Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation to crack down on drag racers, stunt drivers and street takeovers that in recent years have led to thousands of arrests and several deaths across Florida.
The measure (SB 1764), among other things, hikes fines for coordinating or participating in those criminal roadway behaviors to up to $2,000 for a first offense and a one-year license suspension.
Subsequent offenses will carry much harsher penalties.
It will also be a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and $4,000 in fines, for a person involved in a street takeover to knowingly interfere with the movement of an emergency vehicle. A second offense could land someone in prison for 15 years.
Hollywood Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo, the bill’s sponsor, said lethal street shenanigans are still problematic despite legislation he passed in 2022 to curb the activities disproportionately popular among young people.
“They use social media, and they are creating an incredibly dangerous environment,” he said ahead of a unanimous Senate floor vote for the bill on March 1. “Ambulances, fire and police cannot get to the center of the intersection (and) these networks … will likely result in the injury or death of your child or grandchild at some point.”
Asked how many lives he expected the bill to save, Pizzo said, “Candidly, it may very well save the lives of some of the kids that come over for pizza (with my kids, and) that’s enough for me.”
Police, especially in South Florida, responded to a flood of street takeovers last year of which footage spread virally on social media. Between 2018 and 2022, law enforcement officers issued 6,641 citations for street racing and stunt driving, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Nearly 28% of them were in Miami-Dade. The median age of offenders was 21.
“As a father of kids that will be driving someday soon,” Zephyrhills Republican Sen. Danny Burgess said, “I know that I’ll be thankful for this down the road — no pun intended.”
SB 1764 adds to and augments strictures lawmakers adopted two years ago through legislation Pizzo and then-Republican Rep. Anthony Rodriguez of Miami-Dade carried to address street takeovers that had risen in frequency during the pandemic in and outside the United States.
A major change the 2022 law brought was allowing police to hand out fines and make arrests based solely on video evidence of stunt driving, drag racing and street takeovers. Florida law already prohibited the behavior, but statutes at the time required police to be on the scene to enforce the law.
But while the ability to enforce the law was broadened, the penalties for breaking the law did not prove to be strong enough deterrents, according to Apopka Republican Rep. Doug Bankson, who sponsored a House version of this year’s legislation with Jacksonville Republican Rep. Kiyan Michael.
“The problem is that life does not allow a do-over with a simple push of a button (like in a video game),” he said. “These events are killing kids and endangering bystanders, damaging property and creating public nuisance … and it’s time to act.”
Under the coming changes, people who merely watch the event in person will face a $500 fine, up from $65 now.
That detail concerned Tampa Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart, who voted “no” on SB 1764 alongside St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner. Hart explained that while the measure will likely tamp down on risky roadway antics, it may inadvertently ensnare innocent passersby.
“I could by riding my bike and this is happening, the police come up (and) now all of a sudden I’m caught up as somebody who’s watching what’s happening,” she said. “We’re really reacting kind of knee-jerk, and we’re going to be penalizing some folk who may not have really been a part of this street takeover.”
SB 1764 goes into effect July 1.
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