FL HOV Decals avail. @ $5/yr

Florida DMV Website
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/titlinf.html

Florida Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle/Hybrid Vehicle List
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/dmv/94-05ILEVa.pdf

Hybrid HOV Decal Form
http://www3.hsmv.state.fl.us/Intranet/dmv/...s/BTR/83027.pdf

It might be worthwhile for Florida Prius Owners to get the Florida HOV Registration for a >single driver< to use HOV Lanes >at any hour< now.
Other states (CA, VA, etc) have capped the total numbers of Hybrid HOV Decals issued as more and more Hybrids use HOV Lanes.

South Florida Counties are extending the HOV Only Lane times from 5:00am - 10:00am and 2:00pm - 8:00pm on I-95 in some South Florida Counties.

It might be worth the $5.00/year to be able to be able to solo-drive, at any hour the Prius in FL or other States' HOV Lanes.

Total numbers of Hybrid HOV Decals can be capped at anytime in the future. It seems other states have "grandfathered in" early applicants.

(We were in the "Southern Most Prius in the US" Saturday morning, at Mile Marker Zero on US Hwy 1 in Key West, just 90 miles from Cuba.
Key West actually has numerous EV tourist rentals primarily "GEM" brand of various 2 seat, 4 seat, utility, etc. configurations.)
Happy Owners Silver 2005 Prius w/15K miles
Happy Owners Dirftwood 2005 Prius w/5K mile

 

There may be some states that indicate "Hybrid Vehicle" on the vehicle registration papers. Florida has no such designation yet.

The FL DMV list of vehicles, if you look at the *.pdf's ( Florida DMV Website http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/html/titlinf.html Florida Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle/Hybrid Vehicle List) covers more than a dozen different vehicles, including many Compressed Natural Gas vehicles that are not seen every day.

I suspect that many early Hybrid users of the HOV lanes, will be explaining on the roadside to highway patrol officers, just why they were in the HOV lanes at rush hours. It may take a while for everyone "in the trenches" to get the news.

Prius or other Hybrid vehicles are not an everyday sight in South Florida yet. We saw just one other Prius (got our first "Prius Wave" in their rear view mirror) on the Interstate over the past weekend driving 500 miles to Key West and back. We averaged 53.5 mpg for the trip, as speed limits along US Hwy 1 in the Keys are 55 mph or less.

I certainly don't want to the the first one to explain to every highway patrol officer along I-95 all about Hybrid regulations, tax breaks, mpg, etc.

Happy Owners 2005 Silver Prius w/15K miles
Happy Owners 2005 Driftwood Prius w/5K miles

 

Probs w/FL Hybrid HOV Decals?

"Heads-Up" on the FL Hybrid HOV problems.

I went to the FL vehicle registration office Tuesday afternoon with two completed FL DMV forms for the FL HOV Decals. The clerks were at a complete loss as to what to do with the forms and had to search a lengthy FL DMV Regulation RB-01 and RB-52, and consult a supervisor.

I was told by the supervisor, that both of our original registrations were incorrect and we would have to "surrender" both registrations and re-register both Prius correctly as "LEV".
Hybrids are in that class along with CNG vehicles, but "Hybrid" does not appear anywhere on the registration screens, only in the Reg Bulletins. They requested affadavits from our Toyota Dealer that our Prius were indeed classed as a "Low Emissions Vehicles", even though they are listed by Model on their own RB's. I guess it was just bureaucratic "CYA - Cover Your Affadavits" on their part.

Apparently there is a very obscure check box labeled only as "LEV" at the bottom, right of the second or third screen, during the Florida Vehicle Registration process (that only the clerk sees). Of course the clerks in the FL registration offices just ignore it (LEV stands for Low Emissions Vehicles, but is not explained on the screens) because most have never registered any "LEV", Hybrid, or CNG vehicles.

See Priutonline Topic Re: Florida Hybrids with HOV Decals being ticketed for using FL HOV lanes during restricted hours. We don't want to become "test cases" until use of FL HOV by solo-drivers with HOV Decals is legally valid. Any savings of time even during the most congested rush hours would evaporate by just a single "day in court".

This seems to be yet another "Catch-22" in the "early adopters" program of our having to train everyone else on our vehicles.
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FL DMV "Round 2" to continue...

Thanks for the "misery loves company" wishes. In Florida we all know "customer service" is just a theory, not an actual practice.

We will try "round two" at the FL DMV next week, with a fistful of affadavits.

Evidently even after jumping through all the hoops, paying $5.00 per year and displaying the FL HOV Decal, some Florida drivers have been ticketed by FHP officers, who state that the FL Hybrid HOV regulation is not valid until the Feds pass specific Hybrid HOV legislation. The recent Federal Energy Bill that was passed is somewhat vague on all this.

It seems that the California State Legislature has clarified Hybrid HOV usage with a specific bill in the CA Assembly, as of August 10, 2005.

You know that the Florida Legislature only meets a few months out of the year and any clarification on the Floirda law may not be any priority at all until well into 2006. It seems running the state's business is just a part-time job to fill in between running orange groves, cattle ranches, busineses and what ever else they do for most of the year.

If you drive around Orlando a little, I bet there are now or will soon be some HOV Lanes. I know that we were able to use our SunPass on several roadways there on a trip a few months ago. The traffic congestion with regular rush hour and theme park traffic slows to a crawl.

Wish us luck in the DMV line. It probably is easier to register a Catepilar Tractor Earth Mover as a motor vehicle at the DMV in FL than a Hybrid car.

2 Prius Family