| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to financial responsibility; amending s. |
| 3 | 324.023, F.S.; requiring a person who has been found |
| 4 | guilty of or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere |
| 5 | to a felony traffic offense or had a mandatory revocation |
| 6 | of his or her driving privilege to maintain a certain |
| 7 | amount of security or insurance for liability coverage of |
| 8 | accidents involving the use of a motor vehicle; requiring |
| 9 | the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to |
| 10 | provide notice to the Office of Insurance Regulation of |
| 11 | such persons; providing an effective date. |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
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| 15 | Section 1. Section 324.023, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 16 | to read: |
| 17 | 324.023 Financial responsibility for bodily injury or |
| 18 | death.--In addition to any other financial responsibility |
| 19 | required by law, every owner or operator of a motor vehicle that |
| 20 | is required to be registered in this state, or that is located |
| 21 | within this state, and who, regardless of adjudication of guilt, |
| 22 | has been found guilty of or entered a plea of guilty or nolo |
| 23 | contendere to a charge of driving under the influence under s. |
| 24 | 316.193 after October 1, 2007, or, after October 1, 2009, has |
| 25 | been found guilty of or entered a plea of guilty or nolo |
| 26 | contendere to a felony traffic offense or had a mandatory |
| 27 | revocation of his or her driving privilege under s. 322.26 |
| 28 | shall, by one of the methods established in s. 324.031(1), (2), |
| 29 | or (3), establish and maintain the ability to respond in damages |
| 30 | for liability on account of accidents arising out of the use of |
| 31 | a motor vehicle in the amount of $100,000 because of bodily |
| 32 | injury to, or death of, one person in any one crash and, subject |
| 33 | to such limits for one person, in the amount of $300,000 because |
| 34 | of bodily injury to, or death of, two or more persons in any one |
| 35 | crash and in the amount of $50,000 because of property damage in |
| 36 | any one crash. If the owner or operator chooses to establish and |
| 37 | maintain such ability by posting a bond or furnishing a |
| 38 | certificate of deposit pursuant to s. 324.031(2) or (3), such |
| 39 | bond or certificate of deposit must be in an amount not less |
| 40 | than $350,000. Such higher limits must be carried for a minimum |
| 41 | period of 3 years. If the owner or operator has not been |
| 42 | convicted of driving under the influence or a felony traffic |
| 43 | offense for a period of 3 years from the date of reinstatement |
| 44 | of driving privileges for a violation of s. 316.193, the owner |
| 45 | or operator shall be exempt from this section. The department |
| 46 | shall provide notice to the Office of Insurance Regulation of |
| 47 | all persons who are found guilty of or enter a plea of guilty or |
| 48 | nolo contendre to a charge of driving under the influence under |
| 49 | s. 316.193 or who have a mandatory revocation of their driving |
| 50 | privilege under s. 322.26. |
| 51 | Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2009. |