Florida Senate - 2025                             CS for SB 1696
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Rules; and Senator Calatayud
       
       
       
       
       
       595-03356-25                                          20251696c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to prearranged transportation
    3         services; creating s. 316.2021, F.S.; prohibiting the
    4         impersonation of a transportation network company
    5         driver; providing criminal penalties; amending s.
    6         341.061, F.S.; providing that services purchased from
    7         a transportation network company are not considered
    8         privately owned or operated bus transit systems;
    9         amending s. 427.02, F.S.; revising the definition of
   10         the term “transportation service provider”; requiring
   11         transportation service providers to provide certain
   12         drivers with access to certain training materials;
   13         providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 316.2021, Florida Statutes, is created
   18  to read:
   19         316.2021 Unlawful impersonation of transportation network
   20  company driver.—
   21         (1) A person may not impersonate a transportation network
   22  company driver, as defined in s. 627.748(1), by making a false
   23  statement; displaying counterfeit signage or emblems of a trade
   24  dress, trademark, brand, or logo of a transportation network
   25  company; or engaging in any other act that falsely represents
   26  that the person represents a transportation network company or
   27  is responding to a passenger ride request for a transportation
   28  network company.
   29         (2)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), a person who
   30  willfully violates subsection (1) commits a misdemeanor of the
   31  second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.
   32  775.083.
   33         (b) A person who willfully violates subsection (1) during
   34  the commission of, or to facilitate the commission of, a
   35  separate felony offense commits a felony of the third degree,
   36  punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
   37         Section 2. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (2) of
   38  section 341.061, Florida Statutes, to read:
   39         341.061 Transit safety standards; inspections and system
   40  safety reviews.—
   41         (2)
   42         (d) Services purchased from a transportation network
   43  company as defined in s. 627.748(1) which otherwise comply with
   44  the provisions of s. 627.748 are not privately owned or operated
   45  bus transit systems.
   46         Section 3. Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of subsection
   47  (2) of section 427.02, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   48         427.02 Paratransit service contracts for transportation
   49  service providers.—
   50         (1) For purposes of this section, the term “transportation
   51  service provider” means an organization or entity that contracts
   52  with a local government to provide paratransit service to
   53  persons with disabilities using a dedicated fleet of vehicles
   54  operated by its employees or directly contracted drivers who
   55  meet paratransit service standards. The term does not include a
   56  transportation network company as defined in s. 627.748(1).
   57         (2) For contracts entered into or renewed on or after
   58  October 1, 2024, a transportation service provider must agree
   59  to:
   60         (a) Provide training to each driver of a motor vehicle used
   61  to provide paratransit service to persons with disabilities with
   62  access to third-party training materials which, at a minimum,
   63  meet meets requirements established by the Agency for Persons
   64  with Disabilities for training and professional development of
   65  staff providing direct services to clients of the agency.
   66         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.