CS/CS/HB 247 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 services provided by the Department 2
of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or its agents; 3
amending s. 319.28, F.S.; providing that a certain 4
affidavit establishes a presumption of ownership and 5
right of possession to a motor vehicle or mob ile home 6
the previous owner of which died testate; amending s. 7
319.29, F.S.; prohibiting the department or a tax 8
collector from charging a fee for reissuance of 9
certain certificates of title; amending s. 320.06, 10
F.S.; authorizing permanent registration of certain 11
rental trucks; authorizing the department to deem a 12
license plate with reduced dimensions to be necessary 13
to accommodate trailers; amending s. 320.084, F.S.; 14
authorizing certain disabled veterans to be issued a 15
military license plate or specialty l icense plate in 16
lieu of a "DV" license plate; specifying applicable 17
fees; specifying nonapplicability of certain 18
provisions; amending s. 320.131, F.S.; authorizing the 19
department to design, issue, and regulate the use of 20
temporary tags where the existing o wner of a vehicle 21
has submitted an application to transfer a valid out -22
of-state title that is subject to a lien; authorizing 23
the department to design, issue, and regulate the use 24
of temporary tags where an active -duty military 25
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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
servicemember who has a valid Florida driver license 26
provides evidence satisfactory to the department that 27
he or she is deployed outside this state; providing 28
the period of validity of such temporary tags; 29
removing provisions requiring a written, notarized 30
request for the purchase of a temporary tag; providing 31
an effective date. 32
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 34
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Section 1. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (1) of 36
section 319.28, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as paragraphs 37
(d) and (e), respectiv ely, and a new paragraph (c) is added to 38
that subsection to read: 39
319.28 Transfer of ownership by operation of law. — 40
(1) 41
(c) If the previous owner died testate and the application 42
for a certificate of title is made by, and accompanied by an 43
affidavit attested by, a Florida -licensed attorney in good 44
standing with The Florida Bar, such affidavit shall, for 45
purposes of paragraph (a), establish a presumption of ownership, 46
absent information received to the contrary, and right of 47
possession to the motor veh icle or mobile home, so long as the 48
affidavit sets forth the rightful heir or heirs and the attorney 49
attests in the affidavit that such heir or heirs are lawfully 50
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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
entitled to the rights of ownership and possession of the motor 51
vehicle or mobile home. It is not necessary for the application 52
for certificate of title filed under this paragraph to be 53
accompanied by a copy of the will or other testamentary 54
instrument. 55
Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 319.29, Florida 56
Statutes, is amended to read: 57
319.29 Lost or destroyed certificates. — 58
(3) If, following the issuance of an original, duplicate, 59
or corrected certificate of title by the department, the 60
certificate is lost in transit and is not delivered to the 61
addressee, the owner of the motor vehicle or m obile home, or the 62
holder of a lien thereon, may, within 180 days of the date of 63
issuance of the title, apply to the department for reissuance of 64
the certificate of title. An No additional fee shall not be 65
charged by the department or a tax collector, as a gent for the 66
department, for reissuance under this subsection. 67
Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and paragraph 68
(a) of subsection (3) of section 320.06, Florida Statutes, are 69
amended to read: 70
320.06 Registration certificates, license plates, and 71
validation stickers generally. — 72
(1) 73
(b)1. Registration license plates bearing a graphic symbol 74
and the alphanumeric system of identification shall be issued 75
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for a 10-year period. At the end of the 10 -year period, upon 76
renewal, the plate shall be rep laced. The department shall 77
extend the scheduled license plate replacement date from a 6 -78
year period to a 10-year period. The fee for such replacement is 79
$28, $2.80 of which shall be paid each year before the plate is 80
replaced, to be credited toward the ne xt $28 replacement fee. 81
The fees shall be deposited into the Highway Safety Operating 82
Trust Fund. A credit or refund may not be given for any prior 83
years' payments of the prorated replacement fee if the plate is 84
replaced or surrendered before the end of th e 10-year period, 85
except that a credit may be given if a registrant is required by 86
the department to replace a license plate under s. 87
320.08056(8)(a). With each license plate, a validation sticker 88
shall be issued showing the owner's birth month, license pl ate 89
number, and the year of expiration or the appropriate renewal 90
period if the owner is not a natural person. The validation 91
sticker shall be placed on the upper right corner of the license 92
plate. The license plate and validation sticker shall be issued 93
based on the applicant's appropriate renewal period. The 94
registration period is 12 months, the extended registration 95
period is 24 months, and all expirations occur based on the 96
applicant's appropriate registration period. Rental vehicles 97
taxed pursuant to s. 320.08(6)(a) and rental trucks taxed 98
pursuant to s. 320.08(3)(a), (b), and (c) and (4)(a) -(d) may 99
elect a permanent registration period, provided payment of the 100
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appropriate license taxes and fees occurs annually. 101
2. A vehicle that has an apportioned re gistration shall be 102
issued an annual license plate and a cab card that denote the 103
declared gross vehicle weight for each apportioned jurisdiction 104
in which the vehicle is authorized to operate. This subparagraph 105
expires June 30, 2024. 106
3. Beginning July 1, 2024, a vehicle registered in 107
accordance with the International Registration Plan must be 108
issued a license plate for a 3 -year period. At the end of the 3 -109
year period, upon renewal, the license plate must be replaced. 110
Each license plate must include a vali dation sticker showing the 111
month of expiration. A cab card denoting the declared gross 112
vehicle weight for each apportioned jurisdiction must be issued 113
annually. The fee for an original or a renewal cab card is $28, 114
which must be deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust 115
Fund. If the license plate is damaged or worn, it may be 116
replaced at no charge by applying to the department and 117
surrendering the current license plate. 118
4. In order to retain the efficient administration of the 119
taxes and fees imposed by this chapter, the 80 -cent fee increase 120
in the replacement fee imposed by chapter 2009 -71, Laws of 121
Florida, is negated as provided in s. 320.0804. 122
(3)(a) Registration license plates must be made of metal 123
specially treated with a retroreflection material, as specified 124
by the department. The registration license plate is designed to 125
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increase nighttime visibility and legibility and must be at 126
least 6 inches wide and not less than 12 inches in length, 127
unless a plate with reduced dimensions is deemed necessary by 128
the department to accommodate motorcycles, mopeds, or similar 129
smaller vehicles, or trailers. Validation stickers must also be 130
treated with a retroreflection material, must be of such size as 131
specified by the department, and must adhere to the license 132
plate. The registration license plate must be imprinted with a 133
combination of bold letters and numerals or numerals, not to 134
exceed seven digits, to identify the registration license plate 135
number. The license plate must be imprinted with the word 136
"Florida" at the top and the name of the county in which it is 137
sold, the state motto, or the words "Sunshine State" at the 138
bottom. Apportioned license plates must have the word 139
"Apportioned" at the bottom, and license plates issued for 140
vehicles taxed under s. 320.08(3)(d), (4)(m) or (n), (5)(b) or 141
(c), or (14) must have the word "Restricted" at the bottom. 142
License plates issued for vehicles taxed under s. 320.08(12) 143
must be imprinted with the word "Florida" at the top and the 144
word "Dealer" at the bottom unle ss the license plate is a 145
specialty license plate as authorized in s. 320.08056. 146
Manufacturer license plates issued for vehicles taxed under s. 147
320.08(12) must be imprinted with the word "Florida" at the top 148
and the word "Manufacturer" at the bottom. Licen se plates issued 149
for vehicles taxed under s. 320.08(5)(d) or (e) must be 150
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imprinted with the word "Wrecker" at the bottom. Any county may, 151
upon majority vote of the county commission, elect to have the 152
county name removed from the license plates sold in tha t county. 153
The state motto or the words "Sunshine State" shall be printed 154
in lieu thereof. A license plate issued for a vehicle taxed 155
under s. 320.08(6) may not be assigned a registration license 156
number, or be issued with any other distinctive character or 157
designation, that distinguishes the motor vehicle as a for -hire 158
motor vehicle. 159
Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 320.084, Florida 160
Statutes, is amended, and subsection (6) is added to that 161
section, to read: 162
320.084 Free motor vehicle license plate to certain 163
disabled veterans.— 164
(1) One free "DV" motor vehicle license number plate shall 165
be issued by the department for use on any motor vehicle owned 166
or leased by any disabled veteran who has been a resident of 167
this state continuously for the precedin g 5 years or has 168
established a domicile in this state as provided by s. 169
222.17(1), (2), or (3), and who has been honorably discharged 170
from the United States Armed Forces, upon application, 171
accompanied by proof that: 172
(a) A vehicle was initially acquired t hrough financial 173
assistance by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs 174
or its predecessor specifically for the purchase of an 175
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automobile; 176
(b) The applicant has been determined by the United States 177
Department of Veterans Affairs or its predecesso r to have a 178
service-connected 100-percent disability rating for 179
compensation; or 180
(c) The applicant has been determined to have a service -181
connected disability rating of 100 percent and is in receipt of 182
disability retirement pay from any branch of the Unit ed States 183
Armed Services. 184
(6)(a) A disabled veteran who meets the requirements of 185
subsection (1) may be issued, in lieu of the "DV" license plate, 186
a military license plate for which he or she is eligible or a 187
specialty license plate. A disabled veteran e lecting a military 188
license plate or specialty license plate under this subsection 189
must pay all applicable fees related to such license plate, 190
except for fees otherwise waived under subsections (1) and (4). 191
(b) A military license plate or specialty licens e plate 192
elected under this subsection: 193
1. Does not provide the protections or rights afforded by 194
ss. 316.1955, 316.1964, 320.0848, 526.141, and 553.5041. 195
2. Is not eligible for the international symbol of 196
accessibility as described in s. 320.0842. 197
Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 320.131, Florida 198
Statutes, is amended, and paragraphs (m) and (n) are added to 199
subsection (1) of that section, to read: 200
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320.131 Temporary tags. — 201
(1) The department is authorized and empowered to design, 202
issue, and regulate the use of temporary tags to be designated 203
"temporary tags" for use in the following cases: 204
(m) Where the existing owner of a vehicle has submitted an 205
application to transfer a valid out -of-state title that is 206
subject to a lien. A temporary tag i ssued for this purpose shall 207
be valid for 60 days. 208
(n) Where an active -duty military servicemember who has a 209
valid Florida driver license provides evidence satisfactory to 210
the department that he or she is deployed outside this state. A 211
temporary tag issued for this purpose shall be valid for 60 212
days. 213
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Further, the department is authorized to disallow the purchase 215
of temporary tags by licensed dealers, common carriers, or 216
financial institutions in those cases where abuse has occurred. 217
(2) The department may is authorized to sell temporary 218
tags, in addition to those listed above, to its their agents and 219
where need is demonstrated by a consumer complainant. The fee 220
for a temporary tag issued under this section shall be $2 each. 221
One dollar from each tag sold shall be deposited into the Brain 222
and Spinal Cord Injury Program Trust Fund, with the remaining 223
proceeds being deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust 224
Fund. Agents of the department shall sell temporary tags for $2 225
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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
each and shall charge the serv ice charge authorized by s. 320.04 226
per transaction, regardless of the quantity sold. Requests for 227
purchase of temporary tags to the department or its agents shall 228
be made, where applicable, on letterhead stationery and 229
notarized. Except as specifically pro vided otherwise, a 230
temporary tag issued under this section shall be valid for 30 231
days, and no more than two shall be issued to the same person 232
for the same vehicle. 233
Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 234