Sen. Ingoglia bill hiking penalties for driving without valid license passes committee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Senate legislation increasing the penalty for driving without a valid driver’s license passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice Tuesday.

SB 1324 was sponsored by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill. The House version of the bill, HB 1589, was introduced by Rep. Rachel Plakon, R-Lake Mary.

Ingoglia explained during the panel that the proposal increases the penalty for a third time offense of driving without the ownership of a driver’s license from a misdemeanor to a misdemeanor in the first degree with a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail.

Several members of the committee questioned the sponsor, clarifying the language of the bill to be certain that it did not apply to people who didn’t have their license with them at a given time.

Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, who explained he would vote down on the bill, asked what problems the legislation was attempting to fix.

“We’ve seen multiple instances of people entering the state of Florida, whether they are legal residents, if they are here illegally, and driving without ever having a license,” Ingoglia said.

Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, thanked Ingoglia for bringing forth the legislation during the meeting, but was concerned that it didn’t go far enough when it came to punishing illegal immigrants more than legal Floridians.

Ingoglia said that he would be happy to bolster the language in the bill in response to Martin’s concerns.

Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor, also spoke in favor of the bill, highlighting how it applies to anyone without a valid drivers license, not just illegal immigrants.

“It doesn’t say ‘illegal immigrant,’ it doesn’t say ‘here legally or illegally,’ it says you’re driving without a valid drivers license,” he said.

A representative from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida spoke against the bill during public testimony, arguing that current Florida law already “forces” undocumented immigrants to drive without a license.

“This bill only harms our state by regulating freedom of movement, making roads less safe and instilling more fear in undocumented people who are trying to navigate everyday life in Florida,” she said.

The Senate bill has one more stop in the Fiscal Policy Committee before it can be considered on the chamber’s floor.