Senate Bill sb1588c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1588

    By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Constantine





    306-2110-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to specialty license plates;

  3         amending s. 320.08053, F.S.; increasing the

  4         number of motor vehicle owners who must

  5         indicate, according to a scientific sample

  6         survey, that they intend to purchase a proposed

  7         specialty plate; defining the term "scientific

  8         sample survey"; amending s. 320.08056, F.S.;

  9         changing the number of plates that must be

10         purchased to prevent a plate from being

11         discontinued; providing an effective date.

12  

13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

14  

15         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section

16  320.08053, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

17         320.08053  Requirements for requests to establish

18  specialty license plates.--

19         (1)  An organization that seeks authorization to

20  establish a new specialty license plate for which an annual

21  use fee is to be charged must submit to the department:

22         (b)  The results of a scientific sample survey of

23  Florida motor vehicle owners that indicates at least 30,000

24  15,000 motor vehicle owners intend to purchase the proposed

25  specialty license plate at the increased cost. As used in this

26  paragraph, the term "scientific sample survey" means

27  information that is gathered from a representative subset of

28  the population as a whole. The sample survey of registered

29  motor vehicle owners must be performed independently of the

30  requesting organization by an organization that conducts

31  similar sample surveys as a normal course of business. Prior

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1588
    306-2110-04




 1  to conducting a sample survey for the purposes of this

 2  section, a requesting organization must obtain a determination

 3  from the department that the organization selected to conduct

 4  the survey performs similar surveys as a normal course of

 5  business and is independent of the requesting organization.

 6  The methodology, results, and any evaluation by the department

 7  of the scientific sample survey shall be validated by the

 8  Auditor General as a condition precedent to submission of the

 9  specialty license plate for approval by the Legislature.

10  

11  The information required under this subsection must be

12  submitted to the department at least 90 days before the

13  convening of the next regular session of the Legislature.

14         Section 2.  Subsection (8) of section 320.08056,

15  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

16         320.08056  Specialty license plates.--

17         (8)(a)  The department must discontinue the issuance of

18  an approved specialty license plate if the number of valid

19  specialty plate registrations falls below 1,000 plates for at

20  least 12 consecutive months. A warning letter shall be mailed

21  to the sponsoring organization following the first month in

22  which the total number of valid specialty plate registrations

23  is below 1,000 plates.:

24         1.  Less than 8,000 plates, including annual renewals,

25  are issued for that specialty license plate by the end of the

26  5th year of sales.

27         2.  Less than 8,000 plates, including annual renewals,

28  are issued for that specialty license plate during any

29  subsequent 5-year period.

30         (b)  The department is authorized to discontinue the

31  issuance of a specialty license plate and distribution of

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1588
    306-2110-04




 1  associated annual use fee proceeds if the organization no

 2  longer exists, if the organization has stopped providing

 3  services that are authorized to be funded from the annual use

 4  fee proceeds, or pursuant to an organizational recipient's

 5  request. Organizations are required to notify the department

 6  immediately to stop all warrants for plate sales if any of the

 7  conditions in this section exist, and must meet the

 8  requirements of s. 320.08062 for any period of operation

 9  during a fiscal year.

10         (c)  The requirements of paragraph (a) shall not apply

11  to collegiate specialty license plates authorized in s.

12  320.08058(3), (13), (21), and (26).

13         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

14  

15          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
16                         Senate Bill 1588

17                                 

18  The CS requires the Auditor General to validate the
    methodology, results, and any evaluation by the department of
19  the scientific sample survey prior to the submission of the
    specialty license plate for approval by the Legislature.
20  
    In addition, this CS requires the DHSMV to discontinue any
21  approved specialty license plate (even collegiate specialty
    plates) if the number of valid specialty plate registrations
22  falls below 1,000 plates for at least 12 consecutive months.
    The CS also provides for a warning letter to be mailed to the
23  sponsoring organization following the first month the total
    number falls below 1,000 plates.
24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.