Tag Not Visible? You Can Be Charged For Obscuring It, Appeals Court Rules

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) -- The 3rd District Court of Appeals has ruled that a driver in Florida can face charges for obscuring the lettering on vehicle license tags with a frame.

The court's decision Wednesday came in the case of a driver who was stopped in 2015 by an officer because the words "MyFlorida.com" were obscured by a tag frame. The officer later found drugs in the car and the driver was charged with a narcotics offense.

A lower court tossed out incriminating statements the driver made to the officer, concluding the tag frame didn't violate requirements of state law regarding display of license tags.

The appeals court disagreed, sending the case back for further proceedings based on the 2015 law. It was changed in 2016 so that obscuring "Florida" was not a violation.