Swath of new Florida laws take effect July 1
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Many new laws previously passed during the 2022-2023 legislative session are taking effect starting July 1. Here’s a few of the major ones on the list.
Permitless carry
The law allows people to conceal a firearm without needing a permit from the government.
Citizens would still be able to receive a concealed weapons permit in the state if they so choose. It would allow them to qualify for the protection of interstate concealed carry reciprocity agreements.
Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, sponsored the bill in the Senate. It was carried by Reps. Robert Charles Brannan, R-Macclenny, and Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, in the House.
Illegal immigration crackdown
The legislation makes changes to E-Verify, adds more money for an illegal immigration transportation program and increases penalties for human smuggling.
It includes $12 million from the general fund for an illegal immigration program that DeSantis used to send migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last year.
Reps. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, and Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, carried the legislation in the House. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, carried the legislation in the Senate.
Digital Bill of Rights
Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed the measure in February in an effort to protect Floridians from what he described as big tech harms and overreach.
The law prevents government-led censorship by prohibiting state or local government employees from colluding with tech companies to censor protected speech.
It will require Google and other large search engines to disclose whether they prioritize search results based on political or ideological views or based on monetary considerations.
The legislation was carried by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota.
Fines for credit card companies tracking gun purchases
Spearheaded by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the law would fine credit card companies for tracking gun and ammunition purchases.
“The ‘Florida Arms and Ammo Act’ draws a line in the sand and tells progressive financial institutions that they cannot covertly track, monitor, and report data on Floridians exercising their constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights,” Simpson said after the bill passed.
Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, and Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart, carried the legislation.
Teachers union pay deductions
The legislation will prohibit some unions from directly withdrawing funds from public employee paychecks. Instead, a public employee, such as a teacher, would need to opt into a union and send payments.
The legislation does not apply to law enforcement officers, correctional officers and firefighters.
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, carried the legislation.
Affordable housing
Also called the “Live Local Act,” the legislation was spearheaded by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.
The legislation prohibits government-imposed rent controls while maintaining funding for workforce housing and offering incentives for remodeling older homes.
The legislation seeks to incentivize the construction of new projects in close proximity to existing affordable housing units with the goal of providing residents of older units a new home while at the same time rebuilding and updating older buildings.
It would increase funding for Florida’s Hometown Heroes program by $100 million and broaden the program’s eligibility to include the entire state’s local workforce.
Passidomo championed the bill with Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami.
Outlawing social credit scores, crackdown on environmental, social and corporate governance investment
The law will prohibit state investments from considering environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, factors in public investments.
ESG is a commercial paradigm that bases investment decisions on political issues like social justice and renewable energy efforts.
With regards to government contracting, the law bans state and local governments from considering social, political, or ideological beliefs when evaluating potential vendors.
Rep. Bob Rommel, R-Naples, and Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, carried the legislation.
Outlawing central bank digital currency
Also known as CBDC, the potential for this sort of system has prompted alarm bells from DeSantis and his office.
The bill aims to prohibit the U.S. Federal Reserve implementing such a digital currency that can be centrally tracked by the federal government in Florida.
It accomplishes this by preventing CBDC from being treated as legal currency under Florida Uniform Commercial Code.
The bill was carried by Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville.
Parental rights law expansion to PreK-8:
The bill prohibits school teachers from teaching sexual orientation or gender identity from grades PreK-8.
The legislation also puts restrictions on pronoun uses in schools, defines “sex,” and adds guidelines for books citizens are challenging in schools.
The legislation was carried by Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville. The House previously combined HB 1069, sponsored by Rep. Stan McClain, R-Ocala, and HB 1223, sponsored by Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor.
Eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion departments from public universities
The bill eliminates funding for “DEI” programs from public universities and establish standards for core courses.
The bill was carried by Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, and Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce.
Separate bathrooms by sex
The bill mandates separate male, female or unisex bathrooms for entities such as schools and government buildings.
The legislation outlines that someone commits the offense of a trespass if they enter a bathroom designated for the opposite sex at a state building, correctional institution, detention facility, juvenile correctional facility and any educational institution.
Rep. Rachel Lora Saunders Plakon, R-Lake Mary, and Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, carried the legislation.
Requiring “wide diversity of perspectives” in campus lectures or debates, banning political loyalty tests in higher education
The legislation aims to modify provisions related to intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity, the use of political loyalty tests in hiring and admissions, and due process for students participating in student governments.
The legislation was carried by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, and Rep. Spencer Roach, R-Fort Myers.
Interests of foreign countries
The legislation will ban the purchase or acquisition of real estate by the People’s Republic of China.
The legislation also refers to the prohibition of such activities by any individual who is “domiciled” in China and is not a U.S. citizen.
The Department of Justice, however, is arguing that the Florida law barring Chinese citizens from owning land in the state violates a federal housing law and the Fourteenth Amendment.
Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, carried the bill in the Senate, and Reps. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, and Katherine Waldron, D-Wellington, carried the bill in the House.
School bus passing infractions
HB 657 allows counties to place cameras within school zones. The goal is to catch and fine people who violate speed limits and pass a school bus illegally. Currently, the only traffic cameras currently authorized by law are commonly known as red light cameras.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Traci Koster, R-Tampa, and Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral.
Student Online Personal Information Protection Act
The legislation aims to restrict the operator of a website or online application from collecting or selling student data to engage in targeted advertising. This would apply to operators, online services, or applications that are used for K-12 school purposes.
Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Rep. Traci Koster, R-Tampa, carried the legislation.
School Choice
The legislation expands eligibility for Florida’s school choice scholarships to all students who are residents of Florida and eligible to enroll in K-12 in a public school.
The legislation also eliminates the waiting list for students with unique abilities to ensure their unique needs are met. It also allows parents to use “Education Savings Accounts” to cover eligible educational products and services.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee. The legislation was co-sponsored by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, and Rep. Susan Plasencia, R-Orlando in the House.
Florida’s Wildlife corridor
The legislation will connect Florida’s iconic Wildlife Corridor to Florida’s greenways and trails system, the Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network, as well as recreational pathways to heritage small towns.
Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, and Rep. Adam Botana, R-Bonita Springs, carried the legislation.
Technology in K-12 Public Schools
The legislation will restrict access to social media websites on school district networks and district owned devices.
It will also ban TikTok on district-owned devices or “as a platform used to communicate or promote any district school, school-sponsored club, extracurricular organization, or athletic team.”
The legislation requires a district school board to ban any device used by a student from accessing a website, application, or software that does not have an internet safety policy.
Rep. Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey, and Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, carried the legislation.
Menstrual hygiene products in schools
The legislation allows school districts to make menstrual hygiene products available at schools at no charge. It encourages school districts to partner with organizations to provide the products.
Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, carried the legislation.
Residency of local officials
The legislation prohibits county commission districts, municipal districts, and school board member residence areas from being drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a candidate.
It requires an elected candidate for district school board member to reside in the district school board member residence area by the date she or he assumes office instead of upon qualifying for such office.
Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Dade City, and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, sponsored the legislation.
Term limits school board members
The legislation limits school board members to eight-year term limits.
It allows two consecutive four-year terms, beginning with the November 2022 election.
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, carried the bill in the Senate and Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, carried the bill in the House. Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Dade City, and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, carried the legislation.
Amusement rides safety
The legislation aims to increase safety standards for amusement rides.
Florida lawmakers called the “Tyre Sampson Act,” named after a teenage boy that died at an Orlando amusement park last year.
The legislation would require that any ride that rises more than 100 feet in the air must have seatbelts, in addition to any other kinds of restraints.
The legislation would set up a ride monitoring program, focus on signage, requires an annual affidavit to make sure the ride is in compliance, among other measures.
The bill was carried by Sen. Geraldine F. “Geri” Thompson, D-Orlando, and Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Orlando.
Teachers “Bill of Rights”
The legislation aims to give teachers more autonomy over their classrooms and the right to challenge illegitimate school orders.
It will provide instructors two options for responding to a school policy that is illegal.
Teachers will be able to pursue a legal remedy in civil court in which they may be entitled to damages and “reasonable” attorney fees.
It also establishes the dual enrollment education scholarship program.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R-Tampa, and Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami.
Florida State Guard
The legislation establishes the Florida State Guard as a permanent component in Florida’s state militia and creates the Division of the State Guard within the Department of Military Affairs.
The legislation was carried by Rep. Mike Giallombardo, R-Cape Coral.
Disney/Land use development regulations
The legislation will allow the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board to cancel previous last-minute agreements between the previous district board and Walt Disney World.
The bill prohibits an independent special district from complying with terms of a development agreement or any other agreement if the agreement was executed within three months before the effective date of the law modifying the selection manner of the governing body of the district.
The bill was carried by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and Rep. Stan McClain, R-Ocala.
Disney World monorail
The legislation will authorize the Florida government to complete safety inspections for Walt Disney World’s monorail system.
The state would also have oversight over the Guideway Transportation System at the Orlando International Airport monorail system.
Rep. Shane Abbott, R-DeFuniak Springs, sponsored the legislation. The law contains a provision brought on by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, that would allow the state to adopt minimum safety standards for privately owned fixed-guideway transportation systems operating within an independent special district.
Election reform
Lawmakers approved an election overhaul bill that tackles many issues, including changes to third-party voter registration organizations, requires annual reviews of voter registration records, and clarifies that a sitting governor can run for president without being required to resign from his position.
Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm Coast, carried the bill in the Senate. Reps. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, and Michelle Salzma, R-Escambia County, carried a similar bill in the House.
Taxation
Lawmakers passed a tax package that will provide over $1.8 billion in tax relief to residents and businesses.
The legislation creates permanent exemptions for specified baby and toddler products and clothes, adult incontinence products, oral hygiene products, machinery and equipment to produce renewable natural gas, certain agricultural fencing, and small private investigative agency services.
Rep. Stan McClain, R-Ocala, carried the legislation.
