Florida Senate - 2025                                      SB 44
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-00053-25                                             202544__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to motor vehicles; amending s.
    3         316.2397, F.S.; reclassifying the offense of driving,
    4         moving, or causing to be moved a vehicle or equipment
    5         with certain lighting on a highway as a third degree
    6         felony; amending s. 320.061, F.S.; reclassifying the
    7         offense of interfering with the legibility, angular
    8         visibility, or detectability of any feature or detail
    9         on a license plate or interfering with the ability to
   10         record any feature on a license plate as a third
   11         degree felony; providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (10) of section
   16  316.2397, Florida Statutes, is amended, and subsection (1) of
   17  that section is republished, to read:
   18         316.2397 Certain lights prohibited; exceptions.—
   19         (1) A person may not drive or move or cause to be moved any
   20  vehicle or equipment upon any highway within this state with any
   21  lamp or device thereon showing or displaying a red, red and
   22  white, or blue light visible from directly in front thereof
   23  except for certain vehicles provided in this section.
   24         (10)(a) A person who violates subsection (1) and in so
   25  doing effects or attempts to effect a stop of another vehicle
   26  commits a felony misdemeanor of the third first degree,
   27  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   28         Section 2. Section 320.061, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   29  read:
   30         320.061 Unlawful to alter motor vehicle registration
   31  certificates, license plates, temporary license plates, mobile
   32  home stickers, or validation stickers or to obscure license
   33  plates; penalty.—A person may not alter the original appearance
   34  of a vehicle registration certificate, license plate, temporary
   35  license plate, mobile home sticker, or validation sticker issued
   36  for and assigned to a motor vehicle or mobile home, whether by
   37  mutilation, alteration, defacement, or change of color or in any
   38  other manner. A person who makes such alteration commits a
   39  noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation
   40  as provided in chapter 318. A person may not apply or attach a
   41  substance, reflective matter, illuminated device, spray,
   42  coating, covering, or other material onto or around any license
   43  plate which interferes with the legibility, angular visibility,
   44  or detectability of any feature or detail on the license plate
   45  or interferes with the ability to record any feature or detail
   46  on the license plate. A person who so interferes with a license
   47  plate commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as
   48  provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083 violates this section
   49  commits a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving
   50  violation as provided in chapter 318.
   51         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.