A handful of new laws went into effect starting January 1st in the Sunshine State, focusing on issues like newborn health care, toll relief and the property insurance system.
These measures were passed during the 2022 legislative session or during special sessions lawmakers held throughout the year, then signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Here's what you need to know about the new rules passed by the state legislature that became law in 2023:
TOLL RELIEF FOR COMMUTERS (SB 6-A)
A new law that will provide 50% credits for drivers who have taken 35 or more trips per month on toll collection devices. Governor DeSantis says the new law ensures Floridians, and not tourists, will benefit from the rebate program.
A new law that requires hospitals and state-licensed birthing facilities to screen newborns for cytomegalovirus (CMV), a virus that can cause growth and development problems in babies, the most common of which is hearing loss.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. About one out of 200 babies is born with congenital CMV. One out of five babies with congenital CMV will have symptoms or long-term health problems, such as hearing loss.”
APARTMENT RENTER SAFETY (SB 898)
Referred to as "Miya's Law," SB 898 requires stricter background checks for employees, maintaining logs for each unit’s keys, and increasing notification requirements for maintenance and repairs from 12 to 24 hours. The law, named after slain college student Miya Marcano, is designed to strengthen safety measures for apartment renters.
Marcano was found dead a week after she went missing from her Orlando apartment in September 2021. Her suspected killer, 27-year-old Armando Manual Caballero, used a master key fob to enter her apartment the day she went missing.
A new law that lowers the electronic filing and payment threshold for taxpayers remitting and filing taxes from $20,000 to $5,000. According to WTSP, "this law is meant to create more operational efficiency and save money by cutting down on the number of paper returns and checks received."
As part of a larger property insurance bill signed by Governor DeSantis in December, SB 2-A will eliminate the practice known as "assignment of benefits," which involves homeowners signing claims over to contractors who pursue payments from insurers.
NBC Miami reports the law, which lawmakers say were designed to stabilize the insurance market, will attract more insurers to the state and eventually reduce premium costs for homeowners.
A new law that allows government agencies to publish legal notices from local governments on the county's websites rather than requiring them to be printed in a newspaper or on a newspaper's website.