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BRADENTON – Now that a bill championed by Florida Senator Nancy Detert (R-Venice) was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott, texting while driving will be prohibited in Florida beginning Oct. 1 of this year. The law prohibits drivers from using cell phones to text or email while operating a vehicle – with some exceptions.
Drivers can use their phones for GPS, weather and music. Talk-to-text devices like the iPhone's Siri are also kosher. As a secondary offense, police officers cannot pull a driver over if they see or suspect them of texting, but only cite them for it when pulled over for a different offense, and they cannot compel drivers to turn over their phone to see whether they've been texting.
The ban carries a first-time fine of $30. Florida is now the 41st state to have implemented some sort of ban on texting while driving.
