As we enter the new year, a wave of new laws will take effect across Florida, impacting residents and visitors alike. From social media restrictions for minors to protections for vulnerable adults, it’s important for everyone to familiarize themselves with these new regulations. It’s time to catch up on the latest new laws coming to the Sunshine State on January 1, 2025:
1. HB 135: Voter Registration Applications
Beginning in 2025, Florida voters who wish to change their party affiliation must provide written consent. This addresses a previous glitch in state software that had unintentionally reset party affiliations to “No Party Affiliation” for some renewing their driver’s licenses. You can read more about that here.
2. HB 267: Building Regulations
This law updates the state’s building code, setting specific time limits for local governments to either approve or deny permit applications and changing the rules around seal drawings for window, door or garage door replacements if they meet certain standards. You can read more about this here.
3. HB 3: Online Protections for Minors
HB 3 bans children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts and requires parental permission for those aged 14 and 15. It will also require social media platforms to terminate accounts suspected of belonging to someone under 14 and provide 90 days to dispute the termination. Despite going into effect on Jan. 1st, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office announced that the state would not be enforcing the law until the courts rule on a preliminary injunction. A hearing is scheduled for late February. You can read more about this law here.
4. SB 556: Protection of Specified Adults
SB 556 aims to protect older adults (65 and older) and vulnerable adults from fraud. It authorizes financial institutions, under certain circumstances, to delay transactions or disbursements from an account of a “specified adult,” if financial exploitation is suspected. You can read more about this bill here.
5. SB 184: Impeding, Threatening, or Harassing First Responders
This new law makes it a second-degree misdemeanor for an individual to stay within 25 feet of a first responder who has verbally warned them to stay away, while performing a legal duty. The bill states that the person must be acting with the intent to hinder or interfere with the first responder’s ability to perform their duty, threaten them with physical harm or harass them. You can read more about this here.