Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1178
By Senator Broxson
1-00013B-22 20221178__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to license plates; amending s. 320.06,
3 F.S.; requiring, rather than authorizing, the
4 corporation managing the correctional work programs of
5 the Department of Corrections to manufacture license
6 plates; deleting provisions relating to the authority
7 of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
8 to conduct a pilot program to evaluate the designs,
9 concepts, and technologies for alternative license
10 plates; amending s. 320.07, F.S.; exempting owners of
11 digital license plates from certain penalties if
12 certain conditions are met; creating s. 320.08069,
13 F.S.; defining terms; providing applicability;
14 authorizing motor vehicles to be equipped with digital
15 license plates by a specified date; specifying
16 requirements for digital license plate purchasers in
17 obtaining and renewing physical license plates;
18 authorizing the department to contract with digital
19 license plate providers; providing department
20 authority relating to the display and use of digital
21 license plates; specifying requirements for digital
22 license plates, digital license plate providers, and
23 digital license plate consumers; authorizing the
24 department to adopt rules; providing an effective
25 date.
26
27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29 Section 1. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 320.06,
30 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
31 320.06 Registration certificates, license plates, and
32 validation stickers generally.—
33 (4) The corporation organized under chapter 946 shall may
34 manufacture license plates and may produce, validation stickers,
35 and decals, as well as temporary tags, disabled hang tags,
36 vessel decals, and fuel use decals, for the Department of
37 Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as provided in this chapter
38 and chapter 327. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor
39 Vehicles is not required to obtain competitive bids in order to
40 contract with the corporation.
41 (5) The department may conduct a pilot program to evaluate
42 the designs, concepts, and technologies for alternative license
43 plates. For purposes of the pilot program, the department shall
44 investigate the feasibility and use of alternative license plate
45 technologies and the long-term cost impact to the consumer. The
46 pilot program shall be limited to license plates that are used
47 on government-owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655.
48 Such license plates are exempt from the requirements in
49 paragraph (3)(a).
50 Section 2. Subsection (7) is added to section 320.07,
51 Florida Statutes, to read:
52 320.07 Expiration of registration; renewal required;
53 penalties.—
54 (7) An owner of a digital license plate as described in s.
55 320.08069 is not subject to the penalties in this section for
56 failure to display a validation sticker if the vehicle was
57 operated in compliance with this chapter and any rules adopted
58 by the department governing the placement of digital license
59 plates and registration renewal.
60 Section 3. Section 320.08069, Florida Statutes, is created
61 to read:
62 320.08069 Digital license plates.—
63 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
64 (a) “Digital license plate” means an electronic display
65 designed to:
66 1. Display the information required in this chapter to be
67 included on a physical license plate.
68 2. Be placed on a motor vehicle registered under this
69 chapter in lieu of a physical license plate.
70 (b) “Digital license plate provider” means a person or an
71 entity engaged in the business of providing digital license
72 plate hardware and services to motor vehicle owners.
73 (2) APPLICABILITY.—Except as otherwise provided in this
74 section or a rule adopted under this section, a digital license
75 plate issued under this section is subject to the laws of this
76 state applicable to a physical license plate. However, digital
77 license plates issued under this section are exempt from s.
78 320.06(3)(a).
79 (3) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE ISSUANCE.—
80 (a) By August 1, 2022, the department shall allow a motor
81 vehicle registered under this chapter to be equipped with a
82 digital license plate in lieu of a physical license plate issued
83 under s. 320.06 upon a determination that the information on the
84 digital license plate display is readable by current automated
85 license plate recognition hardware and software. However, the
86 purchaser of a digital license plate must first obtain a
87 physical license plate from the department before obtaining a
88 digital license plate from a digital license plate provider.
89 Physical license plates must be renewed in accordance with the
90 requirements of s. 320.06 relating to all fees due on an annual
91 or semiannual basis.
92 (b) The department may contract with one or more digital
93 license plate providers for the issuance of digital license
94 plates, including any services related to the issuance of
95 digital license plates. The contract must include provisions
96 governing the protection of personal and motor vehicle
97 registration data obtained by a digital license plate provider
98 in the performance of its services.
99 (c) The department may authorize the display of the motor
100 vehicle’s validation on each digital license plate in lieu of
101 the validation sticker. The validation must display the owner’s
102 birth month, the license plate number, and the year of
103 expiration or appropriate renewal period if the owner is not a
104 natural person. The validation must be displayed in the upper
105 right corner of the digital license plate.
106 (d) The department may authorize the use of a digital
107 license plate for electronic toll collection, if such use has
108 been approved by the Department of Transportation or other
109 appropriate tolling authority, or to display a parking permit.
110 (e) The department may establish procedures for displaying
111 the following information on a digital license plate:
112 1. An emergency alert or other public safety alert issued
113 by a governmental entity, including an alert pursuant to s.
114 937.021.
115 2. Static logo displays, including unique displays for
116 fleet license plates as described in s. 320.0657 and digital
117 versions of specialty license plates as described in s.
118 320.08058, special license plates for military service as
119 authorized in s. 320.089, and special license plates for the
120 Governor and federal and state legislators as authorized in s.
121 320.0807.
122 3. Other displays that the department, in consultation with
123 law enforcement agencies, determines are in the interest of
124 public safety.
125 (4) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE REQUIREMENTS.—A digital license
126 plate issued under this section must:
127 (a) Meet the specifications and requirements adopted under
128 subsection (3).
129 (b) Include the same information required to be included on
130 a physical license plate and legibly display that information at
131 all times and in all light conditions.
132 (c) Have wireless connectivity capability.
133 (5) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PROVIDERS.—A digital license
134 plate provider with whom the department contracts shall:
135 (a) Maintain an inventory of digital license plates issued
136 in this state by the digital license plate provider.
137 (b) Make available a digital version of each specialty
138 license plate authorized by the department.
139 (c) If a digital license plate displays a validation,
140 promptly update the display of the validation to reflect the
141 current registration period for the motor vehicle and, upon
142 request of the department, suspend the display of the validation
143 or indicate on the digital license plate that the registration
144 for the motor vehicle has expired.
145 (6) DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE CONSUMERS.—A consumer who chooses
146 to purchase a digital license plate must purchase a digital
147 license plate directly from a digital license plate provider. In
148 addition to any fees associated with the purchase of a digital
149 license plate, the consumer is also responsible for paying to
150 the department all applicable motor vehicle fees required by
151 this chapter, including any annual use fees pursuant to s.
152 320.08056 associated with any specialty license plate the
153 consumer wishes to display on the digital license plate.
154 (7) RULEMAKING.—The department may adopt rules to implement
155 this section.
156 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.