Removal, Storage, and Cleanup of Electric Vehicles:
HB 577 would require Florida counties, and authorize municipalities, to establish a new daily administration fee for the proper storage of damaged electric vehicles involved in accidents. The bill defines that fee as an administrative charge tied to towing and storage after scene cleanup and debris removal, and it limits the fee to no more than three times the amount otherwise allowed under existing local price-control provisions. The fee would apply when the EV owner or operator is incapacitated, unavailable, leaves towing decisions to law enforcement, or otherwise does not consent to removal, but only if the vehicle is stored under specified safety conditions.
The bill also creates a new statute stating that nothing in the EV storage provisions requires a motor vehicle insurer to pay costs beyond those covered under its contract with the insured. In addition, it amends the state’s towing and lien law to make clear that a towing-storage operator may charge a reasonable fee for service, including any locally authorized daily administration fee, when recovering, removing, or storing a vehicle. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
HB 577 would amend local-government price control statutes in chapters 125 and 166, create a new section in chapter 324 addressing insurance coverage for electric-vehicle storage, and revise the towing lien statute in chapter 713 to recognize the new fee category. It would affect counties, municipalities, towing-storage operators, insurers, and owners/operators of damaged electric vehicles, especially in post-accident towing and storage situations involving EVs.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or floor sentiment in the provided materials. Based on the bill’s structure, it appears designed to support towing and storage operators and local governments by authorizing additional fees for EV-related storage, while also limiting insurer exposure. The bill ultimately died in Senate Fiscal Policy, suggesting it did not secure final support in the upper chamber.
The main points of potential contention are the new fee authority and its cost impact. Counties and municipalities would be required or allowed to impose a daily administration fee that can be up to three times the existing amount, which could raise costs for vehicle owners, insurers, and possibly consumers. Insurers are expressly protected from being forced to pay beyond policy terms, which may shift costs to insureds or other responsible parties. Another likely issue is the bill’s local-control framework, since it creates county and municipal authority over the fee and specifies that a municipal ordinance would supersede the county’s fee within that municipality.