Jesse Scheckner
A bill meant to further deter dangerous car racing, stunt driving and street takeovers that are growing increasingly problematic in Florida sped through its first Senate stop — after its sponsor softened some of its impacts.
The Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously to advance the measure (SB 1764) as amended, though some members questioned the efficacy of reducing its monetary and material penalties.
Miami Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo, the bill’s sponsor, explained that he’d requested the changes largely so the measure’s language conformed with its House companion (HB 1363), which is one committee shy of a floor vote.
He said that while the amended bill set lower fines, an added license suspension provision should catch the attention of 16- to 29-year-olds, who are most likely to participate in such reckless behavior.
“By this afternoon, if you guys vote favorably on this bill, this bill will be all over Instagram, and word will get out that you can no longer get together on WhatsApp or Instagram or Snapchat or (Discord and arrange to) do this anymore,” he said.
“They’re not going to be deterred by the monetary effect. Very often they’re using stolen vehicles, so they’re not really concerned about seizure or forfeiture. But … the subsequent conviction will result in the revocation of the driver’s license.”
SB 1764 updates laws the Legislature established in 2022 allowing police to hand out fines and make arrests based on video evidence of stunt driving and drag racing. Pizzo and former Republican Rep. Anthony Rodriguez, who is now a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, sponsored the authorizing legislation.
The bill, as it advanced Tuesday, would raise the fine for coordinating or participating in an illegal stunt driving, drag racing or street takeover event to up to $2,000 for a first offense.
Violators would also lose their licenses for one year.
Repeat violations would carry sharper penalties. A second offense within a year of the first offense that resulted in a conviction would be a third-degree felony, up from a first-degree misdemeanor in current law, punishable by up to five years in prison, up to $4,000 in fines and a two-year license suspension.
A third offense within five years could be charged as a second-degree felony, which carries an up to 15-year punishment, up to $7,500 in fines and a four-year license revocation.
Those who merely watch the event in person would face an up to $500 fine, up from $65 previously.
The measure also makes it a third-degree felony for a person involved in a street takeover to knowingly impede, obstruct or interfere with the movement of an emergency vehicle. Anyone convicted twice of doing so would face third-degree felony charges. A third offense within five years could be charged as a second-degree felony.
To comport with the House bill, Pizzo’s amendment shortened the timeframe within which second offenses carry harsher penalties from five years of the first violation to one year.
“Time travels a lot faster for these kids,” he said.
It also provides a definition in state statutes for a “coordinated street takeover” to mean 10 or more vehicles operated in an organized manner to effect a street takeover. Pizzo said there are often hundreds of vehicles involved in these events.
Police, especially in South Florida, responded to a flood of street takeovers last year of which footage spread virally on social media. Between 2018 and 2022, law enforcement officers issued 6,641 citations for street racing and stunt driving, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Nearly 28% of them were in Miami-Dade. The median age of offenders was 21.
SB 1764 is to next go before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, after which it has one more stop before reaching a floor vote.
HB 449, sponsored by Apopka Republican Rep. Doug Bankson and Jacksonville Republican Rep. Kiyan Michael, awaits a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee before doing the same.
