Gov. DeSantis casts doubts on new Florida bill making it illegal to hog the left lane

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he will talk with law-enforcement officials before deciding whether to sign a bill that would bar motorists from cruising in the left lanes of highways.

The Senate voted 37-0 on Thursday to approve the measure (HB 317), which had earlier passed the House.

During an appearance Friday in Pensacola, DeSantis said he wants to hear the practical implications to law officers of enforcing the measure, which would apply to drivers on highways with at least two lanes in the same direction and speed limits of 65 mph or higher.

“Are we going to be pulling people over for that? How would that work?” DeSantis said.

He added, "So, I'm going to actually talk to people that do this for a living, whether they think it would be a benefit, both in terms of safety but also we want convenience. We want people to be able to get where they can go as quickly and as safely as possible. But then also enforcement, is that going to radically change how they (officers) do their job, in terms of enforcement?"

The bill would prevent drivers from using left lanes unless they are passing other motorists, preparing to exit on ramps, turning from left lanes or are directed to left lanes by officers or traffic-control devices.

High occupancy vehicle lanes would be excluded from the term “furthermost left-hand lane.” The bill would set fines up to $158.

The House voted 113-3 last week to pass the bill.

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