CANADY, J.
In these consolidated cases, we consider whether municipal ordinances imposing penalties for red light violations detected by devices using cameras were invalid because they were preempted by state law. At issue in these cases is the operation of ordinances prior to July 1, 2010, the effective date of the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, ch. 2010-80, Laws of Fla., which authorized—subject to statutory requirements—the use of red light traffic infraction detectors by local governments and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
In
The losing party in each of these cases sought review, and we determined to exercise our jurisdiction.
In arguing that the respective ordinances are valid, both Aventura and Orlando rely on the specific power provided to local authorities by section 316.008(1)(w) for "[r]egulating, restricting, or monitoring traffic by security devices." Udowychenko and Masone, who challenged the validity of the ordinances in order to set aside fines imposed under the ordinances, contend that section 316.008(1)(w) does not authorize the municipal enforcement regime adopted by the ordinances, an enforcement regime that they contend is at odds in multiple ways with the enforcement regime adopted by state law.
As is clear from the arguments presented by the parties, the crux of these consolidated cases is whether section 316.008(1)(w) provides authority for the ordinances. In explaining our conclusion that the ordinances are not justified by this statutory provision, we will first briefly discuss the general relationship between state law and municipal ordinances. We will then review the statutory framework—found in chapters 316 and 318, Florida Statutes—relating to traffic control and the disposition of traffic infractions, as well as the basic regime established by the ordinances.
"In Florida, a municipality is given broad authority to enact ordinances under its municipal home rule powers."
Preemption of local ordinances by state law may, of course, be accomplished by express preemption—that is, by a statutory provision stating that a particular subject is preempted by state law or that local ordinances on a particular subject are precluded. Preemption by state law, however, "need not be explicit so long as it is clear that the legislature has clearly preempted local regulation of the subject."
Chapter 316, Florida Statutes (2008), the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law, contains a detailed code regulating traffic throughout the state. Chapter 316 contains two broad preemption provisions. The first provision, which both states a legislative purpose of uniformity and recognizes the need for municipalities to "control certain traffic movement or parking in their respective jurisdictions," is found in section 316.002:
(Emphasis added.)
The second preemption provision is found in section 316.007, which provides in pertinent part: "The provisions of this chapter shall be applicable and uniform throughout this state and in all political subdivisions and municipalities therein, and
As indicated in section 316.002, section 316.008 contains an enumeration of specific powers that local authorities may exercise to control traffic movement or parking in their respective jurisdictions "within the reasonable exercise of the police power." Section 316.008(1)(w)—the crucial provision at issue here— provides that local authorities are not precluded from "
Chapter 316, of course, regulates red light violations. Section 316.075 contains detailed rules governing the conduct of drivers and pedestrians relating to traffic control signal devices. Among these rules is the general requirement that "[v]ehicular traffic facing a steady red signal shall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection and shall remain standing until a green indication is shown." § 316.075(1)(c)1., Fla. Stat. (2008). Any violation of the rules in section 316.075 relating to traffic control signal devices "is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable pursuant to chapter 318." § 316.075(4), Fla. Stat. (2008).
Chapter 318, Florida Statutes (2008), the Florida Uniform Disposition of Traffic Infractions Act, states that its purpose is to facilitate "the implementation of a more uniform and expeditious system for the disposition of traffic infractions." § 318.12, Fla. Stat. (2008). The chapter sets forth detailed requirements governing the handling of traffic infractions, including rules governing the proceedings for the adjudication of infractions, section 318.14; the amount of penalties, section 318.18; and the disposition of civil penalties, section 318.21. Chapter 318 also contains a preemption provision regarding fines and other charges, which is set forth in section 318.121: "
The Fifth District described Orlando's ordinance as follows: "According to the ordinance, if a vehicle is videotaped running a red light, an infraction is issued to the owner, wherein the owner is required to pay the fine for the infraction or file an appeal. If timely appealed, a hearing is set."
Chapter 316 could not be clearer in providing that local ordinances on "a matter covered by" the chapter are preempted unless an ordinance is "expressly authorized" by the statute. § 316.007, Fla. Stat. (2008). It is undisputed that the Orlando and Aventura ordinances—in providing for the punishment of red light violations—relate to matters "covered by" chapter 316. The ordinances consequently can be sustained as a valid exercise of municipal authority only if they are—as the express preemption provision of section 316.007 requires—
The Orlando and Aventura ordinances establish a regime for the punishment of red light violations that is distinct from the statutory regime for the punishment of such violations. Section 316.008(1)(w)'s grant of authority for "[r]egulating, restricting, or monitoring traffic by security devices" does not, however, explicitly provide authority for local governments to adopt measures for the punishment of conduct that is already subject to punishment under the framework established by chapters 316 and 318. As broadly described in section 316.002, the powers granted to municipalities by section 316.008 are powers by which "municipalities may
Contrary to the dissent, our decision in
The question at issue in
The prohibition and punishment of red light violations are matters "covered by" chapter 316, and section 316.008(1)(w) does not "expressly authorize[]" local ordinances on those matters. § 316.007, Fla. Stat. (2008). The Orlando and Aventura ordinances therefore are expressly preempted by state law. Nothing in section 316.008(1)(w) provides that municipalities are granted the authority to enact an enforcement regime different from the enforcement regime applicable under the provision of section 316.075(4) that red light violations are "punishable pursuant to chapter 318." And nothing in section 316.008(1)(w) creates an exception from the express preemption imposed by section 318.121 of any fines other than the penalties imposed as provided in chapter 318.
The Orlando and Aventura ordinances are invalid because they are expressly preempted by state law. We therefore quash the decision of the Third District in
It is so ordered.
POLSTON, C.J., and LEWIS, LABARGA, and PERRY, JJ., concur.
PARIENTE, J., dissents with an opinion, in which QUINCE, J., concur.
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND IF FILED, DETERMINED.
PARIENTE, J., dissenting.
I dissent because I conclude that, prior to 2010, the Legislature did not expressly preempt the use of red light cameras to the state. In fact, through the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law, the Legislature actually authorized municipalities to enact municipal ordinances utilizing red light cameras to regulate traffic within their municipal boundaries. Further, these ordinances were not impliedly preempted by, or in conflict with, state law, as the ordinances did not affect the continued enforcement of the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law and did not allow for the imposition of a municipal citation when a motorist received a red light infraction citation pursuant to state law.
Not until 2010 did the Legislature make clear through an express statement in the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act that "[r]egulation of the use of cameras for enforcing the provisions of this chapter is expressly preempted to the state."
Prior to the passage of that Act, however, the Legislature had already granted municipalities such as Orlando and Aventura the power to enact red light ordinances pursuant to the powers expressly granted to municipal governments through section 316.008, Florida Statutes (2008), entitled "Powers of local authorities." These powers, which included the authority to "[r]egulat[e], restrict[], or monitor[] traffic by security devices or personnel on public streets and highways," § 316.008(1)(w), Fla. Stat. (2008), clearly authorized municipal governments to enact the local legislation at issue here.
The majority's holding unnecessarily broadens this Court's interpretation of legislative preemption, while, at the same time, limiting the home rule authority granted to municipal governments by the Florida Constitution. I would quash the decision of the Fifth District Court of Appeal in
The subject of this decision is a high profile and controversial one—the use of red light cameras by municipal governments to detect and sanction drivers that run red lights within their municipal boundaries as a complementary law enforcement tool to the mechanisms set forth in the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law. Although this subject is of interest to many Floridians, the wisdom and public policy questions regarding the use of red light cameras are not before this Court, nor are any potential constitutional issues that may be implicated through the use of these cameras. Instead, the only issue in this case is the purely legal question of whether municipalities were authorized to enact red light camera ordinances, which imposed municipal fines on drivers for conduct already covered by the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law, prior to 2010, pursuant to their home rule authority.
The Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law provides a statutory framework that generally prohibits municipal governments from enacting local ordinances concerning topics already addressed by the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law. However, the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law also expressly
§ 316.002, Fla. Stat. (2008).
Included within section 316.008 is subsection (1)(w), which grants municipal governments the power to "[r]egulat[e], restrict[], or monitor[] traffic by security devices or personnel on public streets and highways, whether by public or private parties and provid[e] for the construction and maintenance of such streets and highways." § 316.008(1)(w), Fla. Stat. While the majority concludes that the municipal ordinances at issue here are not expressly authorized by this subsection, my review of chapter 316 and our precedent does not support the majority's interpretation. Rather than attempt to harmonize the ordinances in a way that does not conflict with the statutory scheme, the majority reads this authorizing section too narrowly.
When sections 316.002 and 316.008 are examined together, "the plain text of the Uniform Traffic Control Law expressly confers authority to a municipal government to regulate traffic within its municipal boundaries as a reasonable exercise of its police power where such regulation does not conflict, but supplements the laws found therein."
I agree with the reasoning of the Third District, which explained that "[s]ection 316.008 allows the local authorities to use their home rule powers to effectuate certain restrictions and regulations but does not specify the means or the schemes for implementing such restrictions or regulations."
Conversely, the majority concludes that section 316.008(1)(w) does not expressly authorize the municipal ordinances in this case because "`[r]egulating, restricting, or monitoring traffic by security devices' does not . . . explicitly provide authority for local governments to adopt measures for the punishment of conduct that is already subject to punishment under the framework established by chapters 316 and 318." Majority op. at 9 (quoting § 316.008(1)(w), Fla. Stat.). However, contrary to the majority's interpretation, this Court has previously interpreted the word "regulate," as found within the same section of the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law, to encompass the power to impose punishment for the violation of municipal regulations within an area already addressed by the state.
In
Based on an overly narrow reading of
Although the majority states that its decision is premised solely upon express preemption, its reliance upon the fact that the municipalities created enforcement regimes different than those provided by state law seems to implicate conflict preemption—essentially concluding that the ordinances are invalid because they conflict with section 316.075(4), Florida Statutes, which states that red light violations are "punishable pursuant to chapter 318," § 316.075(4), Fla. Stat. (2008), as well as section 318.121, Florida Statutes, which states that "[n]otwithstanding any general or special law, or municipal or county ordinance, additional fees, fines, surcharges, or costs other than the court costs and surcharges assessed under s. 318.18(11), (13), and (18) may not be added to the civil traffic penalties assessed in this chapter." § 318.121, Fla. Stat. (2008). In addressing conflict preemption, the majority states that this concept "comes into play `where the local enactment irreconcilably conflicts with or stands as an obstacle to the execution of the full purposes of the statute.'" Majority op. at 5 (quoting
This standard, which originates from McQuillin's
Nonetheless, even applying the broader standard for conflict preemption recently adopted by this Court in
While I do not dispute that those red light violations prosecuted under the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law must be punished "pursuant to chapter 318," as required by section 316.075, red light violations punished through the municipalities' code enforcement mechanisms are not subject to this same requirement. That is because these municipal ordinances exist independently of the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law and represent supplemental enforcement mechanisms that have been expressly authorized by the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law pursuant to section 316.008(1)(w). Simply because the ordinances regulate conduct that is also covered by the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law does not automatically mean that the municipal ordinances "irreconcilably conflict[] with or stand[] as an obstacle to the execution of the full purposes of the statute." Majority op. at 5 (quoting
In fact, it is clear that the two enforcement mechanisms can exist concurrently, as enforcing traffic violations under the municipal ordinances "does not prohibit law enforcement officers from issuing a citation in accordance with the Uniform Traffic Control Law," or in any way stand as an obstacle to the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law.
Additionally, it is equally apparent that municipal citations cannot be issued pursuant to the municipal ordinances for red light infractions for which a motorist receives a citation pursuant to the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law. For example, the City of Aventura's ordinance specifically states that the ordinance does not apply to emergency vehicles or vehicles involved in collisions, and then also states "nor shall a notice be issued in any case where the operator of the vehicle was issued a citation for violating the state statute regarding the failure to stop at a red light indication for the same event or incident." Aventura, Fla., City Code, ch. 48, art. 3, § 48-38 (2007).
Thus, each regulatory system represents an independent mechanism to prevent red light violations, neither of which is implicated when the other is utilized. Because this Court has previously stated that "a conflict exists when two legislative enactments cannot co-exist,"
Further, the municipal ordinances also do not conflict with section 318.121, which states that "additional fees, fines, surcharges, or costs . . . may not be added to the civil traffic penalties assessed in this chapter." Section 318.121 expressly preempts municipalities from undertaking very specific conduct—adding additional fines or costs on top of those assessed under chapter 318. For example, pursuant to section 318.121, a municipal government could not authorize a law enforcement officer to impose an additional municipal fine when issuing a traffic citation pursuant to the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law for the same infraction. Similarly, a municipal government could not enact a local ordinance that imposes additional court costs or fees on top of those that are allowed under chapter 318 when adjudicating traffic citations issued pursuant to the Florida Uniform Traffic Control Law.
In this case, the municipal ordinances do not "add[] to the civil traffic penalties assessed" pursuant to chapter 318. § 318.121, Fla. Stat. Instead, the ordinances impose
Finally, the majority has, in my view, failed to take into account the breadth of the home rule authority granted to municipalities by both the Florida Constitution and by statute. In 1973, in order to clarify the breadth of the authority granted to municipalities in Florida, the Legislature enacted the Municipal Home Rule Powers Act, which was codified to "secure for municipalities the broad exercise of home rule powers granted by the constitution" and to "remove any limitations, judicially imposed or otherwise, on the exercise of home rule powers other than those so expressly prohibited." § 166.021(4), Fla. Stat. (2008). This Act made clear that the Florida Legislature intended for municipal governments to have the power to enact local legislation on the same subjects and to the same extent as the state government, except in narrow circumstances where the Legislature has preempted a specific area of law to the state or where the local law conflicts with state law.
Allowing municipalities to enact local traffic ordinances where they are "in a unique position to identify dangerous intersections within [their] boundaries and implement additional safeguards to prevent accidents at such intersections," is consistent with the purposes underlying Florida's decision to grant municipal governments extensive powers of self-governance.
For all these reasons, I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion. I would, instead, adopt the opinion of the Third District in
QUINCE, J., concur.