Title: Suspended Driver Licenses

Summary: Establishing a Driver License Reinstatement Days pilot program in certain counties to facilitate reinstatement of suspended driver licenses; providing duties of the clerks of court and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to suspended driver licenses; establishing a Driver License Reinstatement Days pilot program in certain counties to facilitate reinstatement of suspended driver licenses; specifying participants; providing duties of the clerks of court and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; authorizing the clerk of court to compromise certain fees and costs; providing for program eligibility; directing the department to make a report to the Governor and Legislature; providing for future repeal; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1.  Driver License Reinstatement Days.  (1) There is established a Driver License Reinstatement Days pilot program in Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Pinellas Counties for the purpose of reinstating suspended driver licenses. Participants within each county shall include the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the state attorney, the public defender s office, the circuit and county courts, the clerk of court, and interested community organizations. (2) The clerk of court, in consultation with the other participants, shall select or more days for an event at which persons with suspended driver licenses may have their licenses reinstated pursuant to this section. A person must pay the full reinstatement fee; however, the clerk may compromise or waive other fees and costs to facilitate the reinstatement. (3)(a) A person is eligible for reinstatement under the pilot program if the person s driver license was suspended because the person: 1. Was driving without a valid driver license; 2. Was driving with a suspended license; 3. Failed to make payments on penalties in collection; 4. Failed to appear in court for a traffic violation; or 5.  Failed to comply with provisions of chapter 318, Florida Statutes, relating to disposition of a traffic citation, or chapter 322, Florida Statutes, relating to driver licenses. (b) Notwithstanding paragraphs (4)(a)-(c), a person is eligible for reinstatement under the pilot program if the period of suspension has elapsed, the person has completed any required course or program as described in paragraph (4)(c), and the person is otherwise eligible for reinstatement of his or her driver license. (4) A person is not eligible for reinstatement under the pilot program if: (a) The person s driver license is under suspension because the person failed to fulfill court-ordered or administratively established child support obligations; (b) The person s driver license is under suspension or has been revoked for a violation under s. 316.193, Florida Statutes, involving driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; (c) The person s driver license is under suspension because the person has not completed a driver training program, driver improvement course, or alcohol or substance abuse education or evaluation program required under s. 316.192, s. 316.193, s. 322.2616, s. 322.271, or s. 322.291, Florida Statutes; (d) The person s driver license has been revoked for commission of a traffic-related felony; (e) The person s driver license was revoked because the person is a habitual traffic offender under s. 322.264, Florida Statutes; or (f) The person s driver license is under suspension for an offense committed outside a county in which the pilot program is being implemented. (5) The clerk of court and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall verify any information necessary for reinstatement of a driver license under the pilot program. (6) By October 1, 2017, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall report the results of the pilot program to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report shall include any recommendation by the department to continue, discontinue, or expand the pilot program and any necessary legislative action to facilitate a continuation or expansion of the pilot program. (7) This section is repealed October 1, 2017. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.