ORLANDO, Fla. – Nearly 30 new Florida laws took effect earlier this month, including a law that sets more rules surrounding license plates.
That law — House Bill 253 — makes several changes to existing rules regarding motor vehicle crimes in the state.
For example, HB 253 sets up harsher penalties for drivers who try to mimic a police officer with red-and-white lights while trying to pull someone over.
[BELOW: Here’s what to know about Florida’s newest ‘license plate’ law]
But HB 253 also says that alterations to license plates now constitute a second-degree misdemeanor, rather than a noncriminal traffic violation.
This applies to any of the following situations:
Mutilating or defacing a registered license plate
Changing the plate’s color
Applying reflective material, spray, covering or anything else that can obscure the plate
Attaching an illuminated device that can prevent someone from reading the plate
[RELATED: Here are all the new Florida laws that took effect on Oct. 1]
As such, anyone found liable under this law may face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.
New crimes under HB 253
However, that’s not all. Under this law, people are also entirely prohibited from doing the following:
Buying or owning a “license plate obscuring device”
Creating or selling a “license plate obscuring device”
Using a “license plate obscuring device” in the commission of a crime
What counts as a “license plate obscuring device?”
HB 253 defines this term as follows:
“…A manual, electronic, or mechanical device designed or adapted to be installed on a motor vehicle for the purpose of:
1. Switching between two or more license plates to permit a motor vehicle operator to change the license plate displayed on the motor vehicle;
2. Hiding a license plate from view by flipping the license plate so that the license plate number is not visible;
3. Covering, obscuring, or otherwise interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of the primary features or details, including the license plate number or validation sticker, on the license plate; or
4. Interfering with the ability to record the primary features or details, including the license plate number of validation sticker, on the license plate.”
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