The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic
Development
BILL: PCS/SB 862 (147652)
INTRODUCER: Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development;
and Senator Gruters
SUBJECT: Digital License Plate Pilot Program
DATE: April 9, 2021 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Proctor Vickers TR Favorable
2. Wells Hrdlicka ATD Recommend: Fav/CS
3. AP
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
PCS/SB 862 creates the Digital License Plate Pilot Program within the Department of Highway
Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). The new program authorizes the DHSMV to contract
with digital license plate providers and specifies requirements for digital license plates and
digital license plate providers. The previous authorization for a pilot program to evaluate the
designs, concepts, and technologies for alternative license plates is repealed.
Beginning July 1, 2022, any motor vehicle registered under ch. 320, F.S., must be allowed to be
equipped with a digital license in lieu of a physical license plate.
The bill may have an indeterminate, likely insignificant, negative fiscal impact to the DHSMV.
See Section V. Fiscal Impact Statement.
The bill takes effect upon becoming a law.
BILL: PCS/SB 862 (147652) Page 2
II. Present Situation:
All vehicles required to be licensed in Florida generally must display a license plate assigned to
the it on the rear of the vehicle. No license plates other than those furnished by the state may be
used.1
The DHSMV administers the issuance of motor vehicle license plates as a part of the tag and
registration requirements specified in ch. 320, F.S. License plates are issued for a 10-year period
and are replaced upon renewal at the end of the 10-year period. The license plate fee for both an
original issuance and replacement is $28.00, which is deposited in the Highway Safety Operating
Trust Fund.2 An advance replacement fee of $2.80 is applied to the annual vehicle registration
and is credited towards the next replacement; the fee is deposited in the Highway Safety
Operating Trust Fund.3
Current state law provides for several types of license plates. In addition to plates issued for
governmental or business purposes, the DHSMV offers four basic types of plates to the general
public:
Standard Plates: The standard license plate currently comes in three configurations: the
county name designation, the state motto designation, or the state slogan designation.
Specialty License Plates:4 Specialty license plates generate revenue for various colleges,
universities, charities, causes, and civic organizations.
Personalized Prestige License Plates:5 Personalized license plates allow motorists to define
the alpha numeric design (up to seven characters) on a standard plate that must be approved
by the DHSMV.
Special Use License Plates: Certain members of the general public may be eligible to apply
for special use license plates if they are able to document their eligibility pursuant to various
sections of ch. 320, F.S. This category of plates primarily includes special military license
plates as well as plates for the handicapped. Examples include the Purple Heart, National
Guard, United States Armed Forces, Pearl Harbor, and Iraqi Freedom plates.
Most license plates are equipped with validation stickers that reflect the period of valid
registration, which expire on midnight on the last day of the registration period and are issued
upon payment of the proper license tax amount and fees.6 Current state law provides that license
plates must be made of metal specially treated with a retro-reflection material and must have a
specified design that increases nighttime visibility and legibility.7
Digital License Plates
“Aside from the expected changes from a metal plate to a digital screen (including the digital
screen, circuitry, a power source, and a housing), the Digital License Plate includes mobile
1
Section 316.605(1), F.S.
2
Sections 320.06 and 320.0607, F.S.
3
Section 320.06(1)(b)1., F.S.
4
Section 320.08058, F.S.
5
Section 320.0805, F.S.
6
Section 320.06(1)(b) and (c), F.S.
7
Section 320.06(3)(a), F.S.
BILL: PCS/SB 862 (147652) Page 3
phone technology for over the-air updates, Global Positioning System (GPS), and accelerometers
to read when the vehicle is in motion.” The mounting bracket typically uses specially shaped
“security screws” to prevent unauthorized removal of the plate. If the plate is removed from the
bracket, the plate is programmed to display a blank screen.8
ReviverMX, Inc. (Reviver) appears to currently be the only manufacturer of a digital license
plate product. Currently, two states allow digital license plates for use by the public, California
and Arizona.9 The digital license plates are purchased from the manufacturer and are not
available through the states’ agencies.10
ReviverMX, Inc.
Reviver is the developer of a platform that integrates a digital license plate and a smart phone
app. The company sells two types of digital license plates: the Rplate and the Rplate Pro. Both
are legal for sale in California and Arizona.11 Approximatively 4,000 vehicles are equipped with
Rplates in California and Arizona.12 It is expected that Michigan, Texas, and Georgia are
preparing to start pilot programs.13
According to Reviver by making the license plate a digital screen, Rplate allows people to
display their own state-approved messages. It can also display warnings that the car has been
stolen or show an Amber or Silver Alert, if a state decides to allow that functionality. Reviver
also allows Rplate users to pay their registration fees through Reviver.14
According to Neville Boston, founder of Reviver, the Rplates have the functionality to be used
by some businesses as mini-billboards to advertise their products or services and to provide
public service messages, such as street closure notifications or to show an ad for a city service.
However, the Rplate will be able to do so only when the vehicle comes to a stop for four seconds
or longer. The license plate number will still appear on the screen when messages appear, but it
will be smaller and in the upper right corner of the screen.15, 16
8
California Department of Motor Vehicles, Report on Alternative Registration Products Pilot Program, at 9-10,
August 2019, https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/04/AlternativeRegistrationProducts.pdf (last visited
April 3, 2021).
9
Sebastian Blanco, Digital License Plates Coming to Michigan in 2021 after Debut in California, Car and Driver, November
28, 2020, https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a34748524/digital-license-plates-coming-2021/(last visited April 3, 2021).
10
Arizona Department of Transportation, Digital License Plate Program, https://azdot.gov/motor-vehicles/vehicle-
services/plates-and-placards/digital-license-plate-program (last visited April 3, 2021).
11
Reviver, Reviver Announces Florida Has Filed Legislation Authorizing its Digital License Plates, PR News Wire,
February 9, 2021, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reviverannounces-florida-has-filed-legislation-authorizing-its-
digital-license-plates-301224838.html (last visited April 3, 2021).
12
Sebastian Blanco, Digital License Plates Coming to Michigan in 2021 after Debut in California .
13
DHSMV, 2021 Agency Legislative Bill Analysis SB 862, p. 3, March 5, 2021 (on file with the Senate Committee on
Transportation).
14
Ibid.
15
Tony Bizjak, California debuts ‘digital’ license plates. Here’s what they’ll cost you., Sacbee, May 28, 2018,
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/back-seat-driver/article211828814.html (last visited April 3, 2021).
16
California Senate, Senate Rules Committee, SB 806 Senate Floor Analysis, p. 4, September 3, 2013,
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB806 (last visited April 3, 2021).
BILL: PCS/SB 862 (147652) Page 4
Rplate installers do not have access to retrieve information from the application and can only
input the vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle and serial number of the individual
Rplate unit. “The Rconnect application is protected by encryption and standard password
authentication for both participants and installers.”17 “Aside from the hardware components
related to the physical display of an image, the main technological feature of the Rplate…is that
it uses mobile phone technology. When the digital license plate is installed on the mounting
bracket, the Rplate…sends a mobile phone signal to [Reviver] to update the digital license plate
with the license number assigned by the [state].”18 This capability would allow a mobile service
provider to triangulate where a vehicle is located, like with any mobile phones, but Reviver
would not be able to the same.19
Purchasers of the Reviver Rplates incur two costs; the price of the screen itself and the
subscription connection service fee. The basic Reviver Rplate is powered by a five year battery
and is $499 plus $55 per year, or $17.95 per month with a 36 month agreement; the Reviver
Rplate Pro is $599 plus $75 per year, or $24.95 per month with a 36 month agreement. The
Reviver Rplate Pro is wired to a vehicle’s power source and provides additional options such as
telematics through its built in GPS system.20
California
In 2013, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was authorized to establish a pilot
program to assess and review the use of alternative products for vehicle registration currently
issued by the DMV (license plates, stickers, tabs, and registration cards). The purpose of the pilot
was to allow the DMV to examine the functionality of alternatives to standard registration
products and to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of implementation. In 2015, the
DMV awarded and executed a non-competitive bid contract with Reviver for a digital license
plate pilot program.21
The implementation of Rplate through the digital license plate pilot program also included a
digital license plate mobile application, Rconnect. Rconnect was designed to provide automated
services to digital license plate customers, including billing, and to provide access to vehicle
telematics, if available. Telematics is a process of using GPS and other measurements to produce
intelligence on where the vehicle is and where it has been, the vehicle’s speed when driving,
driving habits, and other measurements regarding a vehicle’s operation. As required by
California law, the DMV collected no information regarding the current location or movement of
vehicles with digital license plates.22
The digital license plate uses existing information technology connections with the DMV
through the state’s system to enable digital license plate installers in dealers and shops to
associate the VIN with the serial number of the Rplate unit. By doing so, the VIN and serial
17
California Department of Motor Vehicles, Report on Alternative Registration Products Pilot Program, at p. 11.
18
Ibid.
19
Ibid at p. 12.
20
Reviver, Shop, https://www.reviver.com/shop/ (last visited April 4, 2021).
21
California Department of Motor Vehicles, Report on Alternative Registration Products Pilot Program.
22
Ibid at p. 11.
BILL: PCS/SB 862 (147652) Page 5
number transmitted by Rconnect would allow for a search of the DMV records to display the
correct license plate number on the digital license plate.23
The California pilot program became operational in December 2015, with five vehicles. In 2017,
the pilot program grew to approximately 85 vehicles. In 2018, participation increased to
approximately 1,400 vehicles. The pilot program was projected by California to conclude in
July 2020 with participation of approximately 1,500 vehicles.24
Arizona
While drivers in Arizona can now purchase a digital license plate for their vehicles, the state first
conducted a pilot program beginning in early 2017. The Arizona Department of Transportation
(ADOT) worked with Reviver to administer the pilot to test the functionality, durability, and
viability of digital license plates in Arizona’s areas with extreme high and low temperatures and
to test the ability to operate in areas with low/no cellular connectivity. Arizona’s pilot was
limited to 10 ADOT-owned vehicles throughout the state. The ADOT selected vehicles with
higher monthly mileage to ensure that plate display devices were adequately exposed to the
elements.25
During this pilot project, the ADOT collaborated with the Arizona Department of Public Safety,
which performed readability and functionality testing. The pilot found digital license plates:
Readable from a distance of 100 feet during daylight;
Readable at night;
Do not have glare that cause the plates to be difficult to read;
Continue to operate when disconnected from the power source; and
Maintain functionality and readability in extreme temperatures.26
As of January 2019, the digital license plate program was fully authorized and made available to
the public for use as an alternative registration product. Reviver communicates with the ADOT’s
database through a web service, where the company transmits a specific set of information.
Based on that submitted information, the database authenticates whether the customer has valid
registration and allows Reviver to indicate that verified owners have a digital license plate. The
statewide adoption of the product was at no cost to the state.27
Florida
In 2012, the DHSMV was authorized to implement a pilot program to evaluate designs,
concepts, and technologies for alternative license plates. If the DHSMV implemented a pilot
program, the purpose would be to investigate the feasibility and use of alternative license plate
technologies and the long-term cost impact to the consumer. The pilot would be limited to
license plates used on government-owned motor vehicles. While the DHSMV has researched and
studied alternative license plates, it has not implemented a pilot program at this time. This was
23
Id.
24
Ibid. at p. 1.
25
Ibid. at p. 14.
26
Ibid. at p. 15.
27
Id.
BILL: PCS/SB 862 (147652) Page 6
due, in part, to a lack of available and proven technology and the significant cost to purchase a
digital license plate.28
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
Section 1 repeals s. 320.06(5), F.S., related to the current authority of the DHSMV to conduct a
pilot program to evaluate the designs, concepts, and technologies for alternative license plates.
Section 2 amends s. 320.07, F.S., to provide that an owner of a digital license plate is not subject
to the penalties for failure to display a validation sticker if the vehicle was operated in
compliance with ch. 320, F.S., and any rules adopted by the DHSMV governing the placement of
digital license plates and registration renewal.
Section 3 creates s. 320.08069, F.S., to create a Digital License Plate Pilot Program within the
DHSMV. The purpose of the program is to evaluate the design, concepts, and technologies
available for digital license plates and to determine the feasibility of digital license plates. The
DHSMV is allowed to contract with one or more digital license plate providers29 for the issuance
of digital license plates, including any services related to the issuance of digital license plates.
Beginning July 1, 2021, the DHSMV must administer the program and limit it to installation and
use of digital license plates on government-owned motor vehicles as described in s. 320.0655,
F.S. These vehicles include any motor vehicle owned or exclusively operated by the state or