(1) The owner of a vehicle is responsible and liable for payment of any parking ticket violation unless the owner can furnish evidence, when required by this subsection, that the vehicle was, at the time of the parking violation, in the care, custody, or control of another person. In such instances, the owner of the vehicle is required, within a reasonable time after notification of the parking violation, to furnish to the appropriate law enforcement authorities an affidavit setting forth the name, address, and driver license number of the person who leased, rented, or otherwise had the care, custody, or control of the vehicle. The affidavit submitted under this subsection is admissible in a proceeding charging a parking ticket violation and raises the rebuttable presumption that the person identified in the affidavit is responsible for payment of the parking ticket violation. The owner of a vehicle is not responsible for a parking ticket violation if the vehicle involved was, at the time, stolen or in the care, custody, or control of some person who did not have permission of the owner to use the vehicle. The owner of a leased vehicle is not responsible for a parking ticket violation and is not required to submit an affidavit or the other evidence specified in this section, if the vehicle is registered in the name of the person who leased the vehicle.

(2) Any person who is issued a county or municipal parking ticket by a parking enforcement specialist or officer is deemed to be charged with a noncriminal violation and shall comply with the directions on the ticket. If payment is not received or a response to the ticket is not made within the time period specified thereon, the county court or its traffic violations bureau shall notify the registered owner of the vehicle that was cited, or the registered lessee when the cited vehicle is registered in the name of the person who leased the vehicle, by mail to the address given on the motor vehicle registration, of the ticket. Mailing the notice to this address constitutes notification. Upon notification, the registered owner or registered lessee shall comply with the court’s directive.

(3) Any person who fails to satisfy the court’s directive waives his or her right to pay the applicable civil penalty.

(4) Any person who elects to appear before a designated official to present evidence waives his or her right to pay the civil penalty provisions of the ticket. The official, after a hearing, shall make a determination as to whether a parking violation has been committed and may impose a civil penalty not to exceed $100 or the fine amount designated by county ordinance, plus court costs. Any person who fails to pay the civil penalty within the time allowed by the court is deemed to have been convicted of a parking ticket violation, and the court shall take appropriate measures to enforce collection of the fine.

(5) Any provision of subsections (2), (3), and (4) to the contrary notwithstanding, chapter 318 does not apply to violations of county parking ordinances and municipal parking ordinances.

(6) Any county or municipality may provide by ordinance that the clerk of the court or the traffic violations bureau shall supply the department with a magnetically encoded computer tape reel or cartridge or send by other electronic means data which is machine readable by the installed computer system at the department, listing persons who have three or more outstanding parking violations, including violations of s. 316.1955. Each county shall provide by ordinance that the clerk of the court or the traffic violations bureau shall supply the department with a magnetically encoded computer tape reel or cartridge or send by other electronic means data that is machine readable by the installed computer system at the department, listing persons who have any outstanding violations of s. 316.1955 or any similar local ordinance that regulates parking in spaces designated for use by persons who have disabilities. The department shall mark the appropriate registration records of persons who are so reported. Section 320.03(8) applies to each person whose name appears on the list.

History.—s. 1, ch. 77-456; s. 2, ch. 79-403; s. 3, ch. 80-316; s. 2, ch. 85-325; s. 1, ch. 88-246; s. 1, ch. 89-196; s. 1, ch. 90-48; s. 20, ch. 90-330; s. 1, ch. 91-180; s. 20, ch. 94-306; s. 898, ch. 95-148; s. 6, ch. 96-200; s. 2, ch. 2001-196; s. 36, ch. 2005-164.