• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Tougher Texting-While-Driving Law Passes House Overwhelmingly But Stalls In Senate

March 1, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

She just got word that the Florida Senate is not going along. (Jim Sheaffer)
She just got word that the Florida Senate is not going along. (Jim Sheaffer)

The Florida House approved a measure 112-2 Thursday that would allow law-enforcement officers to pull over people for texting while driving, but the brakes have been applied in the Senate.


Senate sponsor Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, said Wednesday he continues to push for the measure (SB 90), though Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley has indicated the proposal likely won’t appear in the Appropriations Committee before the legislative session ends next week.

“All I can do is push as hard as I can on getting stuff done,” Perry said.

Perry said “legitimate” concerns have been expressed by Bradley and others that the bill could potentially be abused, but those negatives shouldn’t outweigh the intent, which is to reduce distracted driving and crashes.

The House proposal (HB 33), would make texting while driving a “primary” traffic offense, allowing officers to pull over motorists for texting, a measure Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly has been pushing for. It is currently a “secondary” offense, which means police can only write tickets for texting while driving when they stop motorists for other reasons, such as speeding.

The bill would allow motorists to make phone calls on electronic devices. Also, the devices could be used for such things as getting directions.

The idea of making texting while driving a primary offense has been around for years. But it gained momentum during this year’s legislative session when House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, came out in support. Gov. Rick Scott has also voiced opposition to texting and driving.

Some lawmakers, however, have raised concerns that the bill could increase the chances that minorities will be racially profiled.

Rep. Al Jacquet, D-Lantana, asked House sponsors Wednesday if they have they considered “unintended consequences.”

“This particular bill that you are running, giving officers another reason to pull folks over, regardless of whether they actually committed a current traffic infraction — as far as failing to maintain a lane, speeding, running a red light, their tag is correct — this gives them another reason to pull people over,” Jacquet said.

To try to address concerns about racial profiling, the House and Senate versions would require law-enforcement officers to record the race and ethnicity of each person pulled over for texting while driving.

Rep. Jackie Toledo, a Tampa Republican who is a primary sponsor, said recording the information is intended to allow people to track if racial profiling is occurring.

“If that problem does occur, it depends upon whether it’s isolated to one city or county, and then we’ll talk to that sheriff or police chief and get that problem rectified,” Toledo said. “But texting and driving doesn’t discriminate. Everyone does it.”

Toledo added that law-enforcement officers will be trained to discern if motorists are texting or using cell phones or other handheld device for such things as phone calls.

“We’ve spoken extensively with law enforcement,” added co-sponsor Emily Slosberg, D-Boca Raton. “There is a big difference between a driver who makes a few clicks on a phone or dials a few numbers than going down the road with a cellphone in their hands, typing a novel, not looking anywhere at the road, but right down at their phone.”

–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dave says

    March 1, 2018 at 9:53 pm

    Get this passed and hurry, i see more and more distracted drivers on our roads every day, not to mention the ones killed in palm coast due to these texting and driving criminals, also smoking in the car with children should be made illegal like it is in other states, thats child abuse

    Reply
  2. Richard says

    March 2, 2018 at 7:36 am

    Get er done!

    Reply
  3. Daphne says

    March 3, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    Need to pass a hands free Law. Far too many accidents due to futzing with these mobile devices!

    Reply
  4. capt says

    March 5, 2018 at 11:12 am

    Come on Senate pass it. I got hit a few weeks ago by a kid driving while texting as he informed the police. He told the police, he was texting his mother to find out what she wanted at the store and ran right into the back of me at a stop light.

    Reply
  5. Fernando Melendez says

    March 6, 2018 at 6:17 am

    I agree with this bill being passed, as far as racial profiling is concerned, I think it’s just another excuse, we have to look at the broader picture and see what the bill is intended to do which is to save lives.

    Reply
  6. Moderiamia says

    March 6, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    Because it was a classic example of why the majority of those in the black community will never get ahead, you moron. It had nothing to do with texting. Good grief. These two women were breaking the law in two ways (speeding and texting), proving that they have a reckless disregard for the law. But if they got pulled over by a white cop they would have screamed “Racism, and you know it. Well, unless they screamed “Misogynist! But thanks for your pissy note accusing me of being a racist when you know absolutely nothing about meincluding my race. LMAO You”re just another knee-jerk, liberal suffering from white guilt. Get over it and learn to see things for what they are, not what you want them to be.

    Reply
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • FlaglerLive on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Brian on Palm Coast’s Darryl Boyer, Running for Renner’s Seat, Appears on Fox & Friends to Talk Trump/DeSantis
  • Deborah Coffey on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Deborah Coffey on Upside of Unrequited Survives Book Ban at FPC, But 57% of Challenged Titles Were Removed From Flagler Schools This Year
  • Looking for truth on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Laurel on Upside of Unrequited Survives Book Ban at FPC, But 57% of Challenged Titles Were Removed From Flagler Schools This Year
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Laurel on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • John on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Laurel on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Laurel on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Mary Fusco on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Wesley on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • HayRide on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation

Log in