No. CS/CS/HB 937
Filed under Transportation.
Transportation; Requires licensing rather than registration of, & fuel tax decals rather than identifying devices for, motor carriers; requires copy of license to be carried in each qualified motor vehicle or made available electronically; specifies how fuel tax decals are to be displayed on qualified motor vehicles; requires DHSMV or its authorized agent to issue licenses & fuel tax decals; requires fuel tax decal renewal orders to be submitted electronically beginning on specified date; revises required contents of temporary fuel-use permits; revises reporting periods & due dates for motor fuel use tax returns; requires such tax returns to be submitted electronically beginning on specified date; revises requirements for calculation of interest due for delinquent tax; provides penalties for any person who counterfeits, alters, manufactures, or sells fuel tax licenses, fuel tax decals, or temporary fuel-use permits except under certain circumstances; requires motor carriers to destroy fuel tax decals under certain circumstances & notify DHSMV; revises apparent amount of property damage that requires driver of vehicle involved in crash to notify law enforcement of crash; provides exemption from certain vehicle registration requirements for certain active duty military members; requires applicants to provide proof of address; revises requirements for documenting applicant's address & proof of legal presence; revises prohibition on obscuring license plate; provides that use of license plate frame or decorative border device is not prohibited under specified conditions; authorizes DHSMV to use e-mail as method of notification; requires e-mail address to be included on ID card application & request for replacement driver license or instruction permit, respectively; authorizes orders of cancellation, suspension, revocation, or disqualification to be provided by e-mail notification.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDMotor carriers running heavy trucks in Florida move from state vehicle registration to licensing under the International Fuel Tax Agreement, with fuel tax decals replacing the old identifying devices carriers display on each vehicle.
The separate driveaway permit and the temporary-permit option for carriers without a license are both eliminated. Decal renewals and fuel tax returns must be filed electronically starting October 1, 2026, on a new calendar-year reporting cycle.
Drivers only have to call police after a crash once apparent property damage reaches $2,000, four times the current $500 threshold. Decorative license plate frames and borders are now explicitly allowed as long as the plate number and sticker stay visible.
The state can now notify people of a license suspension, revocation, or cancellation by e-mail, with the same legal effect as postal mail. Vehicle registration applicants must also show proof of address and specific legal-presence documents.
AIA motor carrier operating a qualified vehicle over 26,000 pounds must be licensed under the International Fuel Tax Agreement and issued fuel tax decals rather than registering with the state and receiving an identifying device; a copy of the license must ride in the vehicle or be available electronically.
AIThe $4 driveaway permit for carriers hauling vehicles as cargo, and the separate temporary fuel-use permit route for carriers without a license, are both repealed. Only a motor carrier that already holds a valid license may obtain a temporary fuel-use permit going forward.
AIA driver in a crash no longer has to notify police unless the apparent property damage reaches $2,000. Today that duty starts at $500, so many minor collisions that used to require a report will no longer trigger one.
AIStarting October 1, 2026, a motor carrier can no longer renew its fuel tax decals by mail or paper form. All renewal orders must go through the department's online system unless the department authorizes another method.
AIA license plate frame or decorative border no longer violates the plate-obscuring law as long as it does not cover the plate number or the registration validation sticker. Other decorative elements printed on the plate may be covered.
AICounterfeiting, altering, manufacturing, or selling a fuel tax license, decal, or temporary fuel-use permit becomes its own third-degree felony offense, unless the department has first given written permission for the activity.
AIAn individual registering a vehicle must show proof of address acceptable to the department, plus a REAL ID-compliant license or ID card, a valid U.S. passport, or a foreign passport with a current federal I-94 form.
AIA license cancellation, suspension, revocation, or disqualification notice can now be sent by e-mail with the same legal effect as first-class mail. The 20-day, or 15-day, countdown to the order taking effect starts from whichever method is used.