New Regulations for Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and New Protections for Their Franchisees

Sections 320.60 and 320.70, Florida Statutes, regulate the business relationships between motor vehicle manufacturers and their dealers. In this Article, the authors discuss the 1988 Florida Legislature's reenactment and comprehensive revision of the franchise protection scheme. While some scholars have advocated discontinuing the statutory regulation of motor vehicle manufacturers and their franchisees, Ms. Haskins and Dr. Forehand take a contrary position: that extension of the regulatory scheme will provide franchisees with more protections from unfair business practices than otherwise would be available, and may have the salutary effect of injecting a degree of certainty into an area which has heretofore remained unsettled.