TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Penalties for passing a school bus picking up and dropping off children would double under a bill sent to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.
The Senate unanimously passed the bill that would increase the penalty for passing a school bus displaying a stop sign from $100 to $200. A second offense within five years could result in a fine and a driver license suspension between 180 days and one year.
Passing a stopped bus on the side where children enter and exit would rise from $200 to $400 for a first offense. A second offense within five years would result in the fine plus a license suspension between 360 days and two years.
In 2019, the Department of Education surveyed school bus drivers about illegal passing of their buses. The survey of 10,136 drivers showed that on a single day, there were 12,749 illegal passes.
