FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: The new law says nothing about height from the ground – (3) The license tag of a motorcycle or moped must be permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be adjustable or capable of being flipped up. Here is the bill ~http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=sb0802c3.html&Directory=session/2008/Senate/bills/billtext/html/~ Also, since the tag law is a non-moving violation, then if your motorcycle is not registered and tagged in FL they can’t ticket you for it. It falls into the area of different states having different laws for tags. Now if the tag isn’t plainly visible then that will get you a ticket for failure to display. My 2 cents, Jared Jones Kerrville, Texas FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Many thanks for publishing Peter Jones’ letter regarding the new Florida laws. The Sheriff in Volusia County (Daytona) has singled out sportbikes in the past and will likely be targeting us at Bike Week. Harley riders will get a pass. Local cops (i.e. Casselberry, Winter Springs) are already singling out sportbikes for enforcement, and letting their Hardly Ableson riding buddies off. The Florida legislature is heavily influenced by law enforcement lobbyists. My State Representative, Sandy Adams, makes no apology for supporting any bill that law enforcement interests want passed. There are other frightening issues, not motorcycle related, that she has pushed, including keeping police interrogations secret, so no one can know what methods are used to obtain “confessions”. (btw I am a 60 yr old ZX12R rider…. and don’t trust Florida cops……) Thanks again guys, Bill Hyde Oviedo, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: I am writing regarding the new motorcycle statutes in the State of Florida, of which I shared my experiences of last week, and which the editor here has posted various contributing updates from readers. I was aware of what the statute states when I wrote my original opinion, that it only mentions that a license plate must be mounted horizontally and firmly, without the ability of being adjusted. But my concern is more with an officer’s interpretation of a statute, not with the exact wording of one. The wording of a law can have little to do with whether or not an officer of the law will write you a ticket. A couple of readers responded that an out of state rider in Florida cannot be ticketed for this license plate offense. Well, in a perfect world this might be true, but in the real world in the USA any person can be ticketed, or arrested, for anything at any moment for any reason. The intent of my warning to riders was to help limit the possibility of being ticketed. It is much easier to get on with life without a ticket rather than having to prove to a judge that the ticket was written without reasonable cause. Some of you might have experiences in this. At the time of my being stopped and issued a warning, my license plate was mounted horizontally and rigidly, and so I was in full compliance with the new law. Whether or not it was clearly visible is a matter of opinion, but the opinion of an officer in this situation will always be given more value than my opinion. And in this case, the difference of opinion has intense and expensive ramifications. The new punishments in Florida for improper license plate mounting, speeding at 50-mph over the posted limit, and having a wheel leave the ground, are all the same: First offense, $1,000; Second offense, $2,500, Third offense, $5,000 plus loss of motor vehicle privileges for ten years. Also, the third offense, even if it is for an improperly mounted license plate, is a class 3 felony because it shows that the charged is a repeat offender. Ticketed three times for your license plate mounted improperly and you can lose your right to vote for life. Maybe the point here is what this says about the perception of motorcycles with law enforcement. Maybe that perception has been earned. And my point initially was that the AMA fights helmet laws and Florida has none, but you can be fined four-figure amounts for a non-moving violation. My opinion is that the freedom to have wind in my hair is seriously undermined by this new statute. And personally, I’d rather have real freedoms than wind in my hair. Peter Jones Wellington, Florida