From Facebook Ban to Building Regulations, These Nine New Florida Laws Go in Effect on Tuesday

From banning minors from social media to imposing harsher penalties for getting too close to first responders, these nine laws go into effect on New Year’s Day.

HB 3: Online protections for minors

Under HB 3, a priority of former House Speaker Paul Renner, 14- and 15-year-olds would need their parents’ permission to create accounts on social media platforms that use “addictive features” such as infinite scrolling and push notifications. Kids younger than 14 can’t have accounts, even with their parents’ permission. Another provision requires websites and apps publishing pornography to verify that users are over 18.




Although the law goes into effect on Jan. 1, Attorney General Ashley Moody agreed to delay enforcement relating to social media until a federal judge decides whether to block it pending resolution of the legal dispute between major tech companies and the state. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker will hear arguments on Feb. 28.

In the suit filed in October, the Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice argue that HB 3 violates the First Amendment rights of minors and adults because it creates barriers information.

An association for the adult entertainment industry filed suit against HB 3 on Dec. 16, claiming the law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and significantly burdens interstate commerce.

HB 135: Voter registration applications

Lawmakers unanimously passed HB 135, which prohibits the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles from using a voter registration application to change someone’s party affiliation without a signature authorizing the change.

Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman of Palm Beach County told multiple House committees during the legislative session that she filed HB 135 because the department had a glitch in its system that changed people’s voter registration to no-party affiliation. She said several constituents told her they couldn’t vote for her in the 2022 primary because they found out they’d been registered as NPAs when they went to the polls.

SB 184: Impeding, threatening, or harassing first responders

SB 184 makes it a misdemeanor for people to come within 25 feet of a first responder “engaged in the lawful performance of a legal duty” if the first responder has warned the person to stay away. The law garnered backlash from groups such as the First Amendment Foundation, which called it blatantly unconstitutional and warned it would prevent citizen journalists from documenting police misconduct.

HB 267: Building regulations

Local governments could face a time crunch to adjust to new deadlines for approving building permits under HB 267. The law requires local governments to approve or deny most permits within 30 business days for buildings up to 7,500 square feet and 60 business days for larger structures. The new deadlines are significantly shorter than the 120 days local governments have to approve permits now.

HB 267 also shortens the time for local governments to determine whether an application for a permit is incomplete from 10 to five business days. If they fail to meet the deadline, the permit fees decrease by 10% each day.

SB 362: Medical treatment under the workers’ compensation law

Physicians who treat injured workers are slated to earn a fee increase beginning Jan. 1. SB 362, which passed the Legislature unanimously, increases physician and surgeon payments to 175% and 210% of the Medicare rate, respectively. That’s a significant boost from the rates of 110% and 140% of Medicare, respectively, in place now.

In addition, the law bumps the amounts paid to health care expert witnesses to $300 per hour, an increase from the existing $200 hourly rate.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), a workers’ compensation rating organization, pointed to the legislation as a reason why it was recommending just a 1% rate reduction in workers’ compensation rates paid by employers. It was the smallest proposed rate reduction NCCI had offered in years.

Florida’s chief insurance regulator ordered the 1% reduction in rates effective in November.

SB 556: Protection of Specified Adults

Lawmakers aimed to protect older Floridians from financial exploitation with SB 556, which the Legislature approved unanimously. The law allows financial institutions to place a hold for up to 30 days on transactions if they suspect an account holder older than 65 is being financially exploited. The institution must start an internal review of the events and must notify others authorized to access the account about the suspected exploitation within three days.

SB 7054: Private Activity Bonds

The Florida Legislature passed SB 7054 on a near-unanimous vote, updating how the state issues private activity bonds (PBAs). The state borrows money on behalf of private companies and nonprofits for projects that would benefit the public, such as affordable housing. The changes to PBAs in the law are meant to maximize their use by increasing the pools and timelines associated with the bonds.

SB 892: Dental insurance claims

A top priority for the Florida Dental Association is SB 892, which bans insurance companies and managed care plans from providing payments by electronic transfers of funds unless they have the dentist’s consent in advance. Moreover, dentists cannot be charged for accepting electronic payments unless the dentist agrees to the charges in advance.




The new law tightens the state’s insurance codes to make clear that once a dentist obtains advance authorization for a service, the insurer or managed care plan cannot deny payment unless it was fraudulently submitted or based on fraudulent information.

HB 1093: Florida Uniform Fiduciary Income and Principal Act

HB 1093, crafted by the Florida Bar, makes the state more appealing for the administration of estates, trusts, and other fiduciary arrangements. The law gives more flexibility for people in charge of trusts to pay the beneficiaries and for trusts and estates to be passed down for generations up to 1,000 years.

The law is modeled after a 2018 draft from the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, a nonprofit promoting consistency within statutes across states. Florida is the eighth state to pass a law conforming to the recommendation, according to the Florida Bar. The law applies to a trust established outside of the state if the person managing it moves to Florida.

–Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix