| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to motor vehicles; amending s. 316.515, |
| 3 | F.S.; revising restrictions on use of certain agriculture- |
| 4 | related vehicles; providing for exemptions from width and |
| 5 | height limitations for certain farming or agricultural |
| 6 | equipment; providing conditions for use of such equipment; |
| 7 | authorizing certain movements without a Department of |
| 8 | Transportation overwidth permit; providing lighting |
| 9 | requirements for certain overwidth equipment; providing an |
| 10 | effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 316.515, Florida |
| 15 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 16 | 316.515 Maximum width, height, length.-- |
| 17 | (5) IMPLEMENTS OF HUSBANDRY AND FARM EQUIPMENT; |
| 18 | AGRICULTURAL TRAILERS; FORESTRY EQUIPMENT; SAFETY |
| 19 | REQUIREMENTS.-- |
| 20 | (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, straight |
| 21 | trucks, agricultural tractors, and cotton module movers, not |
| 22 | exceeding 50 feet in length, or any combination of up to and |
| 23 | including three implements of husbandry, including the towing |
| 24 | power unit, and any single agricultural trailer with a load |
| 25 | thereon or any agricultural implements attached to a towing |
| 26 | power unit not exceeding 130 inches in width, or a self- |
| 27 | propelled agricultural implement or an agricultural tractor not |
| 28 | exceeding 130 inches in width, is authorized for the purpose of |
| 29 | transporting peanuts, grains, soybeans, cotton, hay, straw, or |
| 30 | other perishable farm products from their point of production to |
| 31 | the first point of change of custody or of long-term storage, |
| 32 | and for the purpose of returning to such point of production, or |
| 33 | for the purpose of moving such tractors, movers, and implements |
| 34 | from one point of agricultural production to another, by a |
| 35 | person engaged in the production of any such product or custom |
| 36 | hauler, if such vehicle or combination of vehicles otherwise |
| 37 | complies with this section. The Department of Transportation may |
| 38 | issue overwidth permits for implements of husbandry greater than |
| 39 | 130 inches, but not more than 170 inches, in width. The |
| 40 | Department of Transportation may issue overlength permits for |
| 41 | cotton module movers greater than 50 feet but not more than 55 |
| 42 | feet in overall length. Such vehicles shall be operated in |
| 43 | accordance with all safety requirements prescribed by law and |
| 44 | rules of the Department of Transportation. |
| 45 | (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, equipment |
| 46 | not exceeding 136 inches in width and not capable of speeds |
| 47 | exceeding 20 miles per hour which is used exclusively for |
| 48 | harvesting forestry products is authorized for the purpose of |
| 49 | transporting equipment from one point of harvest to another |
| 50 | point of harvest, not to exceed 10 miles, by a person engaged in |
| 51 | the harvesting of forestry products. Such vehicles must be |
| 52 | operated during daylight hours only, in accordance with all |
| 53 | safety requirements prescribed by s. 316.2295(5) and (6). |
| 54 | (c) The width and height limitations of this section shall |
| 55 | not apply to farming or agricultural equipment, whether self- |
| 56 | propelled, pulled, or hauled, when temporarily operated during |
| 57 | daylight hours upon a public road which is not a limited access |
| 58 | facility as defined in s. 334.03(13), and the width and height |
| 59 | limitations may be exceeded by such equipment without a permit. |
| 60 | To be eligible for this exemption, the equipment shall be |
| 61 | operated within a radius of 50 miles of the real property owned, |
| 62 | rented, or leased by the equipment owner; however, equipment |
| 63 | being delivered by a dealer to a purchaser shall not be subject |
| 64 | to the 50-mile limitation. Farming or agricultural equipment |
| 65 | greater that 174 inches in width must have one warning lamp |
| 66 | mounted on each side of the equipment to denote the width and |
| 67 | must have a slow moving vehicle sign. Warning lamps required by |
| 68 | this paragraph must be visible from the front and rear of the |
| 69 | vehicle and must be visible from a distance of 1000 feet. |
| 70 | (d) The operator of equipment operated under this |
| 71 | subsection is responsible for verifying that the route used has |
| 72 | adequate clearance for the equipment. |
| 73 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |