Florida legislative update
Two items of note this week:
- SB 332, aka Vulnerable Users bill, was before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee today. It passed the committee unopposed.
- SB 7062, aka Speciality License Plates, is not scheduled this week. We are waiting to hear when it will be on the agenda for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development
While we wait for SB 7062 to be scheduled for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, we have time and opportunity to contact the members of this committee to ask that SB 7062 amendment 702386 – Share the Road license plate – be dropped, opposed or otherwise withdrawn. Basically speaking, the request is to leave the Share the Road license plate allocations as is.
Here is a sample letter you may wish to use in an email to the senators:
To: Florida Senators Latvala, Brandes, Clemens, Gibson, Detert, Diaz de la Portilla, Sachs and Thomson
Subject: Allocation of Florida Share The Road License Plate Proceeds
Dear Senator:
I am a Florida citizen who is actively involved in bike safety education efforts at the local level in my community. Florida has a very high rate of crashes and deaths involving bicycles and motor vehicles. We have a huge educational challenge with both cyclists and motorists on ways to fix this problem.
As a member of Florida Bicycle Association (FBA), I know firsthand the importance of what FBA and Bike Florida bring to the table and the great things that are being done collectively with the Share the Road proceeds.
Both of these organizations do excellent work and cyclists rely on them for resources and bicycle education outreach. Bike Florida and Florida Bicycle Association need each other and the state of Florida needs them both.
As you consider the pending legislation on the allocation of funds from the Share The Road license plate program, I urge you to make no changes in the current system. It is important that you continue to provide this funding support to both Florida Bicycle Association and Bike Florida. Cutting off this important funding from either of these organizations would be harmful to the cause of bike safety education in Florida.
Thanks for your attention to this important matter.
Name
Address
City
Optional: FBA member since or Share the Road plate # (or both)
Here are the members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development:
Chair: Senator Latvala – Pinellas County/Clearwater –https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s20
Senator Brandes – Pinellas County/St. Pete – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s22
Vice Chair: Senator Clemens – Lake Worth – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s27
Senator Gibson – Jacksonville – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s9
Senator Detert – Venice – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s28
Senator Diaz de la Portilla – Miami – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s40
Senator Sachs – Delray – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s34
Senator Thompson – Orlando – https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s12
Please contact these senators or your own senator and reference this bill/amendment. Please ask everyone you know to help us, especially if they are a constituent to any of the senators – please ask them to send an email on behalf of Florida Bicycle Association.
The links provided will take you to the senator’s web site and there are places on these websites where you can contact / email the senator. It may take a little time, but the effort may help FBA keep valuable funding.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board, thank you for your support of the Florida Bicycle Association. We continue with our Mission and Vision for Florida cycling.
