Florida Senate - 2019 CS for SB 234
By the Committee on Infrastructure and Security; and Senator
Baxley
596-02506-19 2019234c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to registration and titling of
3 vehicles and vessels; amending s. 320.055, F.S.;
4 revising registration periods for certain vehicles;
5 requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
6 Vehicles to develop methodology to prorate motor
7 vehicle renewal registration fees for certain
8 registrations; requiring the methodology to give
9 customers certain renewal options; amending s.
10 320.0609, F.S.; authorizing the surviving spouse of a
11 motor vehicle owner to present certain electronic
12 death records when requesting a registration
13 certificate and license plate transfer; amending ss.
14 320.07 and 320.0705, F.S.; conforming provisions to
15 changes made by the act; amending s. 328.01, F.S.;
16 authorizing a new owner or surviving coowner of a
17 vessel to submit certain electronic death records when
18 applying for transfer of title; providing effective
19 dates.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Effective September 1, 2020, paragraph (a) of
24 subsection (1) and subsection (5) of section 320.055, Florida
25 Statutes, are amended to read:
26 320.055 Registration periods; renewal periods.—The
27 following registration periods and renewal periods are
28 established:
29 (1)(a) For a motor vehicle subject to registration under s.
30 320.08(1), (2), (3), (4)(a) or (b), (5)(b), (c), (d), or (f),
31 (6)(a), (7), (8), (9), or (10) and owned by a natural person,
32 the registration period begins the first day of the birth month
33 of the owner and ends the last day of the month immediately
34 preceding the owner’s birth month in the succeeding year. If
35 such vehicle is registered in the name of more than one person,
36 the birth month of the person whose name first appears on the
37 registration shall be used to determine the registration period.
38 For a vehicle subject to this registration period, the renewal
39 period is the 30-day period ending at midnight on the vehicle
40 owner’s date of birth.
41 (5) For a vehicle subject to apportioned registration under
42 s. 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l),
43 (m), or (n) s. 320.08(4), (5)(a)1. or, (e), (6)(b), or (14), the
44 registration period shall be a period of 12 months beginning in
45 a month designated by the department and ending on the last day
46 of the 12th month. For a vehicle subject to this registration
47 period, the renewal period is the last month of the registration
48 period. The registration period may be shortened or extended at
49 the discretion of the department, on receipt of the appropriate
50 prorated fees, in order to evenly distribute such registrations
51 on a monthly basis. For a vehicle subject to nonapportioned
52 registration under s. 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h),
53 (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), or (n) s. 320.08(4), (5)(a)1., (6)(b),
54 or (14), the registration period begins December 1 and ends
55 November 30. The renewal period is the 31-day period beginning
56 December 1.
57 Section 2. Beginning September 1, 2020, in order to
58 implement the changes made by this act to s. 320.055, Florida
59 Statutes, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
60 shall develop methodology to prorate motor vehicle registration
61 renewal fees. The methodology must give customers the option to
62 renew their registrations on their dates of birth in 2021 or
63 2022. Customers whose dates of birth occur in the months of
64 January through June may choose to renew for 1 to 18 months.
65 Customers whose dates of birth occur in the months of July
66 through December may choose to renew for 7 to 24 months.
67 Proration is limited to the renewal of an unexpired registration
68 or a registration that has been expired for not more than 30
69 days.
70 Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 320.0609, Florida
71 Statutes, is amended to read:
72 320.0609 Transfer and exchange of registration license
73 plates; transfer fee.—
74 (7) A surviving spouse of a registered owner of any motor
75 vehicle may, upon presenting the death certificate or electronic
76 file of death records maintained by the Department of Health,
77 request a registration certificate and transfer of the
78 registration license plate.
79 Section 4. Effective September 1, 2020, paragraph (a) of
80 subsection (2) of section 320.07, Florida Statutes, is amended
81 to read:
82 320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
83 penalties.—
84 (2) Registration shall be renewed semiannually, annually,
85 or biennially, as provided in this subsection, during the
86 applicable renewal period, upon payment of the applicable
87 license tax amounts required by s. 320.08, service charges
88 required by s. 320.04, and any additional fees required by law.
89 (a) Any person who owns a motor vehicle registered under s.
90 320.08(4)(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m)
91 or (n) s. 320.08(4), (6)(b), or (13) may register semiannually
92 as provided in s. 320.0705.
93 Section 5. Effective September 1, 2020, subsection (1) of
94 section 320.0705, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
95 320.0705 Semiannual registration or renewal for certain
96 vehicles.—
97 (1) The owner of a motor vehicle taxed under s. 320.08(4)
98 (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m) or (n) s.
99 320.08(4) or (6)(b) may register his or her vehicle
100 semiannually, if the amount of license tax due annually is more
101 than $100 and the vehicle registration fee is not required to be
102 apportioned, upon payment of a fee of $2.50 for each semiannual
103 registration.
104 Section 6. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
105 328.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
106 328.01 Application for certificate of title.—
107 (3)
108 (c) In making application for transfer of title from a
109 deceased titled owner, the new owner or surviving coowner shall
110 establish proof of ownership by submitting with the application
111 the original certificate of title and the decedent’s probated
112 last will and testament or letters of administration appointing
113 the personal representative of the decedent. In lieu of a
114 probated last will and testament or letters of administration, a
115 copy of the decedent’s death certificate or electronic file of
116 death records maintained by the Department of Health, a copy of
117 the decedent’s last will and testament, and an affidavit by the
118 decedent’s surviving spouse or heirs affirming rights of
119 ownership may be accepted by the department. If the decedent
120 died intestate, a court order awarding the ownership of the
121 vessel or an affidavit by the decedent’s surviving spouse or
122 heirs establishing or releasing all rights of ownership and a
123 copy of the decedent’s death certificate shall be submitted to
124 the department.
125 Section 7. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
126 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2019.