Bill Text: FL S0862 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Digital License Plate Pilot Program

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2021-04-30 - Died in Appropriations [S0862 Detail]

Download: Florida-2021-S0862-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2021                                     SB 862
       
       
        
       By Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       
       23-00933-21                                            2021862__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Digital License Plate Pilot
    3         Program; amending s. 320.06, F.S.; deleting provisions
    4         relating to the authority of the Department of Highway
    5         Safety and Motor Vehicles to conduct a pilot program
    6         to evaluate the designs, concepts, and technologies
    7         for alternative license plates; amending s. 320.07,
    8         F.S.; exempting owners of digital license plates from
    9         certain penalties; creating s. 320.08069, F.S.;
   10         creating the Digital License Plate Pilot Program
   11         within the department; providing the purpose of the
   12         program; defining terms; providing applicability;
   13         requiring the department to begin administering the
   14         program on a specified date; authorizing the
   15         department to contract with digital license plate
   16         providers; providing additional authorizations to the
   17         department relating to the pilot program; providing
   18         for the distribution of fees from the sale of digital
   19         license plates; specifying requirements for digital
   20         license plates and for digital license plate
   21         providers; authorizing the department to adopt rules;
   22         providing an effective date.
   23          
   24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   25  
   26         Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 320.06, Florida
   27  Statutes, is amended to read:
   28         320.06 Registration certificates, license plates, and
   29  validation stickers generally.—
   30         (5) The department may conduct a pilot program to evaluate
   31  the designs, concepts, and technologies for alternative license
   32  plates. For purposes of the pilot program, the department shall
   33  investigate the feasibility and use of alternative license plate
   34  technologies and the long-term cost impact to the consumer. The
   35  pilot program shall be limited to license plates that are used
   36  on government-owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655.
   37  Such license plates are exempt from the requirements in
   38  paragraph (3)(a).
   39         Section 2. Subsection (7) is added to section 320.07,
   40  Florida Statutes, to read:
   41         320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
   42  penalties.—
   43         (7)An owner of a digital license plate as described in s.
   44  320.08069 is not subject to the penalties of this section for
   45  failure to display a validation if the vehicle was operated in
   46  compliance with this chapter and any rules adopted by the
   47  department governing the placement of digital license plates and
   48  registration renewal.
   49         Section 3. Section 320.08069, Florida Statutes, is created
   50  to read:
   51         320.08069Digital License Plate Pilot Program.—There is
   52  created within the department the Digital License Plate Pilot
   53  Program. The purpose of the program is to evaluate the design,
   54  concepts, and technologies available for digital license plates
   55  and to determine the feasibility of digital license plates.
   56         (1)DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   57         (a)“Digital license plate” means an electronic display
   58  that is designed to:
   59         1.Display the information required to be included on a
   60  physical license plate; and
   61         2.Be placed on a motor vehicle registered under this
   62  chapter in lieu of a physical license plate.
   63         (b)“Digital license plate provider” means a person or an
   64  entity engaged in the business of providing digital license
   65  plate hardware and services to motor vehicle owners.
   66         (2)APPLICABILITY.—Except as otherwise provided by this
   67  section or a rule adopted under this section, a digital license
   68  plate issued under this section is subject to the laws of this
   69  state applicable to a physical license plate; however, digital
   70  license plates issued under this section are exempt from s.
   71  320.06(3)(a).
   72         (3)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PILOT PROGRAM.—
   73         (a)Beginning July 1, 2021, the department shall administer
   74  the pilot program. The pilot program must be limited to
   75  installation and use of digital license plates on government
   76  owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655.
   77         (b)By July 1, 2022, the department shall allow a motor
   78  vehicle registered under this chapter to be equipped with a
   79  digital license plate in lieu of a physical license plate issued
   80  under s. 320.06.
   81         (c)The department may contract with one or more digital
   82  license plate providers for the issuance of digital license
   83  plates, including any services related to the issuance of
   84  digital license plates.
   85         (d)The department may authorize the display of the motor
   86  vehicle’s validation on each digital license plate in lieu of
   87  the validation sticker. The validation must display the owner’s
   88  birth month, the license plate number, and the year of
   89  expiration or appropriate renewal period if the owner is not a
   90  natural person. The validation must be displayed in the upper
   91  right corner of the digital plate.
   92         (e)The department may authorize the use of a digital
   93  license plate for electronic toll collection or to display a
   94  parking permit.
   95         (f)The department may establish procedures for displaying
   96  the following information on a digital license plate:
   97         1.An emergency alert or other public safety alert issued
   98  by a governmental entity, including an alert pursuant to s.
   99  937.021;
  100         2.Static logo displays, including unique displays for
  101  fleet license plates, digital versions of specialty license
  102  plates, and special license plates for the Governor and federal
  103  and state legislators; and
  104         3.Other displays that the department, in consultation with
  105  law enforcement agencies, determines are in the interest of
  106  public safety.
  107         (g)The department shall distribute $4 from the sale of
  108  each digital license plate to the nonprofit corporation
  109  specified under s. 946.504 on a quarterly basis.
  110         (4)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE REQUIREMENTS.—A digital license
  111  plate issued under this section must:
  112         (a)Meet the specifications and requirements adopted under
  113  subsection (3);
  114         (b)Include the same information required to be included on
  115  a physical license plate and legibly display that information at
  116  all times and in all light conditions; however, the digital
  117  license plate may display the information in a smaller type size
  118  when the motor vehicle is parked; and
  119         (c)Have wireless connectivity capability.
  120         (5)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PROVIDERS.—A digital license
  121  plate provider with whom the department contracts shall:
  122         (a)Maintain an inventory of the digital license plates
  123  issued by the digital license plate provider in this state;
  124         (b)Make available a digital version of each specialty
  125  license plate authorized by the department; and
  126         (c)If a digital license plate displays a validation,
  127  promptly update the display of the validation to reflect the
  128  current registration period for the motor vehicle and, upon
  129  request of the department, suspend the display of the validation
  130  or indicate on the digital license plate that the registration
  131  for the motor vehicle has expired.
  132         (6)RULEMAKING.—The department may adopt rules to implement
  133  this section.
  134         Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

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