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A new proposal would add a fee for Florida EV drivers

An electric vehicle gets charged
Godofredo A. Vásquez
/
AP
An electric vehicle charges at a shopping center in Emeryville, Calif., Aug. 10, 2022.

Florida electric-vehicle owners would pay a registration fee aimed at helping make up for lost gas-tax dollars, under a bill proposed Tuesday by Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater.

The proposal (SB 28), filed for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, seeks to impose a yearly registration fee of $200 on electric vehicles that would be in addition to regular registration fees. The cost would go up to $250 starting in 2029. An annual fee of $50 a year would be imposed on plug-in hybrids.

READ MORE: 'A baffling decision': DeSantis vetoes bipartisan bill to buy Florida more electric cars

The legislative session will begin Jan. 9. The Senate during the 2023 session unanimously approved a similar measure, but the bill wasn’t picked up by the House.

Florida uses gas-tax revenues to pay for transportation projects. But a Senate staff analysis of the 2023 proposal said an increase in the use of electric vehicles could result in a 5.6 percent to 20 percent drop in “motor-fuel based revenue streams” by 2040.

The analysis said 31 states impose some form of registration fee on electric vehicles.

Copyright 2023 WFSU.

The News Service of Florida
Gina Jordan
Gina Jordanis the host of Morning Edition for WFSU News. Gina is a Tallahassee native and graduate of Florida State University. She spent 15 years working in news/talk and country radio in Orlando before becoming a reporter and All Things Considered host for WFSU in 2008. She left after a few years to spend more time with her son, working part-time as the capital reporter/producer for WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a drama teacher at Young Actors Theatre. She also blogged and reported for StateImpact Florida, an NPR education project, and produced podcasts and articles for AVISIAN Publishing. Gina has won awards for features, breaking news coverage, and newscasts from contests including the Associated Press, Green Eyeshade, and Murrow Awards. Gina is on the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Board of Directors. Gina is thrilled to be back at WFSU! In her free time, she likes to read, travel, and watch her son play football. Follow Gina Jordan on Twitter: @hearyourthought
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