More than 200 new laws will go into effect in Florida on Saturday. We’re highlighting what you need to know about some of the most high-profile changes:
Permit-less carry
One of the new laws will allow guns to be carried almost anywhere in the state, without a permit.
Police agencies across Florida are urging people to know the rules about what you can and can’t do with firearms, which is information you would typically learn in a concealed carry class, but starting tomorrow, that won’t be required because you won’t need a permit.
There are places, however, where you still cannot carry a gun:
- You absolutely cannot bring your gun onto a flight -- unless, of course, it’s in your checked luggage
- Schools, colleges or universities
- Bars, courthouses, and government meetings
- Any private business where the property owner has prohibited them
As a reminder, guns must still be concealed from view, which means they should be in a hidden holster, bag, or purse. Open carry is still illegal in the state of Florida. Unless you’re a law enforcement officer, you can only openly carry a firearm if you’re engaged in or traveling to or from fishing, hunting, camping, or target shooting.
6-week abortion ban
A new law that will ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy also goes into effect on Saturday. The law will make Florida one of the most restrictive states in the country for women’s reproductive rights.
Gender transition ban
A law outlawing gender transition care for minors also goes into effect. This law will impose a penalty of up to five years in prison for doctors who violate the ban. A court could also temporarily remove children from their family’s home if they receive gender-affirming care.
Another new law will establish the right for a health care provider to opt out of giving service because of a “conscience-based objection” due to religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
Education laws
Diversity equity and inclusion initiatives at state colleges and universities must be defunded by Saturday. Also, public school employees are prohibited from calling students pronouns other than those matching their gender at birth.
The use of TikTok will be banned on devices owned by school districts and through internet access provided by a district.
House Bill 477 will also impose an 8-year term limit for school board members, which is down from 12 years.
State Bill 766 also goes into effect, which allows school districts to use cameras designed to capture pictures of drivers who illegally pass school buses, especially when the lights are flashing, and the stop sign is extended when kids are either boarding or getting off a bus.
News4JAX political analyst Rick Mullaney says most of the state’s new laws are in line with the Republican party’s platform and were sure to be met with opposition.
“There is a Republican, Democratic divide nationally,” Mullaney said. “And there is a Republican, Democratic divide in the state of Florida. But in November, Florida went to red, a supermajority in the legislature, which sometimes gets forgotten. Clearly, the governor had a resounding win at a nearly 20-point win. The biggest in four decades. It is not surprising that in this legislative session in 2023 that a lot of this legislation is consistent with that Republican supermajority. It is also not surprising that many on the Democratic side are opposed to it.”
There are several other laws that won’t be active until either October or even January.
More laws going into effect
--- SB 2500, a $116.5 billion budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which will run from Saturday through June 30. DeSantis vetoed $510.9 million from the budget passed by lawmakers in May.
--- HB 1, expanding taxpayer-funded vouchers to all Florida students and eliminating income-eligibility requirements.
--- HB 3, prohibiting government investment strategies that consider “environmental, social and governance,” or ESG, standards.
--- HB 5, eliminating Enterprise Florida, the state’s business-recruitment agency. Contracts and programs will be shifted to the Department of Economic Opportunity, which will be renamed the Department of Commerce.
--- SB 102, making changes to try to expand affordable housing, including boosting funding for housing and rental programs, providing incentives for investment and encouraging mixed-use developments in struggling commercial areas.
--- SB 106, designating $200 million to help link hiking and biking trails, which are part of the Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network, to a statewide wildlife corridor.
--- SB 214, preventing credit-card companies from tracking firearm and ammunition sales through a separate “merchant category code” at gun businesses.
--- HB 225, allowing “opening remarks” of up to two minutes on public-address systems before high-school championship events. The change came amid a legal battle about whether a Christian school should have been able to offer a prayer over the loudspeaker before a championship football game.
--- SB 240, offering tax breaks for businesses that employ apprentices or pre-apprentices.
--- SB 262, placing restrictions on large online companies about collecting and using consumers’ personal data.
--- SB 264, preventing, with some exceptions, property purchases in Florida by people from China who are not U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.
--- HB 389, allowing school districts to provide free menstrual hygiene products in schools.
--- HB 411, changing residency requirements for county school-board members. The bill will require board members to reside in the districts they represent by the date they take office, rather than at the time they qualify to run.
--- SB 540, allowing “prevailing” parties to recover legal fees in challenges to local government comprehensive growth-management plan changes.
--- HB 637, barring automakers from offering direct-to-consumer or online sales if their vehicles are currently sold through dealerships in the state.
--- SB 846, banning state colleges and universities and employees from accepting gifts from “foreign countries of concern” — China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela.
--- SB 902, placing additional safety requirements on amusement rides. The bill is named after 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who was killed when he fell from a ride last year in Orlando.
--- HB 931, prohibiting colleges and universities from using “political loyalty” tests in hiring, admissions or promotions.
--- HB 1035, spelling out various rights of teachers, including a right to “control and discipline” students and to challenge certain directives from school districts they believe violate state law or State Board of Education rules.
--- HB 1259, requiring school districts to share portions of local property-tax revenues with charter schools.
--- HB 1285, expanding and making permanent the Florida State Guard, which DeSantis revived last year. The state guard will expand from 400 members to 1,500 members.
--- HB 1305, requiring the Department of Transportation to conduct inspections of the Walt Disney World monorail system. The requirement comes amid a long-running feud between Disney and DeSantis.
--- SB 1318, extending liability protections for aerospace companies if crew members are injured or killed in spaceflights.
--- HB 1379, directing $100 million a year from real-estate taxes to the Florida Forever land-acquisition program and requiring a plan on how to improve water quality in the Indian River Lagoon watershed.
--- HB 1521, imposing restrictions on which bathrooms transgender people can use at schools and public buildings. It will require people to use bathrooms that line up with their sex assigned at birth.
--- SB 1580, establishing a right for health-care providers to opt out of providing services because of a “conscience-based objection” based on religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
--- SB 1604, nullifying agreements reached by Disney and the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board. The Reedy Creek board has been replaced by a DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.
--- SB 1718, toughening penalties on people who bring undocumented immigrants into Florida, requiring hospitals to submit data about whether patients are in the country legally and providing $12 million for a program that allows Florida to transport migrants to other parts of the country.
--- HB 7063, providing a wide range of tax breaks, including holding a series of sales-tax “holidays” and creating sales-tax exemptions on diapers. It also will reduce a commercial-lease tax starting in December.
--- SB 7064, increasing penalties for adult-entertainment businesses that do not verify the ages and identities of workers. The bill is designed to help curb human trafficking.
