FLORIDA, USA — From a ban on sleeping and camping on public property to getting your hands on a Jimmy Buffett-inspired, 'Margaritaville' license plate, 34 new Florida laws are set to go into effect on Tuesday.
The following is a list of all the new laws, and what they do.
All 34 laws going into effect
HB 341: Safeguarding American Families Everywhere (SAFE) Act
This law requires the language on an application form for motor vehicle registration to allow an applicant to indicate that they have been diagnosed with, or are the parent or legal guardian of a child or ward who has been diagnosed with specified disabilities or disorders.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1365: Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping
This law prevents individuals from sleeping in public, camping on public property or on public rights-of-way.
Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the law authorizes a resident, local business owner, or the Attorney General to bring civil action against a county or municipality for allowing unlawful sleeping or camping on public property.
RELATED: Mayor Deegan: City has plan to address new Florida law banning public sleeping, but needs more money
Individuals who sleep or camp on public property without authorization are not subject to penalties, the law states.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1025: Municipal Service District of Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Johns County
This law makes revisions for the Municipal Service District of Ponte Vedra Beach, creating a lifetime term limit of 12 years for trustees. The law also increases the capital projects threshold which requires voter approval.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 718: Exposures of First Responders to Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs
This law provides criminal penalties for adults who in the course of unlawfully possessing specified controlled substances, recklessly expose a first responder to such substances and an overdose or serious bodily injury of the first responder results.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 758: Tracking Devices and Applications
This law prohibits the placement or use of a tracking device or tracking application to determine the location or movement of another person or another person's property without that person's consent and provides criminal penalties.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 86: Hope Cards for Persons Issued Orders of Protection
A person who has been issued a final judgment on an injunction for protection may request a Hope Card from the clerk of the court of the circuit in which the order for an injunction for protection was entered. A person may request a Hope Card at the time the final judgment on injunction for protection is issued or at any other time before the expiration of the order for protection.
Click here read the full law.
SB 92: Yacht and Ship Brokers' Act
This law amends a section in Florida's Yacht and Ship Brokers' Act to change the definition of yacht from "any vessel which is propelled by sail or machinery in the water which exceeds 32 feet in length" to "any vessel that is propelled by sail or machinery in the water, exceeds 32 feet in length"
A couple other amendments have been made to the act as well.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 403: Specialty License Plates
This law exempts collegiate license plates from certain discontinuation and presale voucher requirements for specialty license plates. It also directs the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to develop specified plates, one in which being a 'Margaritaville' license plate that's in honor of Jimmy Buffett's hit song and hospitality company.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 479: Alternative Mobility Funding Systems and Impact Fees
This law authorizes certain local governments to adopt an alternative transportation system that is mobility-plan and fee-based in certain circumstances.
Mobility fee means a local government fee schedule established by ordinance and based on the projects included in the local government's adopted mobility plan.
A mobility plan means an alternative transportation system mobility study developed by using a plan-based methodology and adopted into a local government comprehensive plan that promotes a compact, mixed-use, and interconnected development served by a multimodal transportation system in an area that is urban in character or designated to be urban in character.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 532: Securities
This law revises the list of securities that are exempt from registration requirements under certain provisions, revises provisions relating to a certain registration exemption for certain securities transactions, updates the federal laws or regulations with which the offer or sale of securities must be in compliance and more.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 549: Theft
This law reduces the minimum threshold amount for grand theft of third degree, creates a new offense of grand theft offenses, provides enhanced criminal penalties for committing petit theft of first degree and having certain previous convictions and more.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 764: Retention of Sexual Offense Evidence
This law requires that specified sexual offense evidence be retained by specified entities for a minimum number of years after the collection date, requires specified entities to transfer such sexual offense evidence to the Department of Law Enforcement within a specified time period and more.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 801: Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Training for Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers
This law requires the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to establish online, continued employment training component relating to Alzheimer's disease and related forms of dementia for law enforcement and correctional officers.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 808: Treatment by a Medical Specialist
This law authorizes firefighters, law enforcement officers, correctional officers and correctional probation officers to receive medical treatment by a medical specialist for certain conditions under certain circumstances, but requires them to notify certain entities of their selection of a medical specialist.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 902: Motor Vehicle Retail Financial Agreements
This law revises the definition of the term "guaranteed asset protection product," requiring entities to refund portions of the purchase price of the contract for a guaranteed asset protection product under certain circumstances, and more.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1007: Nicotine Dispensing Devices
This law requires nicotine product manufacturers who sell nicotine dispensing devices to execute form prescribed by Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco of DBPR, for each nicotine dispensing device sold, requires the division to develop and maintain directory and more.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 1036: Reclassification of Criminal Penalties
This law requires reclassification of the penalty for the commission of a felony committed by a person who has a previous specified conviction, defines the term "transnational crime organization, and more.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1049: Flood Disclosure in the Sale of Real Property
This law requires the seller of residential real property to provide a flood disclosure to a purchaser of residential real property at or before the time the sales contract is executed.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1171: Schemes to Defraud
This law provides reclassification of certain offenses when committed against persons 65 years of age or older, against minors, or against persons with disabilities and provides civil actions for damages by persons whose image or likeness was used in a scheme to defraud with their consent.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1235: Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders
This law amends the Florida Sexual Predators Act and sexual offenders statutes, updating requirements for how sexual predators and offenders register with the state. The law also addresses consequences for those who fail to follow rules set by the state.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1389: Digital Voyeurism
This law renames the offense of video voyeurism to digital voyeurism, and brings harsher penalties against certain individuals 19 years or older who is convicted of digital voyeurism and is a family member of the victim or "or holds a position of authority" over the victim. Penalties can range from second and third-degree felonies.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1415: Peer Support for First Responders
This law amends state statutes, revising the definition of first responder to include correctional officers for the purpose of peer support. With the new definition, these officers are entitled to the benefits of confidentiality with regard to peer support.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 1545: Child Exploitation Offenses
This law creates the offense of harmful communication to a minor, making any adult who engages in a pattern of communication with a minor including explicit descriptions of sexual activity or conduct, commits a third-degree felony.
The law ranks the offense as a level 3 in the offense severity ranking chart.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 1628: Local Government Actions
This law reduces the exceptions to requirements for counties and cities to produce a business impact estimate before passing an ordinance.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 7001: OGSR/Reporter of Child Abuse, Abandonment, or Neglect
This law removes the scheduled repeal of exemption from public records requirements for identifying information with respect to any individual reporting child abuse, abandonment or neglect.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 7003: OGSR/Preregistered Voters
This law removes the scheduled repeal of exemption from public record requirements for information concerning preregistered voter registration applicants who are 16 or 17 years old.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 7005: OGSR/Financial Disclosure
This law removes the scheduled repeal of exemptions from public record requirements for secure login credentials held by commission on ethics and certain information put into the electric filing system for financial disclosure.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 7006: OGSR/Utility Owned or Operated by a Unit of Local Government
This law amends a provision giving exemptions from public record requirements for information related to the security of certain technology, practices, information technology systems, customer meter-derived data and billing information held by a utility owner or operated by a unit of local government.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 7007: OGSR/Campus Emergency Response
This law removes the provision allowing the disclosure of certain information during certain campus emergency responses to other entities.
Click here to read the full law.
SB 7008: OGSR/Department of the Lottery
This law amends a provision relating to an exemption from public records requirements for certain information held by the Department of the Lottery, including lottery games, personal identifying information and financial information.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 7009: OGSR/Mental Health Treatment and Services
This law removes the scheduled repeal of exemption from public records requirements for petitions for voluntary and involuntary admission for mental health treatment.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 7043: OGSR/Agency Personnel Information
This law removes the scheduled repeal of exemption from public records requirements for certain personal identifying and location information of specified agency personnel, spouses and children.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 509: Collier Mosquito Control District, Collier County
This law expands the boundaries of the Collier Mosquito Control District.
Click here to read the full law.
HB 819: Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, Hendry and Lee Counties
This law expands the boundaries of the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District in Hendry and Lee counties,
Click here to read the full law.