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Parking your car by backing it into your driveway could soon be illegal in Jacksonville, Florida
// Personal Liberty Digest™
The city council in Jacksonville, Florida, has taken up a proposal that, if approved, would make it illegal for residents to park their cars in any manner that prevents law enforcement from seeing their rear license plates from the street.
For those who live in single-family homes with off-street parking, such a law would make backing into the driveway to park an illegal act. Florida is among a handful of states that don't require car owners to display license plates at the front of their cars.
The proposed local bill would also require people who use car covers to figure out a way to make the license plates of covered cars similarly visible.
According to The Florida Times-Union, local officials attribute the need for such a law to code enforcers' inability to cite owners of abandoned vehicles.
If all that sounds like a head-scratcher, here's the language from the bill itself (italics have been added to highlight the most relevant portion):
WHEREAS, the Council finds that certain persons are storing vehicles in side yards or parking vehicles in such a manner which prevents the observation of the license tag from the right-of-way; and
WHEREAS, such improper storage of vehicles contributes to blight conditions; and
WHEREAS, the City of Jacksonville has a compelling interest in promoting the health and safety of citizens and visitors by regulating potentially hazardous conditions and blighting influences on private property; now therefore
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Jacksonville:
Section 1. Chapter 518 (Jacksonville Property Safety and Maintenance Code), Ordinance Code, amended. Chapter 518 (Jacksonville Property Safety and Maintenance Code), Ordinance Code, is hereby amended to read as follows:
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It shall be unlawful for any person to store on any private or public property, or the owner or occupant of any property to store or allow to be stored on private or public property owned or occupied by such owner or occupant, outside of a legally constructed fully enclosed structure, unless approved pursuant to a Planned Unit Development zoning district, the following items:
1) any abandoned, disabled or inoperative motor vehicle or parts thereof, or unless it is stored on a bona fide automobile sales lot or an automobile storage yard or automobile wrecking yard, as those terms are defined in Section 656.1301, Ordinance Code;
2) any abandoned, inoperative, disabled or unattended freezer, refrigerator or parts thereof;
3) any junk, rubbish or garbage;
4) any materials, equipment, furnishings, furniture, appliances, construction materials or any items which are not designed to be used outdoors;
5) any item of personal property including clothing or bedding; or
6) any vehicle that is parked on private property, and is visible from the right-of-way or any vehicle that is covered to protect the motor vehicle which does not comply with this subsection:
Any parked vehicle that is visible from the right-of-way shall contain the required license tag, and such license tag shall be clearly visible from the right-of-way or the license tag shall be printed legibly and visible from the right-of-way, with characters not less than two inches in height so that it is clearly visible from the right-of-way. Any cover shall allow at least the bottom of at least six inches of each tire to be visible from the right-of way. The required license tag shall be clearly visible from the right-of-way or the license tag number shall be printed legibly on the cover with characters not less than two inches in height so that it is clearly visible from the right-of-way.Covers shall be in good condition without tears, rips or holes. The entire cover shall be one color, except factory-made fitted covers may have more than one color, and shall be kept clean and free from mold and mildew. Covers may include tarpaulin which shall be in good condition, free of holes, tears and rips.
As the bill makes plain, it seeks to apply these requirements to all vehicles, regardless of whether they're parked on public or private property.
The bill doesn't refer to other law enforcement endeavors that might require an unobstructed street view of parked cars — such as the use of license plate scanners. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 2012 whether it uses such devices — and what it does with any data it collects — but has not indicated any response.
The sheriff's office told WJXT-TV in 2013 that it does not use license plate scanners.
The post Parking your car by backing it into your driveway could soon be illegal in Jacksonville, Florida appeared first on Personal Liberty.
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