S 1054

Florida Senate - 2026  CS for SB 1054
By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Martin
596-02240-26  20261054c1
1A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to traffic infractions resulting in a
3crash with another vehicle; amending s. 318.14, F.S.;
4requiring the imposition of specified civil penalties
5and periods of driver license suspension on a person
6found at a mandatory hearing to have committed certain
7traffic infractions that resulted in a crash with
8another vehicle, in addition to any other penalties;
9amending s. 318.19, F.S.; requiring persons cited for
10specified infractions that result in a crash with
11another vehicle to appear at a certain mandatory
12hearing; amending s. 324.023, F.S.; requiring certain
13owners and operators of motor vehicles to establish
14and maintain the ability to respond in damages for
15liability on account of certain accidents; requiring
16certain owners and operators of motor vehicles to
17maintain the ability to respond in damages for certain
18liability in certain amounts for a specified minimum
19period; providing an effective date.
20
21Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 318.14, Florida
24Statutes, is amended to read:
25318.14 Noncriminal traffic infractions; exception;
26procedures.—
27(5) A [Any] person who elects [electing] to appear before the
28designated official or who is required to appear is [shall be]
29deemed to have waived his or her right to the civil penalty
30provisions of s. 318.18. The official, after a hearing, shall
31make a determination as to whether an infraction has been
32committed. If the commission of an infraction has been proven,
33the official may impose a civil penalty not to exceed $500,
34except that in cases involving unlawful speed in a school zone
35or involving unlawful speed in a construction zone, the civil
36penalty may not exceed $1,000; or require attendance at a driver
37improvement school, or both. If the person is required to appear
38before the designated official pursuant to s. 318.19(1) and is
39found to have committed the infraction, the designated official
40must [shall] impose a civil penalty of $1,000 in addition to any
41other penalties and the person’s driver license must [shall] be
42suspended for 6 months. If the person is required to appear
43before the designated official pursuant to s. 318.19(1) and is
44found to have committed the infraction against a vulnerable road
45user as defined in s. 316.027(1), the designated official must
46[shall] impose a civil penalty of not less than $5,000 in addition
47to any other penalties, the person’s driver license must [shall]
48be suspended for 1 year, and the person must [shall] be required
49to attend a department-approved driver improvement course
50relating to the rights of vulnerable road users relative to
51vehicles on the roadway as provided in s. 322.0261(2). If the
52person is required to appear before the designated official
53pursuant to s. 318.19(2) and is found to have committed the
54infraction, the designated official must [shall] impose a civil
55penalty of $500 in addition to any other penalties and the
56person’s driver license must [shall] be suspended for 3 months. If
57the person is required to appear before the designated official
58pursuant to s. 318.19(2) and is found to have committed the
59infraction against a vulnerable road user as defined in s.
60316.027(1), the designated official must [shall] impose a civil
61penalty of not less than $1,500 in addition to any other
62penalties, the person’s driver license must [shall] be suspended
63for 3 months, and the person must [shall] be required to attend a
64department-approved driver improvement course relating to the
65rights of vulnerable road users relative to vehicles on the
66roadway as provided in s. 322.0261(2). If the person is required
67to appear before the designated official pursuant to s.
68318.19(7) and is found to have committed an infraction of s.
69316.074(1) or s. 316.123(2) which resulted in a crash with
70another vehicle as defined in s. 316.003, the designated
71official must impose a civil penalty of $500 in addition to any
72other penalties. If the person is required to appear before the
73designated official pursuant to s. 318.19(7) for an infraction
74and is found to have committed a second infraction of s.
75316.074(1) or s. 316.123(2) which resulted in a crash with
76another vehicle as defined in s. 316.003, the designated
77official must impose a civil penalty of $1,000 in addition to
78any other penalties and the person’s driver license must be
79suspended for 6 months.If the person is required to appear
80before the designated official pursuant to s. 318.19(7) for an
81infraction and is found to have committed a third or subsequent
82infraction of s. 316.074(1) or s. 316.123(2) which resulted in a
83crash with another vehicle as defined in s. 316.003, the
84designated official must impose a civil penalty of $1,000 in
85addition to any other penalties and the person’s driver license
86must be suspended for 1 year. If the official determines that no
87infraction has been committed, no costs or penalties may [shall]
88be imposed and any costs or penalties that have been paid must
89[shall] be returned. Moneys received from the mandatory civil
90penalties imposed pursuant to this subsection upon persons
91required to appear before a designated official pursuant to s.
92318.19(1) or (2) shall be remitted to the Department of Revenue
93and deposited into the Department of Health Emergency Medical
94Services Trust Fund to provide financial support to certified
95trauma centers to assure the availability and accessibility of
96trauma services throughout the state. Funds deposited into the
97Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund under this section shall
98be allocated as follows:
99(a) Fifty percent shall be allocated equally among all
100Level I, Level II, and pediatric trauma centers in recognition
101of readiness costs for maintaining trauma services.
102(b) Fifty percent shall be allocated among Level I, Level
103II, and pediatric trauma centers based on each center’s relative
104volume of trauma cases as calculated using the hospital
105discharge data collected pursuant to s. 408.061.
106Section 2. Section 318.19, Florida Statutes, is amended to
107read:
108318.19 Infractions requiring a mandatory hearing.—Any
109person cited for the infractions listed in this section does
110[shall] not have the provisions of s. 318.14(2), (4), and (9)
111available to him or her but must appear before the designated
112official at the time and location of the scheduled hearing:
113(1) Any infraction which results in a crash that causes the
114death of another;
115(2) Any infraction which results in a crash that causes
116“serious bodily injury” of another as defined in s. 316.1933(1);
117(3) Any infraction of s. 316.172(1)(b);
118(4) Any infraction of s. 316.520(1) or (2);
119(5) Any infraction of s. 316.183(2), s. 316.187, or s.
120316.189 of exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph or more; [or]
121(6) Any infraction of s. 316.1926(2); or
122(7) Any infraction of s. 316.074(1) or s. 316.123(2) which
123results in a crash with another vehicle as defined in s.
124316.003.
125Section 3. Section 324.023, Florida Statutes, is amended to
126read:
127324.023 Financial responsibility for bodily injury or
128death.—
129(1) In addition to any other financial responsibility
130required by law, every owner or operator of a motor vehicle that
131is required to be registered in this state, or that is located
132within this state, and who:[,]
133(a) Regardless of adjudication of guilt, has been found
134guilty of or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a
135charge of driving under the influence under s. 316.193 after
136October 1, 2007; or
137(b) Is found to have committed an infraction of s.
138316.075(1)(c) or s. 316.123(2) which resulted in a crash with
139another vehicle as defined in s. 316.003,
140
141shall, by one of the methods established in s. 324.031(1) or
142(2), establish and maintain the ability to respond in damages
143for liability on account of accidents arising out of the use of
144a motor vehicle in the amount of $100,000 because of bodily
145injury to, or death of, one person in any one crash and, subject
146to such limits for one person, in the amount of $300,000 because
147of bodily injury to, or death of, two or more persons in any one
148crash and in the amount of $50,000 because of property damage in
149any one crash. If the owner or operator chooses to establish and
150maintain such ability by furnishing a certificate of deposit
151pursuant to s. 324.031(2), such certificate of deposit must be
152at least $350,000. An owner or operator described in paragraph
153(a) must carry such higher limits [must be carried] for at least [a]
154[minimum period of] 3 years. An owner or operator described in
155paragraph (b) must carry such higher limits for at least 1 year.
156(2) If an [the] owner or operator described in paragraph
157(1)(a) has not been convicted of driving under the influence or
158a felony traffic offense for at least [a period of] 3 years after
159[from] the date of reinstatement of driving privileges for a
160violation of s. 316.193, the owner or operator is [shall be]
161exempt from this section.
162Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2026.