Florida Senate - 2022 CS for SB 1178 By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Broxson 596-02633A-22 20221178c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to license plates; amending s. 320.01, 3 F.S.; defining the term digital license plate; 4 amending s. 320.06, F.S.; authorizing the Department 5 of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to conduct a 6 pilot program to evaluate designs, concepts, and 7 technologies for a digital, rather than an 8 alternative, license plate pilot program; authorizing 9 the department to investigate the feasibility of 10 digital license plate designs, concepts, and 11 technologies that, at a minimum, meet certain 12 prerequisites; requiring the department to administer 13 any such pilot program and to contract with digital 14 license plate providers in implementing such a 15 program; providing timeframes for any such program; 16 requiring the department to make written 17 recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature; 18 authorizing the department to adopt rules; amending s. 19 320.07, F.S.; providing that an owner of a digital 20 license plate is not subject to penalties for failure 21 to display a validation sticker if certain conditions 22 are met; creating s. 320.08069, F.S.; providing 23 applicability; authorizing the department to allow a 24 registered motor vehicle to be equipped with an 25 approved digital license plate in lieu of a physical 26 license plate by a certain date; providing 27 requirements for purchasers of digital license plates; 28 authorizing the department to contract with digital 29 license plate providers for certain purposes; 30 providing a requirement for such contract; specifying 31 prohibited acts of digital license plate providers; 32 providing a civil penalty for violations; authorizing 33 the department to authorize digital license plates to 34 display a motor vehicles validation and to be used 35 for electronic toll collection and to display parking 36 permits, subject to certain requirements; requiring 37 the department to establish procedures for displaying 38 information on digital license plates; specifying 39 requirements for digital license plates, digital 40 license plate providers, and consumers; authorizing 41 the department to adopt rules; providing effective 42 dates. 43 44 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 45 46 Section 1.Subsection (46) is added to section 320.01, 47 Florida Statutes, to read: 48 320.01Definitions, general.As used in the Florida 49 Statutes, except as otherwise provided, the term: 50 (46)Digital license plate means an electronic display 51 meeting all specifications required by the department, which 52 must, at a minimum: 53 (a)Be designed to display the information required in this 54 chapter to be included on a physical license plate; 55 (b)Be designed to be placed on a motor vehicle registered 56 under this chapter in lieu of a physical license plate; 57 (c)Be designed to display any other information that the 58 department, in consultation with law enforcement agencies, 59 determines may improve public safety; and 60 (d)Have been determined by the Department of 61 Transportation to have a display readable by current toll 62 collection systems and current law enforcement automated license 63 plate recognition hardware and software. 64 Section 2.Present subsection (6) of section 320.06, 65 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (7), a new 66 subsection (6) is added to that section, and subsection (5) of 67 that section is amended, to read: 68 320.06Registration certificates, license plates, and 69 validation stickers generally. 70 (5)The department may conduct a pilot program to evaluate 71 the designs, concepts, and technologies for digitalalternative72 license plates as provided for in subsection (6). For purposes 73 of the pilot program, the department mayshallinvestigate the 74 feasibility and use of digitalalternativelicense plate 75 technologies that modernize license plates used in this state 76 and improve public safety, and the long-term cost impact to the 77 consumer. The pilot program shall be limited to license plates 78 that are used on government-owned motor vehicles as described in 79 s. 320.0655. Such license plates are exempt from the 80 requirements in paragraph (3)(a). For the purposes of this 81 subsection, digital license plate designs, concepts, and 82 technologies that the department may investigate the feasibility 83 and use of must include, but are not limited to, the ability to: 84 (a)Display information required to be included on a metal 85 or paper license plate. 86 (b)Display safety alerts issued by a governmental entity, 87 such as emergency alerts, Amber Alerts, and Silver Alerts. 88 (c)Display static logos, including unique displays for 89 fleet license plates, digital versions of specialty license 90 plates, and special license plates. 91 (d)Display the registration status of the motor vehicle to 92 which the plate is affixed. 93 (e)Display any other information that the department, in 94 consultation with law enforcement agencies, determines may 95 improve public safety. 96 (f)Be readable by current toll collection systems and 97 current law enforcement automated license plate recognition 98 hardware and software, as determined by the Department of 99 Transportation. 100 (g)Connect to the Internet. 101 (h)Use a mobile application and to integrate with the 102 departments information system for the purpose of renewing 103 digital license plate registrations. 104 (i)Add and transfer data at the direction and discretion 105 of the department. 106 (6)(a)The department may conduct a pilot program for the 107 purpose of evaluating the designs, concepts, and technologies of 108 digital license plates for use in this state and allowing 109 government-owned vehicles registered under this chapter to be 110 equipped with a digital license plate in addition to being 111 issued a physical license plate. 112 (b)If the department conducts the pilot program, it must 113 administer the program and allow government-owned motor vehicles 114 registered under this chapter to be equipped with a digital 115 license plate in addition to being issued a physical license 116 plate under this section. 117 1.The department may contract with digital license plate 118 providers to participate in the pilot program. 119 2.For each digital license plate provider contracted by 120 the department to participate in the pilot program, the 121 department shall select at least two geographic regions of this 122 state and use at least 10 digital license plates in each region. 123 The pilot program must be implemented in at least one urban 124 region and one rural region of this state. 125 3.For each digital license plate provider contracted by 126 the department to participate in the pilot program, the 127 evaluation of the digital license plate designs, concepts, and 128 technologies must conclude within 6 months after the execution 129 of a contract for participation in the pilot program. Within 8 130 months after the execution of a contract to participate in the 131 pilot program for the evaluation of the digital license plate 132 designs, concepts, and technologies, the department shall make 133 written recommendations to the Governor, the President of the 134 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 135 regarding the implementation and use of the digital license 136 plate designs, concepts, and technologies. 137 (c)The department may adopt rules to implement this 138 subsection. 139 Section 3.Effective July 1, 2023, subsection (7) is added 140 to section 320.07, Florida Statutes, to read: 141 320.07Expiration of registration; renewal required; 142 penalties. 143 (7)An owner of a digital license plate as defined in s. 144 320.01(46) is not subject to the penalties in this section for 145 failure to display a validation sticker if the vehicle was 146 operated in compliance with this chapter and any rules adopted 147 by the department governing the placement of digital license 148 plates and registration renewal. 149 Section 4.Effective July 1, 2023, section 320.08069, 150 Florida Statutes, is created to read: 151 320.08069Digital license plates. 152 (1)APPLICABILITY.Except as otherwise provided in this 153 section or rules adopted under this section, a digital license 154 plate issued under this section is subject to the laws of this 155 state applicable to a physical license plate. Physical license 156 plates must be renewed in accordance with the requirements of s. 157 320.06 relating to all fees due on an annual or semiannual 158 basis. However, digital license plates issued under this section 159 are exempt from s. 320.06(3)(a). 160 (2)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE ISSUANCE. 161 (a)The department may allow a motor vehicle registered 162 under this chapter to be equipped with a department-approved 163 digital license plate in lieu of a physical license plate issued 164 under s. 320.06. However, the purchaser of a digital license 165 plate must first obtain a physical license plate from the 166 department before obtaining a digital license plate. Physical 167 license plates must be renewed in accordance with the 168 requirements of s. 320.06 relating to all fees due on an annual 169 or semiannual basis. 170 (b)The department may contract with digital license plate 171 providers for the issuance of digital license plates, including 172 any services related to the issuance of digital license plates. 173 The contract must include provisions governing the protection of 174 personal and motor vehicle registration data obtained by a 175 digital license plate provider in the performance of its 176 services. A digital license plate provider may not sell or share 177 personal or motor vehicle registration data and may not store, 178 sell, or share geolocation data from the use of a digital 179 license plate. A digital license plate provider that violates 180 this paragraph is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed 181 $5,000 per occurrence. 182 (c)The department may authorize the display of the motor 183 vehicles validation on each digital license plate in lieu of 184 the validation sticker. The validation must display the owners 185 birth month, the license plate number, and the year of 186 expiration or the appropriate renewal period if the owner is not 187 a natural person. The validation must be displayed in the upper 188 right corner of the digital license plate. 189 (d)The department may authorize the use of a digital 190 license plate for electronic toll collection, if such use has 191 been approved by the Department of Transportation or other 192 appropriate tolling authority, or to display a parking permit. 193 (e)The department shall establish procedures for 194 displaying information on a digital license plate, which may 195 include, but not be limited to: 196 1.An emergency alert or other public safety alert issued 197 by a governmental entity, including an alert pursuant to s. 198 937.021. 199 2.A company name or logo and unit number for fleet license 200 plates as described in s. 320.0657 and digital versions of 201 specialty license plates as described in s. 320.08058, special 202 license plates for military service as authorized in s. 320.089, 203 and special license plates for the Governor and federal and 204 state legislators as authorized in s. 320.0807. 205 3.Other displays that the department, in consultation with 206 law enforcement agencies, determines are in the interest of 207 public safety. 208 (3)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE REQUIREMENTS.A digital license 209 plate issued under this section must: 210 (a)Meet the specifications and requirements adopted under 211 subsection (2). 212 (b)Include the same information required to be included on 213 a physical license plate and legibly display that information at 214 all times and in all light conditions. 215 (c)Have wireless connectivity capability. 216 (4)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PROVIDERS.A digital license 217 plate provider with whom the department contracts shall: 218 (a)Maintain an inventory of digital license plates issued 219 in this state by the digital license plate provider. 220 (b)Make available a digital version of each specialty 221 license plate authorized by the department. 222 (c)If a digital license plate displays a validation, 223 promptly update the display of the validation to reflect the 224 current registration period for the motor vehicle and, upon 225 request of the department, suspend the display of the validation 226 or indicate on the digital license plate that the registration 227 for the motor vehicle has expired. 228 (5)DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE CONSUMERS.In addition to any 229 fees associated with the purchase of a digital license plate, 230 the consumer is also responsible for paying to the department 231 all applicable motor vehicle fees required by this chapter, 232 including any annual use fees pursuant to s. 320.08056 233 associated with any specialty license plate the consumer wishes 234 to display on the digital license plate. 235 (6)RULEMAKING.The department may adopt rules to implement 236 this section. 237 Section 5.Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 238 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2022.