LEE COUNTY, Fla. – A Southwest Florida lawmaker will try again to pass a bill that would ban cruising or “camping” in the left lane of a highway, the same bill Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed last year.
State Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Lee County, filed HB 545 Tuesday, and an identical companion bill was filed in the Florida Senate as well.
The bill would prohibit motorists from camping in the furthermost left-hand lane of highways with two or more lanes and a posted speed limit of at least 65 mph.
The bill provides exceptions for when a vehicle is:
- Overtaking and passing another vehicle
- Preparing to exit the road
- Otherwise directed by an official traffic control device
- When environmental or traffic conditions dictate
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
The language is similar to the same bill Persons-Mulicka filed last year, HB 317, which passed with near-unanimous approval in the Florida Legislature.
DeSantis, however, vetoed the bill, saying it was overbroad and could lead to increased traffic congestion if drivers decide not to use the left lane for fear of being ticketed.
While the new bill is similar, it reframes the language around the existing statute on left-lane driving, which says a driver cannot continue driving in the left lane if they know or reasonably should know they are being overtaken by another vehicle that is driving faster.
If approved, drivers caught breaking the new rules could face a moving violation, which would lead to a fine.
It also directs the Florida Department of Transportation to install signs to let drivers know when the law applies to parts of a road or highway.
Persons-Mulicka sent a statement to News 6, which read:
“We’ve been working closely with state agencies to craft the best language that will increase interstate safety for all our drivers. I know this issue is important to Floridians in all parts of the state and I’m optimistic that we will get the job done.”
As the bill moved through the legislature last year, News 6’s Trooper Steve Montiero spoke about why camping in the left lane was bad for the flow of traffic on highways on his “Trooper Steve on Patrol” segment.
“It’s nice to have something in writing that gives law enforcement officers the tool to actually enforce this,” Montiero said Wednesday. “Unlike the current texting and driving law, this gives law enforcement officers the ability to hopefully prevent crashes and keep traffic moving.”
If the bill passes, and if DeSantis signs it, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: