Florida Senate - 2019 SB 234
By Senator Baxley
12-00610-19 2019234__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to registration and titling of
3 vehicles and vessels; amending s. 320.055, F.S.;
4 revising registration periods for certain vehicles;
5 authorizing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
6 Vehicles to develop and employ methods to implement
7 changes made by the act; providing a limitation;
8 amending s. 320.0609, F.S.; authorizing a surviving
9 spouse of a motor vehicle owner to present certain
10 death records when requesting a registration
11 certificate and license plate transfer; amending ss.
12 320.07 and 320.0705, F.S.; conforming provisions to
13 changes made by the act; amending s. 328.01, F.S.;
14 authorizing a new owner or surviving coowner of a
15 vessel to submit certain death records when applying
16 for transfer of title; providing effective dates.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Effective September 1, 2020, paragraph (a) of
21 subsection (1) and subsection (5) of section 320.055, Florida
22 Statutes, are amended to read:
23 320.055 Registration periods; renewal periods.—The
24 following registration periods and renewal periods are
25 established:
26 (1)(a) For a motor vehicle subject to registration under s.
27 320.08(1), (2), (3), (4)(a) or (b), (5)(b), (c), (d), or (f),
28 (6)(a), (7), (8), (9), or (10) and owned by a natural person,
29 the registration period begins the first day of the birth month
30 of the owner and ends the last day of the month immediately
31 preceding the owner’s birth month in the succeeding year. If
32 such vehicle is registered in the name of more than one person,
33 the birth month of the person whose name first appears on the
34 registration shall be used to determine the registration period.
35 For a vehicle subject to this registration period, the renewal
36 period is the 30-day period ending at midnight on the vehicle
37 owner’s date of birth.
38 (5) For a vehicle subject to apportioned registration under
39 s. 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l),
40 (m), or (n) s. 320.08(4), (5)(a)1. or, (e), (6)(b), or (14), the
41 registration period shall be a period of 12 months beginning in
42 a month designated by the department and ending on the last day
43 of the 12th month. For a vehicle subject to this registration
44 period, the renewal period is the last month of the registration
45 period. The registration period may be shortened or extended at
46 the discretion of the department, on receipt of the appropriate
47 prorated fees, in order to evenly distribute such registrations
48 on a monthly basis. For a vehicle subject to nonapportioned
49 registration under s. 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h),
50 (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), or (n) s. 320.08(4), (5)(a)1., (6)(b),
51 or (14), the registration period begins December 1 and ends
52 November 30. The renewal period is the 31-day period beginning
53 December 1.
54 Section 2. In order to implement the changes made by this
55 act to s. 320.055, Florida Statutes, the Department of Highway
56 Safety and Motor Vehicles may develop and employ methods
57 including, but not limited to, prorating registration fees for
58 vehicles subject to registration under s. 320.08(4)(a) or (b),
59 Florida Statutes, based on the number of months in the vehicle
60 registration period. Proration is limited to the renewal of an
61 unexpired registration or a registration that has been expired
62 for no more than 30 days.
63 Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 320.0609, Florida
64 Statutes, is amended to read:
65 320.0609 Transfer and exchange of registration license
66 plates; transfer fee.—
67 (7) A surviving spouse of a registered owner of any motor
68 vehicle may, upon presenting the death certificate or death
69 records maintained by the Department of Health and provided to a
70 Florida tax collector, request a registration certificate and
71 transfer of the registration license plate.
72 Section 4. Effective September 1, 2020, paragraph (a) of
73 subsection (2) of section 320.07, Florida Statutes, is amended
74 to read:
75 320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
76 penalties.—
77 (2) Registration shall be renewed semiannually, annually,
78 or biennially, as provided in this subsection, during the
79 applicable renewal period, upon payment of the applicable
80 license tax amounts required by s. 320.08, service charges
81 required by s. 320.04, and any additional fees required by law.
82 (a) Any person who owns a motor vehicle registered under s.
83 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m),
84 or (n) s. 320.08(4), (6)(b), or (13) may register semiannually
85 as provided in s. 320.0705.
86 Section 5. Effective September 1, 2020, subsection (1) of
87 section 320.0705, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
88 320.0705 Semiannual registration or renewal for certain
89 vehicles.—
90 (1) The owner of a motor vehicle taxed under s.
91 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m),
92 or (n) s. 320.08(4) or (6)(b) may register his or her vehicle
93 semiannually, if the amount of license tax due annually is more
94 than $100 and the vehicle registration fee is not required to be
95 apportioned, upon payment of a fee of $2.50 for each semiannual
96 registration.
97 Section 6. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
98 328.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
99 328.01 Application for certificate of title.—
100 (3)
101 (c) In making application for transfer of title from a
102 deceased titled owner, the new owner or surviving coowner shall
103 establish proof of ownership by submitting with the application
104 the original certificate of title and the decedent’s probated
105 last will and testament or letters of administration appointing
106 the personal representative of the decedent. In lieu of a
107 probated last will and testament or letters of administration, a
108 copy of the decedent’s death certificate or death records
109 maintained by the Department of Health and provided to a Florida
110 tax collector, a copy of the decedent’s last will and testament,
111 and an affidavit by the decedent’s surviving spouse or heirs
112 affirming rights of ownership may be accepted by the department.
113 If the decedent died intestate, a court order awarding the
114 ownership of the vessel or an affidavit by the decedent’s
115 surviving spouse or heirs establishing or releasing all rights
116 of ownership and a copy of the decedent’s death certificate
117 shall be submitted to the department.
118 Section 7. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
119 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2019.