Florida Still Without Hands-Free Driving Law as Advocates Say Latest Bill Misses the Mark
Florida remains one of a shrinking number of states without a hands-free driving law, and advocates say the latest attempt in Tallahassee is not the fix they have been waiting for.
Distracted driving claimed 3,275 lives nationwide in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Thirty-four states have already passed hands-free driving laws. Florida is not among them.
The most recent push came before the House Government Operations Subcommittee, which unanimously passed House Bill 1241, sponsored by Miami Republican Reps. Omar Blanco and Alex Rizo. The bill would add a $60 fine and one driver’s license point to any careless driving violation where a motorist was also found to be using a wireless device in a handheld manner. First-time offenders could avoid those penalties by completing a state-approved wireless communications device driving safety program.
But advocates who have pushed for years for a true hands-free law called the measure a step backward.
Demetrius Branca has lobbied the Legislature to act since 2014, when a distracted driver killed his son, Anthony, as he rode his motorcycle to class at Tallahassee State College. Branca told the committee the bill’s approach falls short of real deterrence.
“When hand-held use remains tied to careless driving, drivers adjust to the threshold of enforcement rather than the risk itself,” Branca said. “It does not create deterrence. It preserves ambiguity.”
Michelle Avola, coordinator for Hands Free Florida, praised Rep. Blanco for his original proposal but said the committee substitute version no longer accomplishes what the movement has been fighting for. After the vote, Branca and Avola told the Florida Phoenix plainly: “This is not a hands-free bill anymore.”
The Florida Senate passed a hands-free driving bill in 2025, but the House never took it up. The year before, the House passed a version through three committee stops, but the Senate’s proposal stalled entirely before a full chamber vote. The pattern has become familiar for advocates.
Blanco and supporters pointed to Iowa, which passed a hands-free driving bill last year. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, traffic deaths in Iowa dropped to 260 in 2025, a near-century low and 97 fewer than the year before.
“We’ve got more support than we had yesterday, and I think as we move along through the process there’ll be more awareness,” Blanco told Branca and Avola after the committee vote. “If there’s an opportunity to take it up a notch, we will do that.”
A companion bill, Senate Bill 1152, filed by Republican Sen. Erin Grall of Vero Beach, takes a broader approach. Her measure would allow law enforcement to stop vehicles and issue citations directly for handheld device use or texting while driving, without requiring an underlying careless driving violation. As of this report, the Senate bill has not been heard in any committee.
HB 1241 later died in the State Affairs Committee on March 13, 2026, leaving Florida without hands-free driving legislation for another session.
Sources:
Florida Phoenix, Mitch Perry. “Careless driving bill advances, but advocates say it doesn’t go far enough.” Feb. 11, 2026. floridaphoenix.com; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Distracted Driving 2023 data. nhtsa.gov; Florida House of Representatives. CS/HB 1241 bill history. flhouse.gov; Florida Senate. SB 1152 bill information. flsenate.gov
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