A Florida senator has once again introduced a bill that would require collision repair shops to attain crash reports from customers prior to fixing a vehicle. 

Sen. Joe Greuters (R-Sarasota) filed SB 92 on Dec. 10. The bill would be effective July 1, if it passes. 

The bill uses the same title, “Lilly Glaubach Act,” as SB 194, which was filed by Grueters in 2023 but was not successfully passed. Both bills are in honor of Lily Glaubach, 13, who died following a hit-and-run crash. 

It later emerged that the driver convicted of killing her, David Chang, took his car to a repair center immediately after striking the girl, telling employees that a fallen tree damaged the vehicle.

The new bill would require repair shops to get written crash reports from a customer if the work on a vehicle that is damaged in an accident or collision is estimated to be $5,000 or more.

If a crash report is not provided, the repair shop must complete a collision repair work transaction form before completing a written repair estimate. 

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is given the authority to design and format the transaction form. The form is required to include the name and address of the repair shop, damage to the vehicle, VIN, year, make and model, license tag number, and color of the damaged vehicle. The form is also required to include the phone number, physical description, and address of the owner or the person in possession of the vehicle. 

The repair shop would be required to maintain a copy of the form for a year after the transaction. The original form must be delivered to a local law enforcement agency within a day. The forms can be uploaded electronically if a law enforcement agency has the necessary software. 

Any person who violates the law could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. A repair shop found in violation could have its registration revoked. 

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