SB 1012 — Toll Operations

Florida Senate - 2018 CS for SB 1012 By Senator Passidomo 28-01580A-18 20181012__ A bill to be entitled An act relating to the AlligatorCommittee Alleyon tollAppropriations; road;

and Senators Passidomo and Young 576-04144-18 20181012c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to toll operations;

338.155, F.S.;

exempting a law enforcement officer from paying a toll on a toll facility when operating a marked or unmarked official vehicle while on official law enforcement business;

defining the term “official law enforcement business”;

amending s.

requiring fees generated from tolls to be used to reimburse, by interlocal agreement effectivewithin for a specified periodtimeframe, of time, a county or another local governmental entity for the direct actual costs of operating a specified fire station,station; which may be used by a county or another local governmental entity to provide fire, rescue, and emergency management services to the public;

providing services to the public on Alligator Alley;

amending s.

348.0003, F.S.;

requiring the governing body of the authority in certain counties to, by a specified date, submit to the Governor information regarding its compliance with a specified minimum percent toll reduction;

requiring, effective on a specified date, the existing board to be dissolved and, except for the district secretary of the Department of Transportation, a new board to be appointed by that date if the required toll reduction has not taken place;

prohibiting a member of the board on a specified date to be appointed to the new board, except for the district secretary of the department;

requiring the members to be residents of the county, except for the district secretary of the department;

requiring a specified number of voting members to be appointed by the governing body of the county;

authorizing, at the discretion of the governing body of the county, up to a specified amount of the members appointed by the governing body of the county to be elected officials residing in the county;

requiring a specified amount of voting members of the authority to be appointed by the Governor;

requiring that the district secretary of the department from the appropriate district be an ex officio voting member;

1340 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

1542 Section 1. Paragraph1. Subsections (a)(1) ofand subsection (3) of section 338.26,338.155, Florida Statutes, isare amended to read:

338.155 Payment of toll on toll facilities required;

exemptions.— (1)(a) A person may not use a any toll facility without payment of tolls, except:

1. An employee employees of the agency operating the toll project when using the toll facility on official state business., 2. State military personnel while on official military business.

3. A person with a disability, handicapped persons as provided in subsection (3).

4. A person this section, persons exempt from toll payment by the authorizing resolution for bonds issued to finance the facility.

5. A person, and persons exempt on a temporary basis where use of such toll facility is required as a detour route.

6. A Any law enforcement officer operating a marked or unmarked official vehicle while is exempt from toll payment when on official law enforcement business.

For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “official law enforcement business” includes, but is not limited to, patrol operations, investigative activities, crime prevention operations, and traffic operations.

7. A Any person operating a fire vehicle while when on official business or a rescue vehicle while when on official business is exempt from toll payment.

8. A Any person participating in the funeral procession of a law enforcement officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty is exempt from toll payment.

(b) The secretary or the secretary’s designee may suspend the payment of tolls on a toll facility when necessary to assist in emergency evacuation.

(c) The failure to pay a prescribed toll constitutes a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation as provided in s.

318.18.

The department may adopt rules relating to the payment, collection, and enforcement of tolls, as authorized in this chapter and chapters 316, 318, 320, and 322, including, but not limited to, rules for the implementation of video or other image billing and variable pricing.

(d) With respect to toll facilities managed by the department, the revenues of which are not pledged to repayment of bonds, the department may by rule allow the use of such facilities by public transit vehicles or by vehicles participating in a funeral procession for an active-duty military service member without the payment of tolls.

(3) A Any handicapped person with a disability who has a valid driver license, who operates a vehicle specially equipped for use by persons with disabilities the handicapped, and who is certified by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 or by comparable licensing in another state or by the Adjudication Office of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its predecessor as being severely physically disabled and having permanent upper limb mobility or dexterity impairments that which substantially impair the person’s ability to deposit coins in toll baskets, shall be allowed to pass free through all tollgates and over all toll bridges and ferries in this state.

Such A person who meets the requirements of this subsection shall, upon application, be issued a vehicle window sticker by the Department of Transportation.

Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 338.26, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

and 4. By interlocal agreement effective July 1, 2014, through no later than June 30, 2021,2019, to reimburse a county or another local governmental entity for the direct actual costs of operating the To design and construct a fire station at mile marker 63 on Alligator Alley, which may be used by a county or another local governmental entity to provide fire, rescue, and emergency management services to the public on Alligator Alley;

Section 2. This3. Paragraph act(d) shallof takesubsection effect(2) Julyof 1,section 2018.348.0003, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: