Florida law, specifically Florida Statutes section 320.261, makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to operate a car bearing a tag that is not assigned to the car.
When you own or operate a car in the State of Florida, that car must bear a tag that was issued and assigned to the car, or lawfully transferred to the car.
A second-degree misdemeanor is a criminal offense punishable by up to 60 days in county jail.
When you are stopped by a police officer and your tag information is run, you will either be physically arrested or issued a written promise to appear (PTA) if the tag information doesn't come back to the vehicle that you are driving.
You should not confuse being issued a PTA with being issued a traffic citation. A traffic citation is non-criminal. A PTA is criminal. Many traffic offenses in Florida are actually criminal offenses, not mere civil infractions.
Click here to learn more about criminal traffic offenses in the State of Florida.
Contact Attorney Eric Matheny if you require the services of a Miami criminal attorney or Broward criminal attorney.