Understanding Florida’s New Regulation on License Plate Frames

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A current regulation that took impact in Florida could have some drivers questioning: “Can I be arrested over my license plate?”

The reply? It relies upon.

The regulation in query — Home Invoice 253 — makes plenty of adjustments to current guidelines for motorcar crimes in Florida, and license plates play an enormous half in these adjustments.

For instance, HB 253 units up harsher penalties for drivers who attempt to mimic a police officer with red-and-white lights whereas attempting to drag somebody over.

[RELATED: Here are all the new Florida laws that took effect on Oct. 1]

However HB 253 additionally says that alterations to license plates now represent a second-degree misdemeanor, slightly than a noncriminal visitors violation.

This is applicable to any of the next conditions:

• Mutilating or defacing a registered license plate

• Altering the plate’s shade

• Making use of reflective materials, spray, overlaying or the rest that may obscure the plate

• Attaching an illuminated system that may forestall somebody from studying the plate

[BELOW: Do I really have to light my Florida license plate?]

On Monday, the Florida Sheriff’s Affiliation put out a message to make clear a few of the misconceptions about their very own “FSA” plate.

“FSA license plate frames usually are not designed to cowl or obscure any a part of a license plate and don’t violate the brand new regulation when put in appropriately,” FSA officers wrote.

In brief, as long as a driver isn’t obscuring the necessary elements of the license plate, it ought to be secure below the regulation.

That being stated, anybody who is discovered liable below this regulation could face a $500 high quality and as much as 60 days in jail.

New crimes below HB 253

Nevertheless, that’s not all. Beneath this regulation, persons are additionally completely prohibited from doing the next:

• Shopping for or proudly owning a “license plate obscuring system”

• Creating or promoting a “license plate obscuring system”

• Utilizing a “license plate obscuring system” within the fee of against the law

What counts as a “license plate obscuring system?”

HB 253 defines this time period as follows:

“…A guide, digital, or mechanical system designed or tailored to be put in on a motorcar for the aim of:

1. Switching between two or extra license plates to allow a motorcar operator to vary the license plate displayed on the motorcar;

2. Hiding a license plate from view by flipping the license plate in order that the license plate quantity is just not seen;

3. Overlaying, obscuring, or in any other case interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of the first options or particulars, together with the license plate quantity or validation sticker, on the license plate; or

4. Interfering with the power to document the first options or particulars, together with the license plate variety of validation sticker, on the license plate.”

Home Invoice 253