Tampa Bay lawmaker proposes electric vehicle fee in Florida

Florida electric vehicle owners would pay a registration fee aimed at helping make up for lost gas-tax dollars, under a bill proposed Tuesday by Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater.

The proposal (SB 28), filed for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, seeks to impose a yearly registration fee of $200 on electric vehicles that would be in addition to regular registration fees. The cost would go up to $250 starting in 2029. An annual fee of $50 a year would be imposed on plug-in hybrids.

The legislative session will begin Jan. 9. The Senate during the 2023 session unanimously approved a similar measure, but the bill wasn’t picked up by the House.

Florida uses gas-tax revenues to pay for transportation projects. But a Senate staff analysis of the 2023 proposal said an increase in the use of electric vehicles could result in a 5.6% to 20% drop in “motor-fuel based revenue streams” by 2040. The analysis said 31 states impose some form of registration fee on electric vehicles.