Ron DeSantis isn’t sold on making the left lane on high-speed roads for passing only.
Asked whether he’ll sign legislation lawmakers just passed to ban continuous left-lane driving on highways with speed limits of 65 mph or more, the Governor said he’ll seek law enforcement input on the issue.
But on its surface, he said, some parts of the proposal give him pause.
“If you see somebody on the interstate that’s going 60 miles an hour in the left lane, obviously you know that can present a safety hazard,” he said Friday morning. “On the other hand, to force everybody over … even if you’re going the speed limit, and then we’re going to be pulling people over for that — how would that work?”
DeSantis said he plans to speak with Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner and Col. Gary Howze, Director of the Florida Highway Patrol, to see what their opinion is.
“I’m going to talk to people that do this for a living, see whether they think it would be a benefit both in terms of safety, but we also want convenience too,” he said. “We want people to get where they can go as quickly and safely as possible. But then also enforcement — (is) that going to radically change how (law enforcement) do their job?”
Lawmakers Thursday approved HB 317, which would largely make the left lane on the Turnpike and similarly speedy and capacious thoroughfares exclusively for passing, turning, exiting and emergency and government use.
In cases where the leftmost lane is marked for high-occupancy vehicle use, the restriction would apply to the lane directly to its right. And naturally, that rule would apply only to roads with multiple lanes going in the same direction.
Violators would be liable for a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation with a $60 fine that could increase to $158 with additional fees and surcharges, a House staff analysis said.
The measure’s sponsor, Fort Myers Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, maintained Florida motorists have long wished for the restriction.
“If you have ever been frustrated by drivers camping out in the left lane on the interstate, then this bill is for you,” she said last week before House lawmakers voted 113-3 for the measure.
On Thursday, the Senate voted 37-0 for it. But some foresee problems arising if the bill becomes law.
Miami Gardens Democratic Rep. Christopher Benjamin, who voted “no” on the measure, told Florida Politics it will likely lead to reduced roadway capacity.
“The current law requires that when you are in the left lane and are given the signal to pass, then you must evacuate the lane. This new law will reduce all highways by one lane now, providing that the only time you can ride in the far-left lane will be to overtake someone and then return to the right lane,” he said.
“Governments have spent money on widening roads and increasing the number of lanes in order to help alleviate traffic. That will now be negated by this bill.”
Former Miami Herald Capitol Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas, now an opinion columnist for Bloomberg, had a different view of the bill’s implications.
“Visiting Florida? Drivers beware,” she wrote on X. “The entire highway system has just been designated a statewide speed trap.”
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