Florida Senate - 2016                                      SB 88
       
       
        
       By Senator Simpson
       
       
       
       
       
       18-00071-16                                             201688__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Gold Star license plates; amending
    3         s. 320.0894, F.S.; including certain individuals as
    4         qualified for issuance of a Gold Star license plate;
    5         providing an effective date.
    6          
    7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    8  
    9         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section
   10  320.0894, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   11         320.0894 Motor vehicle license plates to Gold Star family
   12  members.—The department shall develop a special license plate
   13  honoring the family members of servicemembers who have been
   14  killed while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
   15  The license plate shall be officially designated as the Gold
   16  Star license plate and shall be developed and issued as provided
   17  in this section.
   18         (4)(a)1.a. The Gold Star license plate shall be issued only
   19  to family members of a servicemember who resided in Florida at
   20  the time of the death of the servicemember.
   21         b. Any family member, as defined in subparagraph 2., of a
   22  servicemember killed while serving may be issued a Gold Star
   23  license plate upon payment of the license tax and appropriate
   24  fees as provided in paragraph (3)(a) without regard to the state
   25  of residence of the servicemember.
   26         2. To qualify for issuance of a Gold Star license plate,
   27  the applicant must be directly related to a fallen servicemember
   28  as spouse, legal mother or father, or stepparent, parent through
   29  adoption, foster parent, grandparent, child, stepchild, adopted
   30  child, brother, sister, half brother, or half sister who is
   31  currently married to the mother or father of the fallen
   32  servicemember.
   33         3. A servicemember is deemed to have been killed while in
   34  service as listed by the United States Department of Defense and
   35  may be verified from documentation directly from the Department
   36  of Defense or from its subordinate agencies, such as the Coast
   37  Guard, Reserve, or National Guard.
   38         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.