Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0149 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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1010 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to the issuance and renewal of 2
1616 permanent disabled parking permits; amending s. 3
1717 320.0848, F.S.; requiring the Department of Highway 4
1818 Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue a permanent 5
1919 disabled parking permit to a person who has a long -6
2020 term mobility impairment; removing provisions that 7
2121 require such a person to renew a disabled parking 8
2222 permit and that require such permit to bear a 9
2323 validation sticker; re vising provisions relating to 10
2424 the appearance of disabled parking permits; conforming 11
2525 provisions to changes made by the act; amending ss. 12
2626 320.08035, 320.084, 320.0842, and 320.0843, F.S.; 13
2727 conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 14
2828 providing an effective date. 15
2929 16
3030 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
3131 18
3232 Section 1. Section 320.0848, Florida Statutes, is amended 19
3333 to read: 20
3434 320.0848 Persons who have disabilities; issuance of 21
3535 permanent or temporary disabled parking permits; temporary 22
3636 permits; permits for certain providers of transportation 23
3737 services to persons who have disabilities. — 24
3838 (1) ISSUANCE OF DISABLED PARKING PERMIT; REQUIREMENTS. — 25
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4747 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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5151 (a) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or 26
5252 its authorized agents shall, upon application and receipt of the 27
5353 appropriate fee, issue a permanent disabled parking permit to a 28
5454 for a period of up to 4 years, which period ends on the 29
5555 applicant's birthday, to any person who has a long-term mobility 30
5656 impairment, or a temporary disabled park ing permit for a period 31
5757 of up not to exceed 6 months to a any person who has a temporary 32
5858 mobility impairment. A No person is not will be required to pay 33
5959 a fee for a temporary disabled parking permit for disabled 34
6060 persons more than once in a 12 -month period from the date of the 35
6161 prior fee payment. 36
6262 (b)1. The person must be currently certified as being 37
6363 legally blind or as having any of the following disabilities 38
6464 that render him or her unable to walk 200 feet without stopping 39
6565 to rest: 40
6666 a. Inability to walk wit hout the use of or assistance from 41
6767 a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, or other assistive 42
6868 device, or without the assistance of another person. If the 43
6969 assistive device significantly restores the person's ability to 44
7070 walk to the extent that the person is able to can walk without 45
7171 severe limitation, the person is not eligible for a disabled the 46
7272 exemption parking permit. 47
7373 b. The need to permanently use a wheelchair. 48
7474 c. Restriction by lung disease to the extent that the 49
7575 person's forced (respiratory) expir atory volume for 1 second, 50
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8484 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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8888 when measured by spirometry, is less than 1 liter, or the 51
8989 person's arterial oxygen is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at 52
9090 rest. 53
9191 d. Use of portable oxygen. 54
9292 e. Restriction by cardiac condition to the extent that the 55
9393 person's functional limitations are classified in severity as 56
9494 Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American 57
9595 Heart Association. 58
9696 f. Severe limitation in the person's ability to walk due 59
9797 to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition. 60
9898 2. The certificate certification of disability which is 61
9999 required under subparagraph 1. must be provided by a physician 62
100100 licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, or chapter 460, by a 63
101101 podiatric physician licensed under chapter 461, by an 64
102102 optometrist licensed under chapter 463, by an advanced practice 65
103103 registered nurse licensed under chapter 464 under the protocol 66
104104 of a licensed physician as stated in this subparagraph, by a 67
105105 physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, 68
106106 or by a similarly licensed physi cian from another state if the 69
107107 application is accompanied by documentation of the physician's 70
108108 licensure in the other state and a form signed by the out -of-71
109109 state physician verifying his or her knowledge of this state's 72
110110 eligibility guidelines. 73
111111 (c) The certificate of disability must include, but need 74
112112 not be limited to: 75
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121121 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125125 1. The disability of the applicant; the certifying 76
126126 practitioner's name and address; the practitioner's 77
127127 certification number; the eligibility criteria for the disabled 78
128128 parking permit; the penalty for falsification by either the 79
129129 certifying practitioner or the applicant; the duration of the 80
130130 disability condition that entitles the person to the disabled 81
131131 parking permit; and, if applicable, justification for the 82
132132 issuance of an additional disabled parking permit placard 83
133133 pursuant to paragraph (2)(c) subsection (2). 84
134134 2. The statement, in bold letters: "A disabled parking 85
135135 permit may be issued only for a medical necessity that severely 86
136136 affects mobility." 87
137137 3. The signatures of: 88
138138 a. The applicant's physician or other certifying 89
139139 practitioner. 90
140140 b. The applicant or the applicant's parent or guardian. 91
141141 c. The employee of the department's authorized agent , 92
142142 which employee is processing the application. 93
143143 (d) The department shall renew the disa bled parking permit 94
144144 of any person certified as permanently disabled on the 95
145145 application if the person provides a certificate of disability 96
146146 issued within the last 12 months pursuant to this subsection. A 97
147147 veteran who has been previously evaluated and certifie d by the 98
148148 United States Department of Veterans Affairs or any branch of 99
149149 the United States Armed Forces as permanently and totally 100
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158158 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162162 disabled from a service -connected disability may provide a 101
163163 United States Department of Veterans Affairs Form Letter 27 -333, 102
164164 or its equivalent, issued within the last 12 months in lieu of a 103
165165 certificate of disability. 104
166166 (e) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 105
167167 shall, in consultation with the Commission for the 106
168168 Transportation Disadvantaged, adopt rules , in accordance with 107
169169 chapter 120, for the issuance of a disabled parking permit to 108
170170 any organization that can adequately demonstrate a bona fide 109
171171 need for such a permit because the organization provides regular 110
172172 transportation services to persons who have disa bilities and are 111
173173 certified as provided in this subsection. 112
174174 (2) PERMANENT DISABLED PARKING PERMIT; PERSONS WITH LONG -113
175175 TERM MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT PROBLEMS.— 114
176176 (a) The permanent disabled parking permit is a placard 115
177177 that can be placed in a motor vehicle so as t o be visible from 116
178178 the front and rear of the vehicle. Each side of the placard must 117
179179 have the international symbol of accessibility in a contrasting 118
180180 color in the center so as to be visible. One side of the placard 119
181181 must display the applicant's driver license number or state 120
182182 identification card number along with a warning that the 121
183183 applicant must possess have such identification at all times 122
184184 while using the placard parking permit. However, in those cases 123
185185 in which where the severity of the disability prevents a 124
186186 disabled person from physically visiting or being transported to 125
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195195 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199199 a driver license or tax collector's collector office to obtain a 126
200200 driver license or identification card, a certifying physician 127
201201 may sign the exemption section of the department's disabled 128
202202 person parking permit application to exempt the disabled person 129
203203 from the requirement that his or her being issued a driver 130
204204 license or identification card for the number to be displayed on 131
205205 the placard parking permit. A validation sticker must also be 132
206206 issued with each disabled parking permit, showing the month and 133
207207 year of expiration on each side of the placard. Validation 134
208208 stickers must be of the size specified by the Department of 135
209209 Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and must be affixed to the 136
210210 disabled parking permit s. The disabled parking permits must use 137
211211 the same colors as license plate validations. 138
212212 (b) License plates issued under ss. 320.084, 320.0842, 139
213213 320.0843, and 320.0845 are valid for the same parking privileges 140
214214 and other privileges provided under ss. 316.195 5, 316.1964, and 141
215215 526.141(5)(a). 142
216216 (c) The department may shall not issue an additional 143
217217 disabled parking permit unless the applicant states that he or 144
218218 she is a frequent traveler or a quadriplegic. The department may 145
219219 not issue to any one eligible applicant m ore than two disabled 146
220220 parking permits except to an organization in accordance with 147
221221 paragraph (1)(e). Subsections (1), (5), and (6), and (7) apply 148
222222 to this subsection. 149
223223 (d) To obtain a replacement for a disabled parking permit 150
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232232 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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236236 that has been lost or stolen, a person must submit an 151
237237 application on a form prescribed by the department, provide a 152
238238 certificate of disability issued within the last 12 months 153
239239 pursuant to subsection (1), and pay a replacement fee in the 154
240240 amount of $1, to be retained by the issuing agency . If the 155
241241 person submits with the application a police report documenting 156
242242 that the permit was stolen, there is no replacement fee. A 157
243243 veteran who has been previously evaluated and certified by the 158
244244 United States Department of Veterans Affairs or any branch of 159
245245 the United States Armed Forces as permanently and totally 160
246246 disabled from a service -connected disability may provide a 161
247247 United States Department of Veterans Affairs Form Letter 27 -333, 162
248248 or its equivalent, issued within the last 12 months in lieu of a 163
249249 certificate of disability. 164
250250 (e) A person who qualifies for a disabled parking permit 165
251251 under this section may be issued an international wheelchair 166
252252 user symbol license plate under s. 320.0843 in lieu of the 167
253253 disabled parking permit; or, if the person qualifies for a "DV" 168
254254 license plate under s. 320.084, such a license plate may be 169
255255 issued to him or her in lieu of a disabled parking permit. 170
256256 (3) DISABLED PARKING PERMIT; TEMPORARY. — 171
257257 (a) The temporary disabled parking permit is a placard of 172
258258 a different color different from the color of the permanent 173
259259 long-term disabled parking permit placard , and must clearly 174
260260 display the date of expiration in large print and with color 175
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269269 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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273273 coding, but is identical to the permanent long-term disabled 176
274274 parking permit placard in all other respec ts, including, but not 177
275275 limited to, the inclusion of a state identification card number 178
276276 or driver license number on one side of the placard temporary 179
277277 permit. Validation stickers must also be issued with each The 180
278278 temporary disabled parking permit so as placard must be designed 181
279279 to conspicuously display the month and year of expiration date 182
280280 of the permit on each side the front and back of the placard. 183
281281 Validation stickers must be of the size specified by the 184
282282 department, must use the same colors as license plate validation 185
283283 stickers, and must be affixed to the placard. 186
284284 (b) The department shall issue the temporary disabled 187
285285 parking permit for the period of the disability as stated by the 188
286286 certifying physician, but not to exceed 6 months. 189
287287 (c) The fee for a temporar y disabled parking permit is 190
288288 $15. 191
289289 (4) FEE DISTRIBUTION.—From the proceeds of the temporary 192
290290 disabled parking permit fees: 193
291291 (a) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 194
292292 must receive $3.50 for each temporary permit, to be deposited 195
293293 into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund and used for 196
294294 implementing the real -time disabled parking permit database and 197
295295 for administering the disabled parking permit program. 198
296296 (b) The tax collector, for processing, must receive $2.50 199
297297 for each temporary permit. 200
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306306 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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310310 (c) The remainder must be distributed monthly as follows: 201
311311 1. To be deposited in the Grants and Donations Trust Fund 202
312312 of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the Department 203
313313 of Education for the purpose of improving employment and 204
314314 training opportunitie s for persons who have disabilities, with 205
315315 special emphasis on removing transportation barriers, $4. 206
316316 2. To be deposited in the Transportation Disadvantaged 207
317317 Trust Fund to be used for funding matching grants to counties 208
318318 for the purpose of improving transpor tation of persons who have 209
319319 disabilities, $5. 210
320320 (5) REQUIRED STATEMENT.—The applications for permanent 211
321321 disabled parking permits and temporary disabled parking permits 212
322322 are official state documents. The following statement must 213
323323 appear on each application form immediately below the 214
324324 physician's signature and immediately below the applicant's 215
325325 signature: "Knowingly providing false information on this 216
326326 application is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as 217
327327 provided in s. 775.082, Florida Statutes, or s. 775.083, Florida 218
328328 Statutes. The penalty is up to 1 year in jail or a fine of 219
329329 $1,000, or both." 220
330330 (6) PENALTIES.— 221
331331 (a) A Any person who knowingly makes a false or misleading 222
332332 statement in an application or certification under this section 223
333333 commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as 224
334334 provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 225
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343343 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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347347 (b)(7) A Any person who fraudulently obtains or unlawfully 226
348348 displays a disabled parking permit that belongs to another 227
349349 person while occupying a disabled parking space or an access 228
350350 aisle as defined in s. 553.5041 while the permitholder owner of 229
351351 the permit is not being transported in the motor vehicle or who 230
352352 uses an unauthorized replica of such a disabled parking permit 231
353353 with the intent to deceive commits is guilty of a misdemeanor of 232
354354 the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 233
355355 775.083. 234
356356 (7)(8) CONFISCATION OF DISABLE D PARKING PERMIT.—A law 235
357357 enforcement officer or a parking enforcement specialist may 236
358358 confiscate the disabled parking permit from a any person who 237
359359 fraudulently obtains or unlawfully uses such a permit. A law 238
360360 enforcement officer or a parking enforcement speci alist may 239
361361 confiscate a any disabled parking permit that is expired, 240
362362 reported as lost or stolen, or defaced or that does not display 241
363363 a personal identification number. 242
364364 (a) The permit number of each confiscated disabled parking 243
365365 permit must be submitted to the department, and the fact that 244
366366 the disabled parking permit has been confiscated must be noted 245
367367 on the permitholder's record. If two disabled parking permits 246
368368 issued to the same person have been confiscated, the department 247
369369 shall refer the information to the central abuse hotline of the 248
370370 Department of Children and Families for an investigation of 249
371371 potential abuse, neglect, or exploitation of the permitholder 250
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380380 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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384384 permit owner. 251
385385 (b) A confiscated disabled parking permit must be held as 252
386386 evidence until a judicial decision about the violation has been 253
387387 made. After a finding of guilt has been made or a plea of nolo 254
388388 contendere has been entered, the charging agency shall destroy 255
389389 the confiscated disabled parking permit. A confiscated disabled 256
390390 parking permit may not, under any circumstances, be returned to 257
391391 the permitholder its registered owner after a finding of guilt 258
392392 has been made or a plea of nolo contendere has been entered in 259
393393 court. If a finding of guilt has been made or a plea of nolo 260
394394 contendere has been entered for fraudulent or other unlawful use 261
395395 of a disabled parking permit after a prior finding of guilt or 262
396396 plea of nolo contendere for fraudulent or other unlawful use of 263
397397 a disabled parking permit issued to the same registered 264
398398 permitholder, the permitholder may not apply for a new disabled 265
399399 parking permit for 4 years. The permit number of each destroyed 266
400400 permit must be reported to the department, and the department 267
401401 must record in the real -time disabled parking permit database 268
402402 that the permit has been invalidated. 269
403403 (8)(9) REVIEW.— 270
404404 (a) At least once every 6 months, the department shall 271
405405 randomly review disabled parking permitholders to ensure that 272
406406 all required criteria for the ownership and possession of such 273
407407 permit remain valid. As a component o f the review, the 274
408408 department shall, at a minimum: 275
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417417 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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421421 1. Review death records maintained by the Department of 276
422422 Health to ensure that the permitholder is not deceased has not 277
423423 died. 278
424424 2. Review the number of times the permit has been 279
425425 confiscated for fraudulent or unlawful use, if at all. 280
426426 3. Determine whether if the permit has ever been reported 281
427427 lost or stolen and, if so, determine the current status of the 282
428428 permit. 283
429429 (b) At least annually, the department shall verify that 284
430430 the holder owner of each disabled parki ng permit is not deceased 285
431431 has not died. Such verification shall include, but need not be 286
432432 limited to, consultation of death records maintained by the 287
433433 Department of Health. If a disabled parking permitholder is 288
434434 found to be deceased, the department shall prom ptly invalidate 289
435435 the decedent's disabled parking permit. 290
436436 (9)(10) REPORTS OF ABUSE.—The department shall develop and 291
437437 implement a means by which persons may can report abuse of 292
438438 disabled parking permits by telephone hotline or by submitting a 293
439439 form online or by mail. 294
440440 (10)(11) FURTHER DISCIPLINARY ACTION. —A violation of this 295
441441 section is grounds for disciplinary action under s. 458.331, s. 296
442442 459.015, s. 460.413, s. 461.013, s. 463.016, or s. 464.018, as 297
443443 applicable. 298
444444 Section 2. Section 320.08035, Florida Statutes, is amended 299
445445 to read: 300
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454454 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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458458 320.08035 Persons who have disabilities; reduced dimension 301
459459 license plate.—The owner or lessee of a motorcycle, moped, or 302
460460 motorized disability access vehicle who resides in this state 303
461461 and qualifies for a permanent disabled parking permit for a 304
462462 person who has a disability under s. 320.0848, upon application 305
463463 and payment of the appropriate license tax and fees under s. 306
464464 320.08(1), must be issued a license plate that has reduced 307
465465 dimensions as provided under s. 320.06(3)(a). The pla te must be 308
466466 stamped with the international symbol of accessibility after the 309
467467 numeric and alpha serial number of the license plate. The plate 310
468468 entitles the person to all privileges afforded by a permanent 311
469469 disabled parking permit issued under s. 320.0848. 312
470470 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 313
471471 320.084, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 314
472472 320.084 Free motor vehicle license plate to certain 315
473473 disabled veterans.— 316
474474 (5) A county or municipality, or any agency thereof, may 317
475475 not impose upon any pe rson who is issued a license plate with 318
476476 the international accessibility symbol, under this section, any 319
477477 fee or penalty for parking in any metered or timed parking space 320
478478 except: 321
479479 (b) When the person is parked without a permanent disabled 322
480480 parking permit issued under s. 320.0848 in a space designated 323
481481 for use by persons who have disabilities. 324
482482 Section 4. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 325
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491491 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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495495 320.0842, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 326
496496 320.0842 Free motor vehicle license plates to veterans who 327
497497 use wheelchairs.— 328
498498 (2) In order to be eligible for the motor vehicle license 329
499499 plate described in subsection (1), a person must comply with the 330
500500 following provisions: 331
501501 (b) The veteran must offer, in addition to the proof 332
502502 required by s. 320.084(1), proof that d ue to a service-connected 333
503503 disability he or she permanently uses a wheelchair or proof, in 334
504504 the form of an application that conforms to the requirements set 335
505505 forth in s. 320.0848, that he or she qualifies for a permanent 336
506506 disabled parking permit under that sec tion. The license plate 337
507507 entitles the person to all privileges afforded by a permanent 338
508508 disabled parking permit issued under s. 320.0848. 339
509509 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 320.0843, Florida 340
510510 Statutes, is amended to read: 341
511511 320.0843 License plates for p ersons with disabilities 342
512512 eligible for permanent disabled parking permits. — 343
513513 (1) Any owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who resides in 344
514514 this state and qualifies for a permanent disabled parking permit 345
515515 under s. 320.0848(2), upon application to the department and 346
516516 payment of the license tax for a motor vehicle registered under 347
517517 s. 320.08(2), (3)(a), (b), (c), or (e), (4)(a) or (b), (6)(a), 348
518518 or (9)(c) or (d), shall be issued a license plate as provided by 349
519519 s. 320.06 which, in lieu of the serial number prescribed by s. 350
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528528 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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532532 320.06, shall be stamped with the international wheelchair user 351
533533 symbol after the serial number of the license plate. The license 352
534534 plate entitles the person to all privileges afforded by a 353
535535 permanent disabled parking permit issued under s. 320.0848. When 354
536536 more than one registrant is listed on the registration issued 355
537537 under this section, the eligible applicant shall be noted on the 356
538538 registration certificate. 357
539539 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 358