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Senate Bill 0582

Florida Senate - 1998 SB 582 By Senators Childers and Clary 1-464-98 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to parking permits for the 3 disabled; amending s. 320.0848, F.S.; 4 specifying persons eligible for such permits; 5 providing an effective date. 6 7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 8 9 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 320.0848, Florida 10 Statutes, is amended to read: 11 320.0848 Persons who have disabilities; issuance of 12 disabled parking permits; temporary permits; permits for 13 certain providers of transportation services to persons who 14 have disabilities.-- 15 (1)(a) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor 16 Vehicles or its authorized agents shall, upon application and 17 receipt of the fee, issue a disabled parking permit for a 18 period of up to 4 years that ends on the applicant's birthday 19 to any person who has long-term mobility problems, or a 20 temporary disabled parking permit not to exceed 1 year to any 21 person who has temporary mobility problems. 22 (b) The person must be currently certified by a 23 physician licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, or chapter 24 460, or by a podiatrist licensed under chapter 461, by the 25 Division of Blind Services of the Department of Labor and 26 Employment Security, or by the Adjudication Office of the 27 United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its 28 predecessor as being legally blind or as having any of the 29 following disabilities that limit or impair his or her ability 30 to walk: 31 1 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 582 1-464-98 1 1. Inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to 2 rest. 3 2. Inability to walk without the use of or assistance 4 from a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, or other 5 assistive device, or without the assistance of another person. 6 If the assistive device significantly restores the person's 7 ability to walk to the extent that the person can walk without 8 severe limitation, the person is not eligible for the 9 exemption parking permit. 10 3. The need to permanently use a wheelchair. 11 4. Restriction by lung disease to the extent that the 12 person's forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for 1 second, 13 when measured by spirometry, is less than 1 liter, or the 14 person's arterial oxygen is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at 15 rest. 16 5. Use of portable oxygen. 17 6. Restriction by cardiac condition to the extent that 18 the person's functional limitations are classified in severity 19 as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the 20 American Heart Association. 21 7. Severe limitation in the person's ability to walk 22 due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition. 23 (c) The applicant's disability must be certified by: 24 1. A physician licensed under chapter 458, an 25 osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 459, a 26 chiropractor licensed under chapter 460, or a podiatrist 27 licensed under chapter 461, or such professional licensed in 28 another state, if evidence of licensure is provided with the 29 application; 30 2. The Division of Blind Services of the Department of 31 Labor and Employment Security; or 2 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 582 1-464-98 1 3. The Adjudication Office of the United States 2 Department of Veterans' Affairs or its predecessor. 3 (d)(b) The certificate of disability must include, but 4 need not be limited to: 5 1. The disability of the applicant; the certifying 6 physician's name and address; the physician's certification 7 number; the eligibility criteria for the permit; the penalty 8 for falsification by either the certifying physician or the 9 applicant; the duration of the condition that entitles the 10 person to the permit; and justification for the additional 11 placard pursuant to subsection (2). 12 2. The statement, in bold letters: "A disabled parking 13 permit may be issued only for a medical necessity that 14 severely affects mobility." 15 3. The signatures of: 16 a. The applicant's physician; 17 b. The applicant or the applicant's parent or 18 guardian; and 19 c. The employee of the department's authorized agent 20 which employee is processing the application. 21 (e)(c) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor 22 Vehicles shall renew the disabled parking permit of any person 23 who has been previously certified under a disability upon 24 presentation of the certification required by paragraph (b). 25 (f)(d) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor 26 Vehicles shall, in consultation with the Commission for the 27 Transportation Disadvantaged, adopt rules, in accordance with 28 chapter 120, for the issuance of a disabled parking permit to 29 any organization that can adequately demonstrate a bona fide 30 need for such a permit because the organization provides 31 3 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida Senate - 1998 SB 582 1-464-98 1 regular transportation services to persons who have 2 disabilities and are certified as provided in paragraph (a). 3 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 1998. 4 5 ***************************************** 6 SENATE SUMMARY 7 Revises provisions relating to the issuance of disabled parking permits. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 4