Florida Senate - 2021 PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
Bill No. SB 862
Ì1476520Î147652
576-03914-21
Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
(Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development)
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Digital License Plate Pilot
3 Program; amending s. 320.06, F.S.; deleting provisions
4 relating to the authority of the Department of Highway
5 Safety and Motor Vehicles to conduct a pilot program
6 to evaluate the designs, concepts, and technologies
7 for alternative license plates; amending s. 320.07,
8 F.S.; exempting owners of digital license plates from
9 certain penalties; creating s. 320.08069, F.S.;
10 creating the Digital License Plate Pilot Program
11 within the department; providing the purpose of the
12 program; defining terms; providing applicability;
13 requiring the department to begin administering the
14 program on a specified date; authorizing the
15 department to contract with digital license plate
16 providers; providing additional authorizations to the
17 department relating to the pilot program; providing
18 for the distribution of fees from the sale of digital
19 license plates; specifying requirements for digital
20 license plates and for digital license plate
21 providers; providing requirements for consumers of
22 digital license plates; authorizing the department to
23 adopt rules; providing an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 320.06, Florida
28 Statutes, is amended to read:
29 320.06 Registration certificates, license plates, and
30 validation stickers generally.—
31 (5) The department may conduct a pilot program to evaluate
32 the designs, concepts, and technologies for alternative license
33 plates. For purposes of the pilot program, the department shall
34 investigate the feasibility and use of alternative license plate
35 technologies and the long-term cost impact to the consumer. The
36 pilot program shall be limited to license plates that are used
37 on government-owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655.
38 Such license plates are exempt from the requirements in
39 paragraph (3)(a).
40 Section 2. Subsection (7) is added to section 320.07,
41 Florida Statutes, to read:
42 320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
43 penalties.—
44 (7) An owner of a digital license plate as described in s.
45 320.08069 is not subject to the penalties of this section for
46 failure to display a validation if the vehicle was operated in
47 compliance with this chapter and any rules adopted by the
48 department governing the placement of digital license plates and
49 registration renewal.
50 Section 3. Section 320.08069, Florida Statutes, is created
51 to read:
52 320.08069 Digital License Plate Pilot Program.—There is
53 created within the department the Digital License Plate Pilot
54 Program. The purpose of the program is to evaluate the design,
55 concepts, and technologies available for digital license plates
56 and to determine the feasibility of digital license plates.
57 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
58 (a) “Digital license plate” means an electronic display
59 that is designed to:
60 1. Display the information required in this chapter to be
61 included on a physical license plate; and
62 2. Be placed on a motor vehicle registered under this
63 chapter in lieu of a physical license plate.
64 (b) “Digital license plate provider” means a person or an
65 entity engaged in the business of providing digital license
66 plate hardware and services to motor vehicle owners.
67 (2) APPLICABILITY.—Except as otherwise provided by this
68 section or a rule adopted under this section, a digital license
69 plate issued under this section is subject to the laws of this
70 state applicable to a physical license plate; however, digital
71 license plates issued under this section are exempt from s.
72 320.06(3)(a).
73 (3) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PILOT PROGRAM.—
74 (a) Beginning July 1, 2021, the department shall administer
75 the program. The program must be limited to installation and use
76 of digital license plates on government-owned motor vehicles as
77 described in s. 320.0655.
78 (b) By July 1, 2022, the department shall allow any motor
79 vehicle registered under this chapter to be equipped with a
80 digital license plate in lieu of a physical license plate issued
81 under s. 320.06. However, the purchaser of a digital license
82 plate must first obtain a physical license plate from the
83 department before obtaining a digital license plate from a
84 digital license plate provider.
85 (c) The department may contract with one or more digital
86 license plate providers for the issuance of digital license
87 plates, including any services related to the issuance of
88 digital license plates. The contract shall include provisions
89 governing the protection of personal and motor vehicle
90 registration data obtained by a digital license plate provider
91 in the performance of its services.
92 (d) The department may authorize the display of the motor
93 vehicle’s validation on each digital license plate in lieu of
94 the validation sticker. The validation must display the owner’s
95 birth month, the license plate number, and the year of
96 expiration or appropriate renewal period if the owner is not a
97 natural person. The validation must be displayed in the upper
98 right corner of the digital license plate.
99 (e) The department may authorize the use of a digital
100 license plate for electronic toll collection, if such use has
101 been approved by the Department of Transportation or other
102 appropriate tolling authority, or to display a parking permit.
103 (f) The department may establish procedures for displaying
104 the following information on a digital license plate:
105 1. An emergency alert or other public safety alert issued
106 by a governmental entity, including an alert pursuant to s.
107 937.021;
108 2. Static logo displays, including unique displays for
109 fleet license plates, digital versions of specialty license
110 plates as described in s. 320.08058, and special license plates
111 for military service authorized in s. 320.089, and for the
112 Governor and federal and state legislators as authorized in s.
113 320.0807; and
114 3. Other displays that the department, in consultation with
115 law enforcement agencies, determines are in the interest of
116 public safety.
117 (4) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE REQUIREMENTS.—A digital license
118 plate issued under this section must:
119 (a) Meet the specifications and requirements adopted under
120 subsection (3);
121 (b) Include the same information required to be included on
122 a physical license plate and legibly display that information at
123 all times and in all light conditions; and
124 (c) Have wireless connectivity capability.
125 (5) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PROVIDERS.—A digital license
126 plate provider with whom the department contracts shall:
127 (a) Maintain an inventory of digital license plates issued
128 in this state by the digital license plate provider;
129 (b) Make available a digital version of each specialty
130 license plate authorized by the department; and
131 (c) If a digital license plate displays a validation,
132 promptly update the display of the validation to reflect the
133 current registration period for the motor vehicle and, upon
134 request of the department, suspend the display of the validation
135 or indicate on the digital license plate that the registration
136 for the motor vehicle has expired.
137 (6) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE CONSUMERS.—A consumer who chooses
138 to purchase a digital license plate must purchase a digital
139 license plate directly from a digital license plate provider. In
140 addition to any fees associated with the purchase of a digital
141 license plate, the consumer is also responsible for paying to
142 the department all applicable motor vehicle fees in this
143 chapter, including any annual use fees pursuant to s. 320.08056
144 associated with any specialty license plate the consumer wishes
145 to display on the digital license plate.
146 (7) RULEMAKING.—The department may adopt rules to implement
147 this section.
148 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.