Florida Senate - 2008 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 2582
595054
Senate
Floor: WD/2R
4/23/2008 4:41 PM
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House
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Senator Diaz de la Portilla moved the following amendment:
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Senate Amendment (with directory and title amendments)
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Between line(s) 464 and 465
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insert:
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Section 4. Section 501.975, Florida Statutes, is amended to
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read:
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501.975 Definitions.--As used in s. 501.976, the following
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terms shall have the following meanings:
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(1) "Customer" includes a customer's designated agent.
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(2) "Dealer" means a motor vehicle dealer as defined in s.
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320.27, but does not include a motor vehicle auction as defined
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in s. 320.27(1)(c)4.
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(3) "Replacement item" means a tire, bumper, bumper fascia,
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glass, in-dashboard equipment, seat or upholstery cover or trim,
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exterior illumination unit, grill, sunroof, external mirror and
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external body cladding. The replacement of up to three of these
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items does not constitute repair of damage if each item is
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replaced because of a product defect or damaged due to vandalism
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while the new motor vehicle is under the control of the dealer
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and the items are replaced with original manufacturer equipment,
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unless an item is replaced due to a crash, collision, or
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accident.
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(4) "Threshold amount" means 3 percent of the
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manufacturer's suggested retail price of a motor vehicle or $650,
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whichever is less.
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(5) "Vehicle" means any automobile, truck, bus,
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recreational vehicle, or motorcycle required to be licensed under
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chapter 320 for operation over the roads of Florida, but does not
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include trailers, mobile homes, travel trailers, or trailer
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coaches without independent motive power.
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(6) "Advertised price" means the price as expressed in any
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statements that are transmitted orally, through written material,
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through electronic means, or any illustration that is
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disseminated to the public or affixed to a motor vehicle, and
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which is used in selling a motor vehicle or otherwise used to
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induce a person to enter into any obligation related to the motor
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vehicle.
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Section 5. Section 501.976, Florida Statutes, is amended to
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read:
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501.976 Actionable, unfair, or deceptive acts or
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practices.--It is an unfair or deceptive act or practice,
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actionable under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices
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Act, for a dealer to:
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(1) Represent directly or indirectly that a motor vehicle
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is a factory executive vehicle or executive vehicle unless such
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vehicle was purchased directly from the manufacturer or a
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subsidiary of the manufacturer and the vehicle was used
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exclusively by the manufacturer, its subsidiary, or a dealer for
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the commercial or personal use of the manufacturer's,
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subsidiary's, or dealer's employees.
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(2) Represent directly or indirectly that a vehicle is a
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demonstrator unless the vehicle complies with the definition of a
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demonstrator in s. 320.60(3).
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(3) Represent the previous usage or status of a vehicle to
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be something that it was not, or make usage or status
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representations unless the dealer has correct information
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regarding the history of the vehicle to support the
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representations.
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(4) Represent the quality of care, regularity of servicing,
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or general condition of a vehicle unless known by the dealer to
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be true and supportable by material fact.
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(5) Represent orally or in writing that a particular
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vehicle has not sustained structural or substantial skin damage
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unless the statement is made in good faith and the vehicle has
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been inspected by the dealer or his or her agent to determine
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whether the vehicle has incurred such damage.
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(6) Sell a vehicle without fully and conspicuously
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disclosing in writing at or before the consummation of sale any
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warranty or guarantee terms, obligations, or conditions that the
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dealer or manufacturer has given to the buyer. If the warranty
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obligations are to be shared by the dealer and the buyer, the
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method of determining the percentage of repair costs to be
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assumed by each party must be disclosed. If the dealer intends to
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disclaim or limit any expressed or implied warranty, the
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disclaimer must be in writing in a conspicuous manner and in lay
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terms in accordance with chapter 672 and the Magnuson-Moss
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Warranty--Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act.
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(7) Provide an express or implied warranty and fail to
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honor such warranty unless properly disclaimed pursuant to
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subsection (6).
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(8) Misrepresent warranty coverage, application period, or
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any warranty transfer cost or conditions to a customer.
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(9) Obtain signatures from a customer on contracts that are
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not fully completed at the time the customer signs or which do
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not reflect accurately the negotiations and agreement between the
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customer and the dealer.
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(10) Require or accept a deposit from a prospective
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customer prior to entering into a binding contract for the
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purchase and sale of a vehicle unless the customer is given a
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written receipt that states how long the dealer will hold the
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vehicle from other sale and the amount of the deposit, and
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clearly and conspicuously states whether and upon what conditions
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the deposit is refundable or nonrefundable.
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(11) Add to the cash price of a vehicle as defined in s.
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520.02(2) any fee or charge other than those provided in that
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section and in rule 3D-50.001, Florida Administrative Code. All
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fees or charges permitted to be added to the cash price by rule
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3D-50.001, Florida Administrative Code, must be fully disclosed
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to customers in all binding contracts concerning the vehicle's
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selling price.
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(12) Alter or change the odometer mileage of a vehicle.
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(13) Sell a vehicle without disclosing to the customer the
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actual year and model of the vehicle.
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(14) File a lien against a new vehicle purchased with a
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check unless the dealer fully discloses to the purchaser that a
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lien will be filed if purchase is made by check and fully
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discloses to the buyer the procedures and cost to the buyer for
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gaining title to the vehicle after the lien is filed.
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(15) Increase the price of the vehicle after having
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accepted an order of purchase or a contract from a buyer,
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notwithstanding subsequent receipt of an official price change
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notification. The price of a vehicle may be increased after a
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dealer accepts an order of purchase or a contract from a buyer
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if:
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(a) A trade-in vehicle is reappraised because it
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subsequently is damaged, or parts or accessories are removed;
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(b) The price increase is caused by the addition of new
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equipment, as required by state or federal law;
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(c) The price increase is caused by the revaluation of the
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United States dollar by the Federal Government, in the case of a
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foreign-made vehicle;
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(d) The price increase is caused by state or federal tax
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rate changes; or
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(e) Price protection is not provided by the manufacturer,
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importer, or distributor.
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(16) Advertise the price of a vehicle unless the vehicle is
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identified by year, make, model, and a commonly accepted trade,
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brand, or style name.
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(a) The advertised price must include all costs, fees, or
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charges that the customer must pay, excluding including freight
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or destination charge, dealer preparation charge, and charges for
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undercoating or rustproofing. state and local taxes, tag fees
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tags, registration fees, and title fees, unless otherwise
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required by local law or standard, need not be disclosed in the
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advertisement.
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(b) When two or more dealers advertise jointly, with or
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without participation of the franchisor, the advertised price
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must include the highest price of the vehicles being offered,
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consistent with paragraph (a), or specify the price for each
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vehicle, respectively need not include fees and charges that are
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variable among the individual dealers cooperating in the
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advertisement, but the nature of all charges that are not
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included in the advertised price must be disclosed in the
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advertisement.
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(17) Charge a customer for any predelivery service required
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by the manufacturer, distributor, or importer for which the
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dealer is reimbursed by the manufacturer, distributor, or
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importer.
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(18) Charge a customer for any predelivery service without
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having printed on all documents that include a line item for
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predelivery service the following disclosure: "This charge
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represents costs and profit to the dealer for items such as
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inspecting, cleaning, and adjusting vehicles, and preparing
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documents related to the sale."
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(19) Fail to disclose damage to a new motor vehicle, as
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defined in s. 319.001(8), of which the dealer had actual
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knowledge, if the dealer's actual cost of repairs exceeds the
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threshold amount, excluding replacement items.
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(20) Fail to attach a conspicuous label to the window of a
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motor vehicle specifying any charge for predelivery services if
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the motor vehicle under consideration by a prospective purchaser
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is available for physical inspection by the purchaser. The label
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must include the following disclosure: "This charge represents
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costs and profit to the dealer for items such as inspecting,
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cleaning, and adjusting vehicles, and preparing documents related
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to the sale." This requirement does not apply to the sale of
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motorcycles.
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In any civil litigation resulting from a violation of this
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section, when evaluating the reasonableness of an award of
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attorney's fees to a private person, the trial court shall
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consider the amount of actual damages in relation to the time
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spent.
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================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
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And the title is amended as follows:
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On line 42, after the semicolon,
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insert:
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amending s. 501.975, F.S.; defining the term "advertised
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price" for purposes of motor vehicle sales; amending s.
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501.976, F.S.; requiring that the advertised price include
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all costs, fees, or charges that the customer must pay,
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with certain exclusions; requiring a conspicuous label
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containing a disclosure regarding the predelivery service
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fee; providing an exception;
4/23/2008 3:08:00 PM 36-08515-08
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.