Governor DeSantis vetoes bill that would have prohibited driving in the left lane

Staff report

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed three bills.

HB 317 – Interstate Safety

This bill would have prohibited drivers from operating a motor vehicle in the furthermost left lane on any roadway with two or more lanes and a speed limit of at least 65 mph except when overtaking and passing another vehicle and in some other limited situations.

In his veto letter, DeSantis wrote, “The language of this bill is too broad and could lead to drivers in Florida being pulled over, ticketed, and fined for driving in the furthest left lane even if they are not impeding the flow of traffic or if there are few or no other cars in the immediate area. In addition, the bill could potentially increase congestion in Florida’s urban areas as drivers may decide to not utilize the furthest left-hand lane at all for fear of being ticketed.”

CS/CS/SB 494 – Graduate Program Admissions

This bill would have required a state university to waive the GRE or GMAT standardized testing requirement for any servicemember who applies to a graduate program.

In his veto letter, DeSantis wrote, “Standardized tests are a necessary component of a rigorous, merit-based admissions process. While the motivation behind this legislation is laudable, it is not clear that waiving these tests will be beneficial to our institutions or even, in many cases, to the students themselves.”

The third bill is a local bill for Brevard County, CS/HB 821 – Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District, Brevard County . In his veto letter, DeSantis wrote that the bill “increases the maximum stormwater management user fees the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District may charge. This will likely lead to Brevard County taxpayers paying higher fees. As Florida offers many grant programs (established by my Administration) that support the continued maintenance and construction of Florida’s water management infrastructure, the state should not facilitate the imposition of higher fees to this same effect.”

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