Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles outlines 2025 priorities; registration changes, tank-vehicle definitions, IFTA compliance and workforce programs

Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles officials briefed the Senate Committee on Transportation on the department’s 2025 legislative priorities and an agency bill that would change several registration and commercial-vehicle provisions.

Key registration and identification changes: Director Dave Kerner described proposed registration changes that would require customers to provide a Florida address on vehicle-registration applications and to provide proof of living or operating a business at that address. Kerner said Real ID–compliant credentials will be acceptable proof; out-of-state documents such as passports would require additional evidence (lease, utility bill, bank statement). The proposal would exempt active-duty U.S. military members who are Florida residents from the Florida-address requirement.

Identification for lawfulness: The agency bill would require customers registering a vehicle to present either a Real ID–compliant credential, a U.S. passport or passport card, or a foreign passport with a federal-government stamp showing lawful presence, or an unexpired Form I-94. Kerner said current practice allows out-of-state driver’s licenses and foreign passports that could be used by someone without lawful presence to register a vehicle.

Tank-vehicle definition and federal alignment: Kerner explained a change to align Florida’s tank-vehicle definition with federal motor-carrier safety regulations (parts 383 and 384). The proposed amendment would classify a tank vehicle as a vehicle with one or more tanks each with capacity above 119 gallons where the aggregate capacity is 1,000 gallons or more, closing a loophole in which multiple smaller tanks were used to avoid classification.

IFTA and commercial changes: The agency bill would bring Florida into closer conformity with International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) definitions and practices, allow private license-plate agencies to become IFTA authorized agents, permit online filing, and add penalties to curb misuse of IFTA credentials. Kerner said these changes are intended to protect federal highway safety funds and reduce fraud.

Crash-report threshold and e-notice: The bill would raise the property-damage threshold that requires a written crash report from $500 to $1,500. It also would permit customers to opt in to receive DHSMV notices electronically and would include a public-records exemption to protect those contact details, Kerner said.

Secretary Perdue’s strategic priorities: Secretary Perdue presented four priority areas — workforce and innovation, operational enhancements, modes of transportation, and efficiency/accountability. Perdue outlined a proposed “transportation academy” framework to create certificate and degree pipelines with K–12, state colleges and universities, corrections and juvenile-justice partners, and a Florida Research Institute to formalize transportation research partnerships with academia and industry.

Funding and modal priorities: Perdue described a request to increase two rural funding programs (SCRAP and SCOP) from $25 million each to $50 million each, enhancements to small-business procurement thresholds, consistent application of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices across transportation facilities, and expanded capital priorities for airports, seaports, spaceports and public transit. He also proposed expanding Florida Transportation Commission oversight for additional transit agencies and adding commissioners with workforce and transportation expertise.

Advanced Air Mobility and EV revenue proposal: Perdue highlighted a pending policy for Advanced Air Mobility (so-called vertports and short-distance air mobility) that would direct planning and initial infrastructure duties to FDOT and the department. On fiscal measures, he proposed directing an existing revenue stream tied to electricity consumption — roughly $6.25 million monthly, per the department presentation — into the State Transportation Trust Fund to offset impacts of electric vehicles on the transportation system.

Questions and next steps: Senators asked clarifying questions about vertports and initial siting (Senator Wright asked whether vertports would reuse airport property or require new construction; Perdue said initial sites are likely to be adjacent to existing airports and may evolve to dedicated facilities as the mode matures). Kerner and Perdue offered to provide follow-up materials and legislative language as the session progresses.

Why it matters: Several proposals would alter eligibility and compliance with federal programs (IFTA, FMCSA regulations), affect how residents register vehicles, and propose multi-year workforce and infrastructure investments that seek to address projected labor shortages in transportation.