NEW FLORIDA LAWS IN 2025 THAT TOOK EFFECT ON JANUARY 1ST
Florida lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis passed over 200 new state laws in 2024. The majority took effect in July and October.
12 additional laws from the 2024 Legislative season took effect at the start of 2025.
Included in the new laws are social media bans for minors, provisions for first responder safety and safeguards against financial exploitation.
Summary of the 12 new Florida Laws in 2025 that took effect on January 1st:
HB 3 — Social Media Restrictions for Children
Children under 14 years old are banned from having social media accounts. The law allows parents to give consent for 14 and 15 year olds to have accounts.
Under the law, “social media” is defined as an online platform with all of the following properties:
- Allows users to upload content or view the content of others
- At least 10% of daily active users under 16 years old spend an average minimum of two hours per day over the prior year
- Uses algorithms that analyze user data
- Has addictive features like “infinite scrolling,” push notifications and personal interactive metrics
HB 135 – Voter Registration Applications
Parts of the state’s voter registration application statutes have been amended with House Bill 135.
Voters can usually only switch their party affiliation if they designate and agree to the change in writing in order to prevent issues for residents renewing their driver’s licenses.
However, sources allege that some voters in Florida have had their party affiliation switched without their knowledge due to a “glitch” in the software used by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
As part of the new Florida Laws in 2025, this one requires that the DHSMV will ensure its “technology process and updates do not alter an applicant’s party affiliation without the written consent of the applicant.”
HB 267 — Building Regulations
The state’s building code has been amended with House Bill 267 and is included with the new Florida Laws in 2025.
Set time limits for local governments to either approve or deny permit applications have been implemented with the amendments.
The amendments to the bill also include the following changes:
- Auditing standards must be created by local governments before auditing a private provider.
- An internship program for residential building inspectors must be completed as a pathway for licensure as a residential building inspector.
- In certain homes, sealed drawings will not be required for replacements of windows, doors or garage doors, as long as they meet state standards.
HB 1093 – Florida Uniform Fiduciay Income and Principal Act
House Bill 1093 codifies the Florida Uniform Fiduciary Income and Principal Act (FUFIPA) into law.
The law will replace the Florida Uniform Principal and Income Act (FUPIA), which governs the allocation of trust and estate receipts and disbursement between principal and interest when a Florida trust doesn’t provide its own terms for such allocation.
The changes are part of the new Florida Laws in 2025 and will modernize the state’s trust law, allowing for total-return investing under the modern portfolio theory.
FUFIPA will also provide flexibility for more individualized estate planning, and allow an existing trust to be converted into a unitrust.
HB 1491 – Public Records (DLA Investigations)
Linked to HB 1, House Bill 1491 establishes public record exemptions involving investigations by the Department of Legal Affairs.
Once an investigation by the DLA is finished, the law provides that the following information is covered under these exemptions:
- Personal identifying information
- Computer forensic reports
- Information that would otherwise reveal weaknesses in data security
- Information that would otherwise disclose proprietary information
Unless reenacted by the Legislature, these exemptions are part of the new Florida Laws in 2025 and are set to be repealed on Oct. 2, 2029.
HB 7017 — Amendment 5
Amendment 5 was sent to the ballot for the 2024 General Election with House Bill 7017, and was approved by over 60% of Florida voters.
The methods used to determine how some property taxes are calculated for Florida homeowners who have a homestead exemption is changing. The result will help to lower their annual property tax increases.
HB 7019 — Confirming Amendment 5
House Bill 7019 makes confirming statutory changes in line with HB 7017 following the approval of Amendment 5 during the 2024 General Election.
SB 184 – Threatening First Responders
In order to give more protection to first responders, Senate Bill 184 establishes the following as first-degree misdemeanors:
- Interrupting, disrupting, hindering, impeding or interfering with a first responder’s ability to perform their duties
- Threatening a first responder with physical harm
- Harassing a first responder by interfering with his/her performance of his/her duties
SB 362 — Medical Treatment
Senate Bill 362 increases the maximum medical reimbursements for physicians and surgical procedures — as well as maximum fees for expert witnesses — under Florida’s “Workers Compensation Law.”
SB 556 — Protection from Financial Exploitation
Senate Bill 556 is another one of the new Florida Laws in 2025. It provides more protections for specified adults ages 65 years and older, as well as vulnerable adults who might be victims of financial exploitation.
Under this law, financial institutions can delay disbursements or transactions of funds from an account of a specified or vulnerable adult under the following conditions:
- There is a reasonable belief that financial exploitation of the specified adult is at play.
- The financial institution provides written notice to all parties authorized to transact business on the account (as well as trusted contacts) within three business days after the delay was first placed.
- A state-chartered financial institution notifies the Office of Financial Regulation of the delay within three business days after the delay was first placed.
- The financial institution must start an internal review of the facts that caused the employee to believe that financial exploitation was at play.
Any such delay in a disbursement/transaction expires in 15 business days, though it may be extended for an additional 30 business days.
SB 892 – Dental Insurance Claims
Dental insurance claims undergo the following changes with this substantial bill that became part of the new Florida Laws in 2025:
- Prohibits contracts between health insurers and dentists which contain certain restrictions on payment methods — for example, contracts specifying that credit card payment is your only option.
- Prohibits health insurers from charging a fee to transmit a payment to a dentist through Automated Clearing House transfer unless the dentist has consented to such a fee.
- Prohibits a health insurer from denying claims for procedures included in a prior authorization.
- Prohibits contracts between prepaid limited health service organizations and dentists from containing certain restrictions on payment methods, similar to the first point.
SB 7054 — Private Activity Bonds
State statutes regarding private activity bonds are being revised with Senate Bill 7054.
These types of bonds are generally Issued by state or local governments. They provide special benefits to firms that are undertaking certain kinds of projects, especially those that are in the public’s interest.
As part of the new Florida Laws in 2025, this one has a few minor changes, including:
- Legislative intent to maximize the annual use of private activity bonds to finance improvements, projects and programs serving public purposes
- Revisions to the regions, pools and timelines related to bond allocations to consolidate infrequently-used pools and expedite usage of bonds
- Allowances for for all volume cap allocated in a confirmation to be entitled to be carried forward, rather than limiting to specific types of projects or basing it on the amount of the confirmation
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