TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new bill heading through the state Legislature will allow drivers to use license plate frames after major blowback erupted over another law last year.
That bill — HB 543 — makes a variety of different traffic-related changes to state law, though the license plate rule in particular may stand out to some.
Last year’s law mandated that alterations to license plates are now treated as a crime, though it sparked some confusion over whether license plate frames would be allowed.
State officials later clarified that frames are allowed, just so long as they don’t obscure the important parts of a license plate.
[BELOW: How the state of Florida is trying to clear up confusion over new license plate law]
This includes the alphanumeric sequence in the middle and the registration decal in the upper-right corner.
However, HB 543 clarifies this in state law to avoid further confusion, specifically providing that license plate frames are legal when they don’t cover up these parts of the plate.
Meanwhile, HB 543 also makes several other changes, including the following:
- Yellow Lights: Extends the time for a yellow traffic light by 0.4 seconds — up from the current 3.4 seconds
- Speed Limits: Provides more flexibility for local governments to set lower speed limits at any level below the legal maximum speed limit in a residential district
- Disabled Parking: Lets vehicles with a disabled parking permit and permanently installed mobility access equipment to occupy more than one parking space when necessary to use such equipment safely, so long as no designated spaces are available to otherwise accommodate
- Golf Carts: Allows a golf cart that’s been converted to a low-speed vehicle to be titled and registered for operation on roads with up to 35 mph speed limits without inspection by the DHSMV if the owner submits a written affidavit that the vehicle complies with state requirements
- Exhaust Noise: Prohibits drivers from intentionally revving their engines in a way that produces “excessive or unusual noise”
- License Plate Readers: Private entities may install automated license plate recognition systems solely for use on their property, so long as it’s for a public safety-related purpose.
The bill passed its final committee on Thursday, meaning it’s not on track for a full House vote. That said, even if it’s approved by the House, it will still need approval by the Senate and the governor.
If passed into law, though, HB 543 is set to take effect in full on July 1.