HB 203 2024
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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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to lights displayed on fire department 2
and fire patrol vehicles; amending s. 316.2397, F.S.; 3
authorizing such vehicles to show or display blue 4
lights; amending ss. 316.2398 and 322.01, F.S.; 5
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 6
providing an effective date. 7
8
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 9
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Section 1. Subsections (2) and (3) of section 316.2397, 11
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 12
316.2397 Certain lights prohibited; exceptions. — 13
(2) It is expressly prohibited for any vehicle or 14
equipment, except police , fire department, and fire patrol 15
vehicles, to show or display blue lights. However, vehicles 16
owned, operated, or leased by the Department of Corrections or 17
any county correctional agency may show or display blue lights 18
when responding to emergencies. 19
(3) Vehicles of the fire department and fire patrol, 20
including vehicles of volunteer firefighter s as permitted under 21
s. 316.2398, may show or display red , blue, or red and white 22
lights. 23
(a) Vehicles of volunteer firefighters, medical staff 24
physicians or technicians of medical facilities licensed by the 25
HB 203 2024
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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
state or of volunteer ambulance services as au thorized under s. 26
316.2398, ambulances as authorized under this chapter, and buses 27
and taxicabs as authorized under s. 316.2399 may show or display 28
red lights. 29
(b) Vehicles of the fire department and, fire patrol, 30
police vehicles, and such ambulances and emergency vehicles of 31
municipal and county departments, volunteer ambulance services, 32
public service corporations operated by private corporations, 33
the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Department of 34
Environmental Protection, the Department o f Transportation, the 35
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the 36
Department of Corrections as are designated or authorized by 37
their respective department or the chief of police of an 38
incorporated city or any sheriff of any county may operate 39
emergency lights and sirens in an emergency. 40
(c) Wreckers, mosquito control fog and spray vehicles, and 41
emergency vehicles of governmental departments or public service 42
corporations may show or display amber lights when in actual 43
operation or when a haza rd exists provided they are not used 44
going to and from the scene of operation or hazard without 45
specific authorization of a law enforcement officer or law 46
enforcement agency. Wreckers must use amber rotating or flashing 47
lights while performing recoveries a nd loading on the roadside 48
day or night, and may use such lights while towing a vehicle on 49
wheel lifts, slings, or under reach if the operator of the 50
HB 203 2024
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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
wrecker deems such lights necessary. A flatbed, car carrier, or 51
rollback may not use amber rotating or fla shing lights when 52
hauling a vehicle on the bed unless it creates a hazard to other 53
motorists because of protruding objects. Further, escort 54
vehicles may show or display amber lights when in the actual 55
process of escorting overdimensioned equipment, materia l, or 56
buildings as authorized by law. 57
(d) Vehicles owned or leased by private security agencies 58
may show or display green and amber lights, with either color 59
being no greater than 50 percent of the lights displayed, while 60
the security personnel are engag ed in security duties on private 61
or public property. 62
Section 2. Subsections (1), (2), and (3) of section 63
316.2398, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 64
316.2398 Display or use of red , blue, or red and white 65
warning signals; motor vehicles of volunt eer firefighters or 66
medical staff.— 67
(1) A privately owned vehicle belonging to an active 68
firefighter member of a regularly organized volunteer 69
firefighting company or association, while en route to the fire 70
station for the purpose of proceeding to the sc ene of a fire or 71
other emergency or while en route to the scene of a fire or 72
other emergency in the line of duty as an active firefighter 73
member of a regularly organized firefighting company or 74
association, may display or use red , blue, or red and white 75
HB 203 2024
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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
warning signals. A privately owned vehicle belonging to a 76
medical staff physician or technician of a medical facility 77
licensed by the state or of a volunteer ambulance service, while 78
responding to an emergency in the line of duty, may display or 79
use red warning signals. Warning signals must be visible from 80
the front and from the rear of such vehicle, subject to the 81
following restrictions and conditions: 82
(a) No more than two red , blue, or red and white warning 83
signals may be displayed. 84
(b) No inscription o f any kind may appear across the face 85
of the lens of the red , blue, or red and white warning signal. 86
(c) In order for an active volunteer firefighter to 87
display such red, blue, or red and white warning signals on his 88
or her vehicle, the volunteer firefighter must first secure a 89
written permit from the chief executive officers of the 90
firefighting organization to use the red , blue, or red and white 91
warning signals, and this permit must b e carried by the 92
volunteer firefighter at all times while the red , blue, or red 93
and white warning signals are displayed. 94
(d) An emergency medical technician, doctor, or paramedic 95
who is using his or her personal vehicle with a red light to 96
respond to an emergency call must have completed a 16 -hour 97
emergency vehicle operator course. 98
(2) A person who is not an active firefighter member of a 99
regularly organized volunteer firefighting company or 100
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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
association or a physician or technician of the medical staff of 101
a medical facility licensed by the state or of a volunteer 102
ambulance service may not display on any motor vehicle owned by 103
him or her, at any time, any red , blue, or red and white warning 104
signals as described in subsection (1). 105
(3) An active volunteer firefighter may not operate any 106
red, blue, or red and white warning signals as authorized in 107
subsection (1), except while en route to the fire station for 108
the purpose of proceeding to the scene of a fire or other 109
emergency, or while at or en route to the scene of a fire or 110
other emergency, in the line of duty. 111
Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 322.01, Florida 112
Statutes, is amended to read: 113
322.01 Definitions. —As used in this chapter: 114
(4) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means a vehicle that is 115
equipped with extraordinary audible and visual warning devices, 116
that is authorized by s. 316.2397 to display red, red and white, 117
and or blue lights, and that is on call to respond to 118
emergencies. The term includes, but is not limited to, 119
ambulances, law enforc ement vehicles, fire trucks, and other 120
rescue vehicles. The term does not include wreckers, utility 121
trucks, or other vehicles that are used only incidentally for 122
emergency purposes. 123
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 124