History of vehicle registration in the state of Florida, USA

Monday, February 27, 2023 History of vehicle registration in the state of Florida, USA

According to the public relations report of the management of museums and the oil industry document center, Giti Khamene wrote this article:

This collection contains the earliest Florida vehicle registrations filed by the Florida Department of State between 1905 and 1917. Each entry, written in the ledger by hand, indicated the name and address of the registrant's post office, the manufacturer, style, horsepower, and factory number of the vehicle٫ each entry was dated and assigned a unique registration number. It was given that it was sent to the registrant with a certificate.

The full Rule of 1905 is available on the Registration Rule page, but the following were the main requirements of the Rule:

• Every vehicle must be registered with the Secretary of State and the registration certificate must be with it at all times during the use of the vehicle.

• The vehicle registration number must be given on a sticker with Arabic numerals 3 inches long and 2 inches wide.

• Every vehicle operating on public roads must have a bell, horn or whistle as a signal, as well as two "bulbs" to be used for illumination between sunset and sunrise.

• Drivers had to follow a "reasonable" statewide speed limit.

• Drivers had to signal when approaching horses or other moving animals and stop immediately if signaled by a person riding or driving animals.

• Boards of county commissioners have the option of setting times for speed tests or races on public designated roads that drivers must adhere to.

Charles and Mary Hobbs in the car - Eustis, Florida

It may seem strange that the Secretary of State has been appointed to oversee vehicle registration, but previously there was no other form of private transport that required registration. Regular transportation, such as railroads and steamships, was regulated at the state level, but wagons, horses, and horses were not registered with the state government at all. As a result, private vehicle registration was a new frontier not only for transportation, but also for government regulation. The Secretary of State was responsible for vehicle registration until 1917, when this duty was transferred by law to the Court of Auditors. Unfortunately, individual registration records do not appear to survive from that agency's tenure as vehicle registrar.