Senate Bill sb2278

    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 2278

    By Senator Oelrich





    14-1359-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to motor vehicle license

  3         plates; amending s. 320.061, F.S.; conforming

  4         provisions; creating s. 320.0615, F.S.;

  5         prohibiting certain alteration of license

  6         plates to make them unreadable to automated

  7         traffic cameras; providing an effective date.

  8  

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

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11         Section 1.  Section 320.061, Florida Statutes, is

12  amended to read:

13         320.061  Unlawful to alter motor vehicle registration

14  certificates, license plates, mobile home stickers, or

15  validation stickers; penalty.--A No person may not shall alter

16  the original appearance of any registration license plate,

17  mobile home sticker, validation sticker, or vehicle

18  registration certificate issued for and assigned to any motor

19  vehicle or mobile home, whether by mutilation, alteration,

20  defacement, or change of color or in any other manner. Except

21  as provided in s. 320.0615, a Any person who violates the

22  provisions of this section commits is guilty of a misdemeanor

23  of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or

24  s. 775.083.

25         Section 2.  Section 320.0615, Florida Statutes, is

26  created to read:

27         320.0615  Motor vehicle license plates; alteration

28  affecting readability by automated traffic cameras; penalty.--

29         (1)  A driver may not alter a motor vehicle license

30  plate with a spray or other coating, covering, film,

31  protective material, or device that distorts angular

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






    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 2278
    14-1359-07




 1  visibility or detectability; that alters, obscures, or

 2  otherwise interferes with the readability of the letters or

 3  numbers on the plate, the color of the plate, or another

 4  original design feature of the plate; or that makes the plate

 5  unreadable in photographs taken by automated traffic cameras

 6  or electronic photo radar devices.

 7         (2)  Enforcement of this section by state or local law

 8  enforcement agencies must be accomplished only as a secondary

 9  action when a driver of a motor vehicle has been detained for

10  a suspected violation of another section of chapter 216, this

11  chapter, or chapter 322.

12         (3)  Notwithstanding s. 320.061, a violation of this

13  section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a

14  moving violation as provided in chapter 318.

15         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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18                          SENATE SUMMARY

19    Prohibits the use of films, coatings, or devices that
      obscure, distort, or otherwise interfere with the
20    readability of a license plate or photograph of a license
      plate.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.