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Committing a misdemeanor in Fla as of Oct 1, 2025

You are reading into what is actually written. The only time the license plate is "Angularly Challenged" or moved down from view is during a fill up. All of those definitions pertained to when the vehicle was in motion and having the plate obscured or hidden. The plate in not being operated during a fill up. I would anticipate the law being amended early on or even before it is enacted to include this situation being excluded to make it clearer.
 
69Bee said:
You are reading into what is actually written. The only time the license plate is "Angularly Challenged" or moved down from view is during a fill up. All of those definitions pertained to when the vehicle was in motion and having the plate obscured or hidden. The plate in not being operated during a fill up. I would anticipate the law being amended early on or even before it is enacted to include this situation being excluded to make it clearer.
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Exactly. Only criminals hide their plates for nefarious reasons. It has NOTHING to do if the plate can be moved to access a gas cap it has everything to do with altering it so it can't be read. Last I checked no one is filling up driving down the highway. The Turn Pike here in Pa. is owed Millions in tolls as they automated the booths and no longer have Humans collecting funds and observing at the booths so now people hide their plates when traveling on it.
 
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Tools for LEO’s. A good thing. Enforcement is something else. In San Jose, cars run 55 in a 35 ALL THE TIME and I count a dozen expired plate stickers on every outing to the Doctor or CVS.
In Florida, lots of the cripple carts mounted on a rear rack obscure the plate. For cryin out loud, don’t put my tag on the web!

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A friend had his storage unit burglarized and was hopeful because it was all on video. The cops couldn't do anything because the license plates were stolen out of Colorado..
 
69Bee said:
You are reading into what is actually written. The only time the license plate is "Angularly Challenged" or moved down from view is during a fill up. All of those definitions pertained to when the vehicle was in motion and having the plate obscured or hidden. The plate in not being operated during a fill up. I would anticipate the law being amended early on or even before it is enacted to include this situation being excluded to make it clearer.
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The law lists no exemptions or conditions that allow movement of the tag. The way it is written is the way its enforced. The plate must be 'operated' to transfer gas. Nowhere does it say ANYTHING about being in motion. Should be better written of course.
Regardless until then, "you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride", nor the towing, nor the impound, nor the bond, nor the legal fees, nor the record.
 
j-c-c-62 said:
All you guys hiding your gas cap behind your flip down tag will soon be criminals:

The law lists no exemptions or conditions that allow movement of the tag. The way it is written is the way its enforced. The plate must be 'operated' to transfer gas. Nowhere does it say ANYTHING about being in motion. Should be better written of course.
Regardless until then, "you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride", nor the towing, nor the impound, nor the bond, nor the legal fees, nor the record.
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So, what you're saying is, when you pull into a gas station, a cop will be watching you to cite you as soon as you pull up the plate holder to re-fuel. Subsequently, simply for said infraction, your car will be towed & impounded.
 
"So, what you're saying is, when you pull into a gas station In Florida, a cop might be watching you could cite you as soon as you pull up the plate holder to re-fuel. Subsequently, simply for said infraction, your car will be towed & impounded."

Among other things, absolutely, and he would claim he is simply following the law, being that you are in a public space, and the cameras at the gas station and others are now knowingly obstructed from viewing your tag.
I don't write the laws.
 
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And when it does, the next comment will be, "It's only one and besides, the offender deserves it, he had a bad attitude"?:luvplace:
 
j-c-c-62 said:
"So, what you're saying is, when you pull into a gas station In Florida, a cop might be watching you could cite you as soon as you pull up the plate holder to re-fuel. Subsequently, simply for said infraction, your car will be towed & impounded."

Among other things, absolutely, and he would claim he is simply following the law, being that you are in a public space, and the cameras at the gas station and others are now knowingly obstructed from viewing your tag.
I don't write the laws.
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It is possible that an overzealous cop would arrest you for folding your plate down while filling up. Depending on how the law is worded it may be justified. It shouldn't end up in court but it wouldn't be there long. It would get laughed out of court in short order.
 
toolmanmike said:
It is possible that an overzealous cop would arrest you for folding your plate down while filling up. Depending on how the law is worded it may be justified. It shouldn't end up in court but it wouldn't be there long. It would get laughed out of court in short order.
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Again:
"you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride", nor the towing, nor the impound, nor the bond, nor the legal fees, nor the record."
 
Jeff Peterson said:
Let us know when the first arrest takes place :rolleyes:
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Exactly. Meanwhile look at California and what they are ACTUALLY doing with motor vehicles and parts. Some people just like to go to extremes to have something to worry about it gives them the fake outrage they need in life...
 
Jeeez - and we have people running all over this place with temporary tags expired 6-12 months ago, tags with no current renewal, and just plain old no tags at all. The cops don’t care. Our AG puts out notice to all communities that stop light panhandlers are breaking the law passed a few years ago and the police nee$ to be picking them up. Then why are they still out at each intersection with their signs begging for change. The cops have other things to do and I doubt Florida is much different. Not going to be enforced.
 
AR67GTX said:
Jeeez - and we have people running all over this place with temporary tags expired 6-12 months ago, tags with no current renewal, and just plain old no tags at all. The cops don’t care. Our AG puts out notice to all communities that stop light panhandlers are breaking the law passed a few years ago and the police nee$ to be picking them up. Then why are they still out at each intersection with their signs begging for change. The cops have other things to do and I doubt Florida is much different. Not going to be enforced.
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Here in Pa. some of the cops have expensive computers that scan for this in real time, it READ all tags as you drive by. That said they are now cracking down on these people as it tells them color make/model and tag quickly so they can pull them over.
 
The law almost certainly applies to vehicles when being operated on public roadways. If you’re filling up at the service station, you are not operating it on a public roadway at that time. Same goes for if you’re in your driveway or apartment parking lot adding some fuel system cleaner or Stabil or whatever to your gas tank.
If for some reason I’m misinterpreting this law, which I doubt I am, and someone get a ticket while refueling, send the story to Steve Lehto, I’m sure he’ll have a field day reporting on that on his YouTube channel dedicated to tales of stupidly written or enforced laws.
 
XS22J8R said:
The law almost certainly applies to vehicles when being operated on public roadways. If you’re filling up at the service station, you are not operating it on a public roadway at that time. Same goes for if you’re in your driveway or apartment parking lot adding some fuel system cleaner or Stabil or whatever to your gas tank.
If for some reason I’m misinterpreting this law, which I doubt I am, .........
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Yes, it applies to public roadways, and anywhere else the public is allowed to transverse, including private property, and why one can get a legal running a stop citation in a Walmart parking lot, or while doing a burnout. The key criteria here is "public access", which a gas station is.
There are three sides to this discussion IMO, those that are informed, those that are clueless, willfully or otherwise, and those that fret.
There are two solutions I see for this poorly written law no matter how well intentioned, be Proactive or Reactive.
Pick one.
 
AR67GTX said:
Jeeez - and we have people running all over this place with temporary tags expired 6-12 months ago, tags with no current renewal, and just plain old no tags at all. The cops don’t care. Our AG puts out notice to all communities that stop light panhandlers are breaking the law passed a few years ago and the police nee$ to be picking them up. Then why are they still out at each intersection with their signs begging for change. The cops have other things to do and I doubt Florida is much different. Not going to be enforced.
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I agree that is highly unlikely that it would be enforced.
I mean , if a cop is going to write you a ticket for it , there is likely to be some conversation between you two. When you explain that the car was built this way back in the sixties, any sane cop would rationalize that the law will not apply to this car when it goes to court. So he would realize it would be a total waste of time . If there was only a video of it and no conversation, the video would actually help you prove your case.
Now would there be some exceptions to this….sure. There’s always the gung ho cop or the guy that gets lippy with cops.
 
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