summary
Introduced
11/20/2024
11/20/2024
In Committee
01/15/2025
01/15/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
06/16/2025
06/16/2025
Introduced Session
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to motor vehicles; amending s. 316.2397, F.S.; reclassifying the offense of driving, moving, or causing to be moved a vehicle or equipment with certain lighting on a highway as a third degree felony; amending s. 320.061, F.S.; prohibiting a person from knowingly using a license plate obscuring device; providing criminal penalties; reclassifying the offense of interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of any feature or detail on a license plate or interfering with the ability to record any feature on a license plate as a misdemeanor of the second degree; creating s. 320.262, F.S.; defining the term “license plate obscuring device”; prohibiting the purchase, possession, manufacture, sale, offering for sale, or distribution of a license plate obscuring device; providing criminal penalties; providing criminal penalties for using a license plate obscuring device, knowingly attaching to a motor vehicle a license plate that was not assigned or transferred to the motor vehicle, altering the original appearance of a license plate, or interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of any feature or detail on a license plate during the commission of a crime; providing criminal penalty enhancements for a crime committed while using a license plate obscuring device, knowingly attaching to a motor vehicle a license plate that was not assigned or transferred to the motor vehicle, altering the original appearance of a license plate, or interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of any feature or detail on a license plate; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill strengthens Florida's motor vehicle license plate and lighting regulations by creating new criminal penalties and reclassifying existing offenses. Specifically, the bill reclassifies the offense of using certain prohibited lights while attempting to stop another vehicle from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony. It also introduces comprehensive restrictions on license plate obscuring devices, defining these as manual, electronic, or mechanical devices designed to hide, alter, or interfere with license plate visibility. The bill prohibits purchasing, possessing, manufacturing, selling, or distributing such devices, with penalties ranging from second-degree misdemeanors to first-degree misdemeanors. Additionally, the legislation provides enhanced criminal penalties for individuals who use license plate obscuring devices or tamper with license plates while committing another crime, with escalating punishment levels that can increase the severity of the original offense. For instance, a second-degree misdemeanor could be punished as a first-degree misdemeanor, and a first-degree felony could be treated as a life felony when combined with license plate-related offenses. The bill is set to take effect on October 1, 2025, and aims to improve vehicle identification and deter potential criminal activities involving vehicle registration.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (1)
Other Sponsors (2)
Rules (Senate), Transportation (Senate)
Last Action
Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 253 (Ch. 2025-36) (on 04/23/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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