TALLAHASSEE \u2014 State lawmakers on Wednesday moved to clear up confusion they created last year over the use of vehicle license plate frames.<\/p>\n
A transportation bill<\/a> heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis clarifies that decorative license plate frames on vehicles are perfectly legal \u2014 as long as they don\u2019t obscure the license plate number or the registration sticker in the plate\u2019s right-hand corner.<\/p>\n The Legislature created a mess last session when it passed legislation<\/a> to crack down on motorists who deliberately hide or obscure their license plates. The law stated that \u201ccovering\u201d or \u201cobscuring\u201d the \u201cprimary features\u201d on a license plate was a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.<\/p>\n It prompted almost immediate confusion<\/a> about what constituted \u201cprimary features.\u201d License plate frames, like the ones given by a dealer, often cover details at the top and bottom of the tag, like the state name and the name of the county on older plates.<\/p>\n NBC6 South Florida reported that about 1,000 people<\/a> were ticketed for violations since it took effect in October \u2014 and one person was wrongfully arrested<\/a>.<\/p>\n In December, two months after the law took effect, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued a memo<\/a> clarifying that the only \u201cprimary features\u201d are the plate number and the decal in the top right corner.<\/p>\n