

19  Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the fact that the

20  permit has been confiscated must be noted on the

21  permitholder's record. If two permits issued to the same

22  person have been confiscated, the Department of Highway Safety

23  and Motor Vehicles shall refer the information to the central

24  abuse hotline of the Department of Children and Family

25  Services for an investigation of potential abuse, neglect, or

26  exploitation of the permit owner.

27         (b)  A confiscated permit must be held as evidence

28  until a judicial decision about the violation has been made.

29  After a finding of guilt has been made or a plea of nolo

30  contendere has been entered, the charging agency shall destroy

31  the confiscated permit. A confiscated permit may not, under

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  1  any circumstances, be returned to its registered owner after a

  2  finding of guilt has been made or a plea of nolo contendere

  3  has been entered in court. The permit number of each destroyed

  4  permit must be reported to the department, and the department

  5  must record in the real-time disabled parking permit database

  6  that the permit has been invalidated.

  7         (9)  A violation of this section is grounds for

  8  disciplinary action under s. 458.331, s. 459.015, s. 460.413,

  9  or s. 461.013, as applicable.

10         (10)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

11  Vehicles shall adopt rules to administer this section.

12         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

13  law.

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15            *****************************************

16                          SENATE SUMMARY

17    Allows certain disabled veterans to purchase additional
      disabled-veterans license plates. Authorizes certain
18    additional health care professionals to issue
      certifications of disability. Eliminates
19    disabled-parking-permit fees. Provides an administrative
      processing fee. Revises provisions relating to fees for
20    temporary disabled-parking permits.

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