SB 1310 — Railroad Crossing Safety

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 1310 By Senatorthe RodriguezCommittee 40-01339-26on 20261310__Transportation; A bill to be entitled An act relating to railroad safety;

amendingand s.Senator Rodriguez 596-02684-26 20261310c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to railroad crossing safety;

351.03,creating F.S.;s.

requiring351.38, certainF.S.; governmental entities to install and maintain specified detection and monitoring systems at public railroad-highway grade crossings by a specified date;

requiringproviding thelegislative Departmentfindings of Transportation to adopt specified rules and provideintent; technical support to governmental entities;

specifyingdefining requirementsterms; for the detection and monitoring systems;

authorizingrequiring installationthe andDepartment maintenanceof Transportation to conduct a statewide study on the use of suchadvanced systemsdetection toand bemonitoring fundedsystems throughat certainpublic sources;railroad-highway grade crossings;

requiringproviding certainrequirements governmentalfor entitiessuch tostudy; submit a specified report to the department by a specified date and each year thereafter;

requiringauthorizing the department to compileconsult suchwith reportscertain persons and submitentities ain summaryconducting report to the Legislaturestudy; by a specified date and biennially thereafter;

requiring the department to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified date;

providing requirements for such report;

PresentSection subsection351.38, (5) of section 351.03, Florida Statutes, is redesignatedcreated as subsection (6), and a new subsection (5) is added to that section, to read:

351.03351.38 Railroad-highwayRailroad grade-crossingcrossing warningsafety signstechnology study.— (1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.— (a) The Legislature finds that improving safety at railroad crossings is critical to protecting the lives of pedestrians, motorists, railway workers, and signals;the general public.

audibleAdvanced warnings;detection and monitoring systems using such technologies as sensors, high-resolution cameras, and data analytics may provide a reliable means to enhance situational awareness and reduce collisions at railroad crossings.

exercise(b) The Legislature further finds that additional analysis Page 1 of reasonable4 care;CODING:

blocking highways, roads, and streets during darkness.— (5)(a) Beginning January 1, 2027, the governmental entity having jurisdiction over or maintenance responsibility for the Page 1 of 3 CODING:

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 1310 40-01339-26596-02684-26 20261310__20261310c1 highway or street on which a public railroad-highway grade crossing is established,necessary updated,to orevaluate modifiedthe shalleffectiveness, installfeasibility, andcosts, maintain detection and monitoringimplementation systemsconsiderations atof each such crossing.systems.

The(c) DepartmentIt ofis Transportationthe shallintent adoptof rulesthe establishingLegislature minimumto technicaldirect and performance standards and criteria for the useDepartment of suchTransportation systems,to includingstudy criteria for prioritizing high- risk crossings for the installationtechnologies ofreferenced suchin systems,paragraph and(a) shallbefore provideconsidering technicalany assistancestatewide torequirements governmentalfor entitiestheir duringdeployment. installation.

Such(2) systemsDEFINITIONS.—As mustused includein allthis ofsection, the followingterm: technology:

(a) “Advanced detection and monitoring system” means a system capable of detecting and classifying objects, such as pedestrians, vehicles, or other obstructions at or approaching a railroad crossing, using technologies including, but not limited to, sensors, cameras, and data analytics.

(b) “Hazard assessment” means the process of analyzing detected objects or conditions to determine whether a potential safety risk exists at a railroad crossing.

(c) “Public railroad-highway grade crossing” has the same meaning as provided in s.

335.141(1)(b).

(3) STUDY.— (a) The Department of Transportation shall conduct a statewide study on the use of advanced detection and monitoring systems at public railroad-highway grade crossings in this state.

(b) The study must include, but is not limited to, an analysis of all of the following:

DetectionAvailable ofand pedestrians,emerging vehicles,advanced ordetection otherand obstructionsmonitoring withintechnologies theapplicable crossingto area.railroad crossings.

Real-timeThe analysiseffectiveness of conditionssuch totechnologies identifyin potentialimproving safety hazards.outcomes, including collision prevention and hazard mitigation, based on available data from pilot programs, Page 2 of 4 CODING:

Words stricken are deletions;

words underlined are additions.

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 1310 596-02684-26 20261310c1 deployments in other jurisdictions, or academic research.

Real-timeTechnical transmissionand ofoperational warningsconsiderations, orincluding alertsinteroperability towith trainexisting crews and other authorized railroad personnelsafety responsiblesystems forand trainoperating operations.protocols.

CoordinationCosts with,associated andwith compatibility to the extentdeployment practicableof with,advanced railroaddetection safetyand monitoring systems, including positiveinstallation, trainoperation, controlmaintenance, systems.and long-term lifecycle costs.

(b)5. Installation and maintenance of the systems specified in paragraph (a) may be funded through grants, state- appropriated funds, public-private partnerships, or federal funds.

ThePotential departmentfunding maymechanisms, provideincluding financialfederal assistancefunds, orstate incentivesfunds, togrants, governmentalor entitiespublic-private responsiblepartnerships. for public railroad-highway grade crossings to support the installation and maintenance of detection and monitoring systems required under this subsection.

(c)6. By October 1, 2027, and each year thereafter, each Page 2 of 3 CODING:

Criteria for identifying higher-risk railroad crossings where such technologies may provide the greatest safety benefit.

7.

Legal, regulatory, and operational considerations related to the deployment and oversight of advanced detection and monitoring systems.

8.

The respective roles of the state, local governments, and railroad owners in the implementation of such systems.