TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A transportation package that would allow Florida’s top highway speed limit to rise to 80 mph and eliminate vehicle registration stickers hit a procedural snag Thursday.
The Florida Senate refused to concur with the House’s strike-all amendment to SB 1220 and formally asked the House to recede, while the bill sits “In Messages” awaiting the next move between chambers.
In simpler terms, the Florida Senate rejected the changes the House made to SB 1220. The Senate then asked the House to undo those changes. The bill is now stuck between the two chambers, waiting for one of them to make the next move.
The House approved the Senate bill Wednesday with an 87–23 vote after adopting Amendment 135551, which folds in the higher speed caps and sticker repeal alongside provisions on automated license plate readers, vehicle noise, and golf carts. The Senate’s refusal on March 12 means the measure is now in the back-and-forth “messages” stage, where the chambers must agree on identical language before anything reaches Gov. Ron DeSantis.
What would change if the House and Senate agreed?
The House version raises the maximum allowable speed on limited-access highways from 70 to 80 mph, and from 60 to 70 mph on other highways outside urban areas; it also repeals license plate validation stickers in favor of recording registration renewals electronically. The amendment also authorizes automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems on private property with data safeguards and penalties for misuse, and creates a new prohibition on intentionally revving or accelerating a vehicle to produce excessive or unusual noise.
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SB 1220 began as a wide-ranging transportation bill by Sen. Ralph Massullo, moving through Senate committees with unanimous votes before passing the Senate on March 4; after the House added its strike-all, the Senate placed the bill on its Returning Messages calendar and, on March 12, moved not to accept the House changes. The Senate’s bill page now lists the last action as “House – In Messages,” reflecting the unresolved differences.
What’s Next
Procedurally, the chambers have a few options: the House can recede and accept the Senate version, the Senate can recede and accept the House language, or leaders can negotiate a compromise—potentially through conforming amendments—before the session clock runs out. For now, Floridians won’t see new signs or sticker changes until both chambers pass identical text and the governor signs it; the current House-backed effective date in the package is July 1, contingent on final passage.