Bill Text: FL S0234 | 2019 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Registration and Titling of Vehicles and Vessels
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 2-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-03 - Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 87 (Ch. 2019-66) [S0234 Detail]
Download: Florida-2019-S0234-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2019 CS for CS for SB 234
By the Committees on Judiciary; and Infrastructure and Security;
and Senator Baxley
590-02895-19 2019234c2
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 requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
6 Vehicles to prorate registration renewals for
7 customers in order to implement changes made by the
8 act; amending s. 320.0609, F.S.; authorizing the
9 department or its agent to verify necessary
10 information through the electronic file of death
11 records maintained by the Department of Health for a
12 surviving spouse of a motor vehicle owner when
13 requesting a registration certificate and license
14 plate transfer; amending ss. 320.07 and 320.0705,
15 F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the
16 act; amending s. 328.01, F.S.; authorizing the
17 Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or its
18 agent to verify necessary information through the
19 electronic file of death records maintained by the
20 Department of Health for a new owner or surviving
21 coowner of a vessel when applying for transfer of
22 title; providing effective dates.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Effective September 1, 2020, paragraph (a) of
27 subsection (1) and subsection (5) of section 320.055, Florida
28 Statutes, are amended to read:
29 320.055 Registration periods; renewal periods.—The
30 following registration periods and renewal periods are
31 established:
32 (1)(a) For a motor vehicle subject to registration under s.
33 320.08(1), (2), (3), (4)(a) or (b), (5)(b), (c), (d), or (f),
34 (6)(a), (7), (8), (9), or (10) and owned by a natural person,
35 the registration period begins the first day of the birth month
36 of the owner and ends the last day of the month immediately
37 preceding the owner’s birth month in the succeeding year. If
38 such vehicle is registered in the name of more than one person,
39 the birth month of the person whose name first appears on the
40 registration shall be used to determine the registration period.
41 For a vehicle subject to this registration period, the renewal
42 period is the 30-day period ending at midnight on the vehicle
43 owner’s date of birth.
44 (5) For a vehicle subject to apportioned registration under
45 s. 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l),
46 (m), or (n) s. 320.08(4), (5)(a)1. or, (e), (6)(b), or (14), the
47 registration period shall be a period of 12 months beginning in
48 a month designated by the department and ending on the last day
49 of the 12th month. For a vehicle subject to this registration
50 period, the renewal period is the last month of the registration
51 period. The registration period may be shortened or extended at
52 the discretion of the department, on receipt of the appropriate
53 prorated fees, in order to evenly distribute such registrations
54 on a monthly basis. For a vehicle subject to nonapportioned
55 registration under s. 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h),
56 (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), or (n) s. 320.08(4), (5)(a)1., (6)(b),
57 or (14), the registration period begins December 1 and ends
58 November 30. The renewal period is the 31-day period beginning
59 December 1.
60 Section 2. Beginning September 1, 2020, in order to
61 implement the changes made by this act to s. 320.055, Florida
62 Statutes, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
63 shall give customers the option to renew their registrations on
64 their dates of birth in 2021 or 2022. Customers whose dates of
65 birth occur in the months of January through June may choose to
66 renew for 1 to 18 months. Customers whose dates of birth occur
67 in the months of July through December may choose to renew for 7
68 to 24 months.
69 Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 320.0609, Florida
70 Statutes, is amended to read:
71 320.0609 Transfer and exchange of registration license
72 plates; transfer fee.—
73 (7) A surviving spouse of a registered owner of any motor
74 vehicle may, upon presenting the death certificate, request a
75 registration certificate and transfer of the registration
76 license plate. If the surviving spouse does not present the
77 death certificate, the department or its agent may verify the
78 necessary information through the electronic file of death
79 records maintained by the Department of Health.
80 Section 4. Effective September 1, 2020, paragraph (a) of
81 subsection (2) of section 320.07, Florida Statutes, is amended
82 to read:
83 320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
84 penalties.—
85 (2) Registration shall be renewed semiannually, annually,
86 or biennially, as provided in this subsection, during the
87 applicable renewal period, upon payment of the applicable
88 license tax amounts required by s. 320.08, service charges
89 required by s. 320.04, and any additional fees required by law.
90 (a) Any person who owns a motor vehicle registered under s.
91 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m),
92 or (n) s. 320.08(4), (6)(b), or (13) may register semiannually
93 as provided in s. 320.0705.
94 Section 5. Effective September 1, 2020, subsection (1) of
95 section 320.0705, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
96 320.0705 Semiannual registration or renewal for certain
97 vehicles.—
98 (1) The owner of a motor vehicle taxed under s.
99 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m),
100 or (n) s. 320.08(4) or (6)(b) may register his or her vehicle
101 semiannually, if the amount of license tax due annually is more
102 than $100 and the vehicle registration fee is not required to be
103 apportioned, upon payment of a fee of $2.50 for each semiannual
104 registration.
105 Section 6. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
106 328.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
107 328.01 Application for certificate of title.—
108 (3)
109 (c) In making application for transfer of title from a
110 deceased titled owner, the new owner or surviving coowner shall
111 establish proof of ownership by submitting with the application
112 the original certificate of title and the decedent’s probated
113 last will and testament or letters of administration appointing
114 the personal representative of the decedent. In lieu of a
115 probated last will and testament or letters of administration, a
116 copy of the decedent’s death certificate, a copy of the
117 decedent’s last will and testament, and an affidavit by the
118 decedent’s surviving spouse or heirs affirming rights of
119 ownership may be accepted by the department. If the decedent
120 died intestate, a court order awarding the ownership of the
121 vessel or an affidavit by the decedent’s surviving spouse or
122 heirs establishing or releasing all rights of ownership and a
123 copy of the decedent’s death certificate shall be submitted to
124 the department. If the new owner or surviving coowner does not
125 present a copy of the death certificate, the department or its
126 agent may verify the necessary information through the
127 electronic file of death records maintained by the Department of
128 Health.
129 Section 7. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
130 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2019.
