318.143  Sanctions for infractions by minors.--

(1)  If the court finds that a minor has committed a violation of any of the provisions of chapter 316, the court may also impose one or more of the following sanctions:

(a)  The court may reprimand or counsel the minor and his or her parents or guardian.

(b)  The court may require the minor to attend, for a reasonable period, a traffic school conducted by a public authority.

(c)  The court may order the minor to remit to the general fund of the local governmental body a sum not exceeding the maximum fine applicable to an adult for a like offense.

(d)  The court may order the minor to participate in public service or a community work project for a minimum number of hours. A minor who participates in such a work program is considered an employee of the state for the purposes of chapter 440.

(e)  The court may impose a curfew or other restriction on the liberty of the minor for a period not to exceed 6 months.

(f)  The court may require the minor and his or her parents or guardians to participate in a registered youthful driver monitoring service as described in s. 318.1435.

(2)  Failure to comply with one or more of the sanctions imposed by the court constitutes contempt of court. Upon a finding by the court, after notice and a hearing, that a minor is in contempt of court for failure to comply with court-ordered sanctions, the court may:

(a)  For a first offense, order the minor to serve up to 5 days in a staff-secure shelter as defined in chapter 984 or chapter 985 or, if space in a staff-secure shelter is unavailable, in a secure juvenile detention center.

(b)  For a second or subsequent offense, the court may order a minor to serve up to 15 days in a staff-secure shelter or, if space in a staff-secure shelter is unavailable, in a secure juvenile detention center.

(3)  Except for a conviction of a violation of s. 316.027, a minor may not be imprisoned in an adult detention facility. If a minor is imprisoned for a violation of s. 316.027, the minor may not be placed in the same cell as an adult. The receiving facility must have adequate staff to supervise and monitor the minor's activities at all times. This subsection does not prohibit placing two or more minors in the same cell.

(4)  For the first conviction for a violation of s. 316.193, the court may order the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to revoke the minor's driver's license until the minor is 18 years of age. For a second or subsequent conviction for such a violation, the court may order the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to revoke the minor's driver's license until the minor is 21 years of age.

(5)  A minor who is arrested for a violation of s. 316.193 may be released from custody as soon as:

(a)  The minor is no longer under the influence of alcoholic beverages, of any chemical substance set forth in s. 877.111, or of any substance controlled under chapter 893, and is not affected to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired;

(b)  The minor's blood-alcohol level is less than 0.05 percent; or

(c)  Six hours have elapsed after the minor's arrest.

History.--s. 45, ch. 96-350; s. 28, ch. 98-280; s. 21, ch. 2006-290.

318.1435  Youthful driver monitoring services.--

(1)  As used in this section, the term "youthful driver monitoring service" means an entity that enables parents or guardians to monitor the driving performance of their minor children. The service may provide monitoring by posting on a vehicle a placard that shows a toll-free telephone number and a unique identifying number and includes a request to members of the public to call the toll-free telephone number to report inappropriate driving practices. The service shall enter into a contract with the parents or guardians under which the service shall timely forward to the parents or guardians all reports of inappropriate driving practices by the minor child.

(2)  A youthful driver monitoring service may register with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The registration must consist of a narrative description of the services offered by the youthful driver monitoring service, the name of the manager in charge of the service, the address of the service, and the telephone number of the service. Registration under this subsection remains valid indefinitely, but it is the responsibility of the youthful driver monitoring service to timely file a revised registration statement to reflect any changes in the required information. If the department determines that the youthful driver monitoring service is not providing the services described in the narrative statement, the department may suspend the registration; however, the department must reinstate the registration when the service files a revised statement that reflects its actual practices.

History.--s. 22, ch. 2006-290.

318.1451  Driver improvement schools.--

(1)(a)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall approve the courses of all driver improvement schools, as the courses relate to ss. 318.14(9), 322.0261, and 322.291. The chief judge of the applicable judicial circuit may establish requirements regarding the location of schools within the judicial circuit. A person may engage in the business of operating a driver improvement school that offers department-approved courses related to ss. 318.14(9), 322.0261, and 322.291.

(b)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall approve and regulate courses that use technology as the delivery method of all driver improvement schools as the courses relate to ss. 318.14(9) and 322.0261.

(2)(a)  In determining whether to approve the courses referenced in this section, the department shall consider course content designed to promote safety, driver awareness, crash avoidance techniques, and other factors or criteria to improve driver performance from a safety viewpoint.

(b)  In determining whether to approve courses of driver improvement schools that use technology as the delivery method as the courses relate to ss. 318.14(9) and 322.0261, the department shall consider only those courses submitted by a person, business, or entity which have approval for statewide delivery.

(3)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall suspend accepting proof of attendance of courses from persons who attend those schools that do not teach an approved course. In those circumstances, a person who has elected to take courses from such a school shall receive a refund from the school, and the person shall have the opportunity to take the course at another school.

(4)  In addition to a regular course fee, an assessment fee in the amount of $2.50 shall be collected by the school from each person who elects to attend a course, as it relates to ss. 318.14(9), 322.0261, 322.291, and 627.06501, which shall be remitted to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and deposited in the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund to administer this program and to fund the general operations of the department.

(5)(a)  The department is authorized to maintain the information and records necessary to administer its duties and responsibilities for driver improvement courses. Where such information is a public record as defined in chapter 119, it shall be made available to the public upon request pursuant to s. 119.07(1).

(b)  The department or court may prepare a traffic school reference guide which lists the benefits of attending a driver improvement school and contains the names of the fully approved course providers with a single telephone number for each provider as furnished by the provider.

History.--ss. 2, 6, ch. 91-200; ss. 2, 5, ch. 92-195; s. 61, ch. 93-120; s. 37, ch. 94-306; s. 3, ch. 95-326; s. 2, ch. 97-178; s. 14, ch. 99-5; s. 6, ch. 99-234; ss. 78, 250, ch. 99-248; s. 19, ch. 2000-313; s. 5, ch. 2002-235.

318.15  Failure to comply with civil penalty or to appear; penalty.--

(1)(a)  If a person fails to comply with the civil penalties provided in s. 318.18 within the time period specified in s. 318.14(4), fails to attend driver improvement school, or fails to appear at a scheduled hearing, the clerk of the court shall notify the Division of Driver Licenses of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles of such failure within 10 days after such failure. Upon receipt of such notice, the department shall immediately issue an order suspending the driver's license and privilege to drive of such person effective 20 days after the date the order of suspension is mailed in accordance with s. 322.251(1), (2), and (6). Any such suspension of the driving privilege which has not been reinstated, including a similar suspension imposed outside Florida, shall remain on the records of the department for a period of 7 years from the date imposed and shall be removed from the records after the expiration of 7 years from the date it is imposed.

(b)  However, a person who elects to attend driver improvement school and has paid the civil penalty as provided in s. 318.14(9), but who subsequently fails to attend the driver improvement school within the time specified by the court shall be deemed to have admitted the infraction and shall be adjudicated guilty. In such case the person must pay the clerk of the court the 18 percent deducted pursuant to s. 318.14(9), and a processing fee of up to $15, after which no additional penalties, court costs, or surcharges shall be imposed for the violation. The clerk of the court shall notify the department of the person's failure to attend driver improvement school and points shall be assessed pursuant to s. 322.27.

(2)  After suspension of the driver's license and privilege to drive of a person under subsection (1), the license and privilege may not be reinstated until the person complies with all obligations and penalties imposed on him or her under s. 318.18 and presents to a driver license office a certificate of compliance issued by the court, together with a nonrefundable service charge of up to $47.50 imposed under s. 322.29, or presents a certificate of compliance and pays the aforementioned service charge of up to $47.50 to the clerk of the court or a driver licensing agent authorized in s. 322.135 clearing such suspension. Of the charge collected by the clerk of the court or driver licensing agent, $10 shall be remitted to the Department of Revenue to be deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund. Such person shall also be in compliance with requirements of chapter 322 prior to reinstatement.

History.--s. 1, ch. 74-377; s. 1, ch. 80-262; s. 6, ch. 86-154; s. 333, ch. 95-148; s. 9, ch. 96-413; s. 50, ch. 97-300; s. 8, ch. 99-248; s. 98, ch. 2003-402; s. 1, ch. 2003-410; s. 59, ch. 2004-265; s. 23, ch. 2006-290; s. 6, ch. 2006-296.

318.16  Appeals; stay orders; procedures.--

(1)  If a person is found to have committed an infraction by the hearing official, he or she may appeal that finding to the circuit court. An appeal under this subsection shall not operate to stay the reporting requirements of s. 318.14(7) or to stay appropriate action by the department upon receipt of that report.

(2)  The circuit court, upon application by the appellant, may:

(a)  Order a stay of any action by the department during pendency of the appeal, but not to exceed a period of 60 days. A copy of the order shall be forwarded to the department.

(b)  Deny the application.

History.--s. 1, ch. 74-377; s. 334, ch. 95-148.

318.17  Offenses excepted.--No provision of this chapter is available to a person who is charged with any of the following offenses:

(1)  Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, in violation of s. 316.1935;

(2)  Leaving the scene of a crash, in violation of ss. 316.027 and 316.061;

(3)  Driving, or being in actual physical control of, any vehicle while under the influence of alcoholic beverages, any chemical substance set forth in s. 877.111, or any substance controlled under chapter 893, in violation of s. 316.193, or driving with an unlawful blood-alcohol level;

(4)  Reckless driving, in violation of s. 316.192;

(5)  Making false crash reports, in violation of s. 316.067;

(6)  Willfully failing or refusing to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer or member of the fire department, in violation of s. 316.072(3);

(7)  Obstructing an officer, in violation of s. 316.545(1); or

(8)  Any other offense in chapter 316 which is classified as a criminal violation.

History.--s. 1, ch. 74-377; s. 37, ch. 76-31; s. 4, ch. 77-456; s. 7, ch. 82-155; s. 4, ch. 83-187; s. 4, ch. 85-87; s. 20, ch. 86-296; s. 46, ch. 96-350; s. 251, ch. 99-248; s. 3, ch. 2004-388.