Florida Senate - 2018 CS for SB 632
By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Montford
596-01810-18 2018632c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to vessel registration; amending s.
3 328.80, F.S.; authorizing the Department of Highway
4 Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue an electronic
5 certificate of registration for a vessel, to collect
6 electronic mail addresses, and to use electronic mail
7 for certain purposes; amending s. 328.48, F.S.;
8 authorizing a vessel operator to present such
9 electronic certificate for inspection under certain
10 circumstances; providing construction; providing that
11 the person displaying the device assumes the liability
12 for any resulting damage to the device; providing an
13 effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Section 328.80, Florida Statutes, is amended to
18 read:
19 328.80 Transactions by electronic or telephonic means.—
20 (1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may
21 commission is authorized to accept any application provided for
22 under this chapter by electronic or telephonic means.
23 (2) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may
24 issue an electronic certificate of registration in addition to
25 printing a paper registration.
26 (3) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may
27 collect electronic mail addresses and use electronic mail in
28 lieu of the United States Postal Service for the purpose of
29 providing renewal notices.
30 Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 328.48, Florida
31 Statutes, is amended to read:
32 328.48 Vessel registration, application, certificate,
33 number, decal, duplicate certificate.—
34 (4) Each certificate of registration issued shall state
35 among other items the numbers awarded to the vessel, the hull
36 identification number, the name and address of the owner, and a
37 description of the vessel, except that certificates of
38 registration for vessels constructed or assembled by the owner
39 registered for the first time shall state all the foregoing
40 information except the hull identification number. The numbers
41 shall be placed on each side of the forward half of the vessel
42 in such position as to provide clear legibility for
43 identification, except, if the vessel is an airboat, the numbers
44 may be placed on each side of the rudder. The numbers awarded to
45 the vessel shall read from left to right and shall be in block
46 characters of good proportion not less than 3 inches in height.
47 The numbers shall be of a solid color which will contrast with
48 the color of the background and shall be so maintained as to be
49 clearly visible and legible; i.e., dark numbers on a light
50 background or light numbers on a dark background. The
51 certificate of registration shall be pocket-sized and shall be
52 available for inspection on the vessel for which issued whenever
53 such vessel is in operation. If the certificate of registration
54 is not available for inspection on the vessel or is damaged or
55 otherwise illegible, the operator may present for inspection an
56 electronic device displaying an electronic certificate issued
57 pursuant to s. 328.80. Such presentation does not constitute
58 consent for inspection of any information on the device other
59 than the displayed certificate. The person who presents the
60 device to the officer assumes the liability for any resulting
61 damage to the device.
62 Section 3. This act shall take effect October 1, 2018.