Florida § 287.17 - Limitation on use of motor vehicles and aircraft.

§ 287.17. Limitation on use of motor vehicles and aircraft.

(1) The aircraft and motor vehicles owned, leased, or operated by any state agency, as defined in s. 287.012, shall be available for official state business only as authorized by agency heads, as defined in s. 287.012. (2) The following criteria shall be considered in determining appropriate uses of motor vehicles and aircraft: (a) Whether the use of a motor vehicle or aircraft is necessary to carry out state official or employee job assignments. (b) Whether the use of a motor vehicle or aircraft is for transporting an employee, state official, or other person authorized by the agency head for purposes of conducting official state business or for purposes of performing services for the state. (c) Whether the Department of Law Enforcement has been directed by the agency head to provide security or transportation pursuant to s. 943.68. (d) Whether an emergency exists requiring the use of a motor vehicle or aircraft for the protection of life or property. (3)(a) The term “official state business” may not be construed to permit the use of a motor vehicle or aircraft for commuting purposes, unless special assignment of a motor vehicle is authorized as a perquisite by the Department of Management Services, required by an employee after normal duty hours to perform duties of the position to which assigned, or authorized for an employee whose home is the official base of operation. (b) For motor vehicles used by a state employee whose duties are those of a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10, the term “official state business” shall be construed to permit the use of the vehicle during normal duty hours to and from lunch or meal breaks and incidental stops for personal errands, but not substantial deviations from official state business, if such use is at the direction of or with the permission of the agency head. (c) For motor vehicles used by a state employee whose duties are those of a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(1), the term “official state business” shall be construed to permit the use of the vehicle to attend a funeral service within the state of a law enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty if such use is at the direction of or with the permission of the agency head. (4) An agency head, as defined in s. 287.012, shall comply with the following criteria for the special assignment of motor vehicles: (a) An agency head may assign a motor vehicle to a state officer or employee only if the officer or employee is projected to drive the motor vehicle a minimum of 10,000 miles annually on official state business, unless an agency head annually provides written justification for the need of the assignment of a motor vehicle. Commuting mileage incidental to use of the motor vehicle on official state business shall be excluded from calculating the projected mileage. Priority in assigning motor vehicles shall be given to those employees who drive over 15,000 miles annually on state business. (b) An agency head may assign motor vehicles to state officers and employees who perform duties related to law enforcement. However, the agency head shall not assign a pursuit motor vehicle to an officer or employee whose job duties do not routinely require performance of a patrol or law enforcement function requiring a pursuit vehicle. (5) A person who is not otherwise authorized in this section may accompany the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a member of the Cabinet, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when such official is traveling on state aircraft for official state business and the aircraft is traveling with seats available. Transportation of a person accompanying any official specified in this subsection shall be approved by the official, who shall also guarantee payment of the transportation charges. When the person accompanying such official is not traveling on official state business as provided in this section, the transportation charge shall be a prorated share of all fixed and variable expenses related to the ownership, operation, and use of such state aircraft. The spouse or immediate family members of any official specified in this subsection may, with payment of transportation charges, accompany the official when such official is traveling for official state business and the aircraft has seats available. (6) It is the intention of the Legislature that persons traveling on state aircraft for purposes consistent with, but not necessarily constituting, official state business may travel only when accompanying persons who are traveling on official state business and that such persons shall pay the state for all costs associated with such travel. A person traveling on state aircraft for purposes other than official state business shall pay for any trip not exclusively for state business by paying a prorated share of all fixed and variable expenses related to the ownership, operation, and use of such aircraft.