If you are worried about legality, you might also want to print out that statute and carry it with you. Cops, anywhere, are not known for being well-informed about subtleties of law, like "does not apply to hams".
Florida cops are among the many that have been getting a lot of press recently about "I thought it was a gun" and shooting folks who shouldn't have been shot. The "gun" has been known to be a cell phone, or a toy fire truck (honestly!) and sometimes even being held by someone beside the person who was shot. They get nervous. Ask any cop who pulls over vehicles, a vehicle stop is the most dangerous and worrisome thing they can do. So right or wrong...something shiny on the front seat can get you shot by a poorly disciplined cop, in any state.
Southeast Florida has also had a number of recent incidents where a fake cop, pulling people over on the road, has been tracked down. If it isn't a marked car...many agencies recommend calling 911 and continuing to drive, slowly, to a public place or police station. (Not just in Florida.)
If you're using it secure it to some kind of mount. If you're not using it, stow it someplace. And if you really want to be safe...painting your scanner, cell phone, wallet, comb, and keyring with bright pink paint might not be as ridiculous as it sounds. I won't tell you how many driver safety seminars I've been to where either an instructor or a LEO said, right up front, "If you are pulled over, shut the engine, roll down the window, and keep both hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2 in plain sight." These are cops, formally telling you how to not get shot by a nervous cop.
The world isn't what it used to be.
