TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – The state of Florida is developing new standards for managing lithium-ion battery fires.

State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said new rules are needed because electric vehicles and other devices like e-scooters and e-bikes are becoming more common.

“The danger is known. It is real. Now is the time to act,” Patronis said during a news conference in Orlando.

The Department of Financial Services began making rules Thursday to develop standards for managing lithium-ion battery fires. Patronis said having standards for handling these fires is critical for Florida because electric vehicles can catch fire shortly after a hurricane.

“These heavily metalized saltwater create bridges on these batteries and they short out. And when they short out they will create a cascade effect,” Patronis said.

Patronis said 20 EVs caught fire after Hurricane Ian in 2022. Florida Professional Firefighters President Bernie Bernoska said firefighter safety needs to be looked at more than just trying try put out these fires.

“Beyond the challenge of simply extinguishing these fires, there’s also another danger that is sometimes overlooked and deals with the harmful cancer-causing gases produced during a lithium battery fire incident,” Bernoska said.

In addition to creating state rules, Patronis is encouraging Congress to pass federal standards for lithium batteries.

“We’ve got to be sensitive to where the problems lie that have not yet been fully discovered or factored in how to deal with these technologies,” Patronis said.

It could take nine months to a year to develop the state standards.

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A Florida man was arrested for allegedly defrauding a victim in Connecticut of over $100,000, police said.

On Thursday, Coventry police arrested 29-year-old Osmaldy De La Rosa Nunez of Orlando, Florida, on one count of first-degree larceny after an investigation into a wire fraud in August 2022, according to the department.

Police alleged that De La Rosa Nunez communicated with the victim as a person with whom the victim was familiar and had money transferred to him that was due to a third party which amounted to a loss of around $135,000.

According to police, De La Rosa Nunez was using a fictitious name, and his true identity was discovered with the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

De La Rosa Nunez was held in Florida as a fugitive from justice, police said. He waived extradition and was transported back to Connecticut to face charges.

De La Rosa Nunez was being held on a $500,000 court-set bond and was scheduled to be arraigned at Rockville Superior Court on Friday.

ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.

Trooper Steve on Thursday was asked, “Why doesn’t Florida have vehicle inspections?”

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Florida has not had vehicle inspections, unlike several northern states, for quite some time, Trooper Steve said.

“In the early ‘80s, Gov. Bob Graham ended vehicle inspections. About 10 years later, they were reinstated until 2001 when Gov. Jeb Bush stopped them due to costs,” Trooper Steve said.

Florida does not require annual vehicle inspections, but there are some laws on the books that allow law-enforcement to keep smoky vehicles off the road, he added.

Florida Statute 316.272 (2) says, “The engine and power mechanism of every motor vehicle shall be so equipped and adjusted as to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke.”

And Florida Statute 316.2935 discusses air pollution control equipment.

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