The Division of Motorist Services provides a range of services related to the licensure and regulation of both drivers and vehicles, including investigating and resolving consumer complaints; registering and auditing Florida-based commercial carriers; data exchange and reporting; and helping ensure manufactured or mobile homes are constructed and installed in compliance with federal and state standards.
Title | Fund | Dollars | Positions |
---|---|---|---|
PROGRAM: MOTORIST SERVICES | |||
MOTORIST SERVICES |
135,781,695
|
1,431.00 |
|
TOTAL |
135,781,695 |
1,431.00 |
Motor Vehicle Dealers. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-233, Laws of Florida, which amends the Florida Automobile Dealers Act, which regulates contractual business relationships between motor vehicle dealers and licensees. The law, among other provisions, augments licensee restrictions such as refusing to provide dealers an equitable supply of vehicles, incentivizing the sale or lease of motor vehicles, and allocating vehicles based on consumer reserves and preorders. The law also authorized electronic sales of vehicle features and improvements.
Immigration and Driving. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-40, Laws of Florida, which among other provisions, prohibits an individual from operating a motor vehicle if another state issued their driver's license, if such a license is exclusively provided to undocumented immigrants. Currently, the District of Columbia and 18 states issue a driver's license to undocumented immigrants upon the receipt of certain documentation, such as a foreign birth certificate or passport, or evidence of state residence and a consular card.
Motorcycle Safety Education. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-118, Laws of Florida, which among other provisions, reallocates the $2.50 annual fee received by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) from citizens with a registered motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or moped, for motorcycle safety education, to not-for-profit corporations within specified criteria. Programs are authorized to include pamphlets, public service announcements, and additional advocacy expenditures. The qualified program administrators, selected by the DHSMV, must illustrate clear collaboration throughout the educational programs.
Move Over Law. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-197, Laws of Florida, which among other provisions, revises Florida’s Move Over Law, which requires motorists to, when possible and safe, vacate the lane closest to an emergency vehicle parked on the roadside displaying visual signs, a utility or sanitation vehicle performing tasks related to utility or sanitation on the roadside, a wrecker displaying service lights performing a roadside recovery, or when maintenance and construction vehicles are displaying warning lights on the roadside. The law also requires motorists to slow to a speed 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit, or to five miles per hour when the posted speed limit is equal to or less than 20 miles per hour. Motorists in violation of the Move Over Law are subject to a moving violation penalty of fines that range from $60 to $158. The new law also adds the requirement for motorists to move over in the event of a stopped motor vehicle displaying warning or hazard lights, using emergency flares or displaying emergency signage, or when one or more individuals are visibly present. The penalty for violation remains a noncriminal traffic infraction punishable as a moving violation.
School Zone Speed Detection Systems. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-174, Laws of Florida, which among other provisions, imposes a fine for violation of the lawful speed in a school zone, as identified by a speed detection system with warning signage. The speed detection system is an automated portable or fixed system, similar to traffic infraction detectors, commonly known as red light cameras, used to detect the speed of a motor vehicle and capture a photograph or video of the rear of a vehicle that exceeds the speed limit active during the violation. The law also bans such violation from imposing points to the violator’s driver’s license and from influencing motor vehicle insurance rates.
Other Reports
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports including driver, vehicle, and crash statistics are available on the departments' resource page
Websites of Interest
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Driver Licenses and ID Cards General Information
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, DUI and Administrative Suspension Laws
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Fees
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Real ID Act
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Cabinet and Legislature Reports & Statistics
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Useful Web Links
Performance Information
Division of Motorist Services, 850-617-2000
Website