Texting and driving bill re-introduced in Florida

LAND 'O LAKES (FOX 13) - House Speaker Richard Corcoran, (R) Land ‘o Lakes, isn’t taking no for an answer.

He is re-introducing a bill that would give law enforcement officers in Florida the authority to pull you over and ticket you for texting and driving.

“92 percent of all drivers admit in the last 30 days to texting and driving. So if we can curb that behavior and eliminate 200 plus deaths, 50,000 accidents, it’s going to be a great benefit to the state of Florida,” Corcoran said.

Right now, you can be cited for texting and driving, but only after an officer pulls you over for another offense, such as an expired tag.

Lawmakers have been kicking around the idea of making texting and driving a primary offense every year for several years. Each year the bill has failed to pass.

Law enforcement says one of the biggest challenges with any texting law is enforcement.

"The phone could be in their hand, but they could be turning it off," Sgt. Gary Gross of the Lakeland Police Department told FOX 13. "They could be adjusting their Google maps or whatever."

Fines are the same in the bill under discussion as they are in the current law. Your first offense is a $30 fine. The second one is a $60 fine and possibly up to 3 points on your license.