Florida Senate - 2021 SB 862
By Senator Gruters
23-00933-21 2021862__
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; authorizing the department to adopt rules;
22 providing an effective date.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 320.06, Florida
27 Statutes, is amended to read:
28 320.06 Registration certificates, license plates, and
29 validation stickers generally.—
30 (5) The department may conduct a pilot program to evaluate
31 the designs, concepts, and technologies for alternative license
32 plates. For purposes of the pilot program, the department shall
33 investigate the feasibility and use of alternative license plate
34 technologies and the long-term cost impact to the consumer. The
35 pilot program shall be limited to license plates that are used
36 on government-owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655.
37 Such license plates are exempt from the requirements in
38 paragraph (3)(a).
39 Section 2. Subsection (7) is added to section 320.07,
40 Florida Statutes, to read:
41 320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
42 penalties.—
43 (7) An owner of a digital license plate as described in s.
44 320.08069 is not subject to the penalties of this section for
45 failure to display a validation if the vehicle was operated in
46 compliance with this chapter and any rules adopted by the
47 department governing the placement of digital license plates and
48 registration renewal.
49 Section 3. Section 320.08069, Florida Statutes, is created
50 to read:
51 320.08069 Digital License Plate Pilot Program.—There is
52 created within the department the Digital License Plate Pilot
53 Program. The purpose of the program is to evaluate the design,
54 concepts, and technologies available for digital license plates
55 and to determine the feasibility of digital license plates.
56 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
57 (a) “Digital license plate” means an electronic display
58 that is designed to:
59 1. Display the information required to be included on a
60 physical license plate; and
61 2. Be placed on a motor vehicle registered under this
62 chapter in lieu of a physical license plate.
63 (b) “Digital license plate provider” means a person or an
64 entity engaged in the business of providing digital license
65 plate hardware and services to motor vehicle owners.
66 (2) APPLICABILITY.—Except as otherwise provided by this
67 section or a rule adopted under this section, a digital license
68 plate issued under this section is subject to the laws of this
69 state applicable to a physical license plate; however, digital
70 license plates issued under this section are exempt from s.
71 320.06(3)(a).
72 (3) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PILOT PROGRAM.—
73 (a) Beginning July 1, 2021, the department shall administer
74 the pilot program. The pilot program must be limited to
75 installation and use of digital license plates on government
76 owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655.
77 (b) By July 1, 2022, the department shall allow a motor
78 vehicle registered under this chapter to be equipped with a
79 digital license plate in lieu of a physical license plate issued
80 under s. 320.06.
81 (c) The department may contract with one or more digital
82 license plate providers for the issuance of digital license
83 plates, including any services related to the issuance of
84 digital license plates.
85 (d) The department may authorize the display of the motor
86 vehicle’s validation on each digital license plate in lieu of
87 the validation sticker. The validation must display the owner’s
88 birth month, the license plate number, and the year of
89 expiration or appropriate renewal period if the owner is not a
90 natural person. The validation must be displayed in the upper
91 right corner of the digital plate.
92 (e) The department may authorize the use of a digital
93 license plate for electronic toll collection or to display a
94 parking permit.
95 (f) The department may establish procedures for displaying
96 the following information on a digital license plate:
97 1. An emergency alert or other public safety alert issued
98 by a governmental entity, including an alert pursuant to s.
99 937.021;
100 2. Static logo displays, including unique displays for
101 fleet license plates, digital versions of specialty license
102 plates, and special license plates for the Governor and federal
103 and state legislators; and
104 3. Other displays that the department, in consultation with
105 law enforcement agencies, determines are in the interest of
106 public safety.
107 (g) The department shall distribute $4 from the sale of
108 each digital license plate to the nonprofit corporation
109 specified under s. 946.504 on a quarterly basis.
110 (4) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE REQUIREMENTS.—A digital license
111 plate issued under this section must:
112 (a) Meet the specifications and requirements adopted under
113 subsection (3);
114 (b) Include the same information required to be included on
115 a physical license plate and legibly display that information at
116 all times and in all light conditions; however, the digital
117 license plate may display the information in a smaller type size
118 when the motor vehicle is parked; and
119 (c) Have wireless connectivity capability.
120 (5) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PROVIDERS.—A digital license
121 plate provider with whom the department contracts shall:
122 (a) Maintain an inventory of the digital license plates
123 issued by the digital license plate provider in this state;
124 (b) Make available a digital version of each specialty
125 license plate authorized by the department; and
126 (c) If a digital license plate displays a validation,
127 promptly update the display of the validation to reflect the
128 current registration period for the motor vehicle and, upon
129 request of the department, suspend the display of the validation
130 or indicate on the digital license plate that the registration
131 for the motor vehicle has expired.
132 (6) RULEMAKING.—The department may adopt rules to implement
133 this section.
134 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.