Senate Bill sb1030

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1030

    By Senator Campbell





    32-1023-05                                          See HB 551

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to financial responsibility for

  3         operation of motor vehicles; amending s.

  4         324.021, F.S.; expanding the definition of

  5         "rental company" for purposes of an exclusion

  6         from an exemption from application of certain

  7         limits of liability provisions to include

  8         certain holders of a motor vehicle title or an

  9         equity interest in a motor vehicle title under

10         certain circumstances; providing an effective

11         date.

12  

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

14  

15         Section 1.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (9) of section

16  324.021, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

17         324.021  Definitions; minimum insurance required.--The

18  following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall,

19  for the purpose of this chapter, have the meanings

20  respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those

21  instances where the context clearly indicates a different

22  meaning:

23         (9)  OWNER; OWNER/LESSOR.--

24         (c)  Application.--

25         1.  The limits on liability in subparagraphs (b)2. and

26  3. do not apply to an owner of motor vehicles that are used

27  for commercial activity in the owner's ordinary course of

28  business, other than a rental company that rents or leases

29  motor vehicles. For purposes of this paragraph, the term

30  "rental company" includes only an entity that is engaged in

31  the business of renting or leasing motor vehicles to the

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1030
    32-1023-05                                          See HB 551




 1  general public and that rents or leases a majority of its

 2  motor vehicles to persons with no direct or indirect

 3  affiliation with the rental company. The term also includes a

 4  motor vehicle dealer that provides temporary replacement

 5  vehicles to its customers for up to 10 days. The term also

 6  includes the holder of a motor vehicle title or an equity

 7  interest in a motor vehicle title if the title or equity

 8  interest is held pursuant to an asset-backed securitization of

 9  a fleet of motor vehicles under the dominion and control of a

10  rental company, as described in this subparagraph, in the

11  operation of such rental company's business.

12         2.  Furthermore, with respect to commercial motor

13  vehicles as defined in s. 627.732, the limits on liability in

14  subparagraphs (b)2. and 3. do not apply if, at the time of the

15  incident, the commercial motor vehicle is being used in the

16  transportation of materials found to be hazardous for the

17  purposes of the Hazardous Materials Transportation

18  Authorization Act of 1994, as amended, 49 U.S.C. ss. 5101 et

19  seq., and that is required pursuant to such act to carry

20  placards warning others of the hazardous cargo, unless at the

21  time of lease or rental either:

22         a.  The lessee indicates in writing that the vehicle

23  will not be used to transport materials found to be hazardous

24  for the purposes of the Hazardous Materials Transportation

25  Authorization Act of 1994, as amended, 49 U.S.C. ss. 5101 et

26  seq.; or

27         b.  The lessee or other operator of the commercial

28  motor vehicle has in effect insurance with limits of at least

29  $5,000,000 combined property damage and bodily injury

30  liability.

31         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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