Gov. Charlie Crist this week signed a law prohibiting cities and counties from collecting what has been termed “crash taxes” for first responders tending to auto accident victims.
The law was in response to several cities attempts to charge the drivers who caused a car crash for the services provided by the fire department and emergency medical personnel. Opponents of the car crash fees said they were improper because taxes are collected to support the emergency personnel and there should be no additional fees for services.
The cities of course are all reporting record budget shortfalls and were using the fees to make up for some of the loss.