TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a significant move on Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enacted 13 new laws, marking the largest signing of this legislative session as it draws to a close.
These bills cover a wide array of issues, such as motor-related crimes, boating regulations, pawnbroker data, and migrant vessels.
Each of the new 13 laws is as follows:
HB 253 — Motor Crimes
House Bill 253 makes several changes to state statutes regarding motor vehicle offenses.
These changes include the following:
| Offense | New Rule |
|---|---|
| Driver uses prohibited lights or tries to pull another car over | Becomes a third-degree felony |
| Noncriminal traffic infraction where a driver purposefully alters or covers up a license plate or vehicle registration certificate | Becomes a second-degree misdemeanor |
| Person buys or owns a device to obscure his/her license plate | Now prohibited, second-degree misdemeanor |
| Person makes or sells a device to obscure license plates | Now prohibited, first-degree misdemeanor |
| Person uses a device to obscure a license plate while committing a crime or avoiding law enforcement | Now prohibited, third-degree felony |
The law is set to take effect on Oct. 1.
HB 307 — Property Appraisers
House Bill 307 allows county property appraisers to pay hiring or retention bonuses to employees.
To do so, the bonus must be approved by the state in the property appraiser’s budget.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 429 — Florida Dealership Act
One of the bills, House Bill 429, amends the Florida Motor Vehicle Dealership Act, which controls the licensure and agreements among dealers, manufacturers, and distributors.
This updated law notably forbids license holders from retaliating against car dealers if the dealership claims or provides evidence that the license holder breached the motor vehicle franchise law.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 481 — Anchoring Rules
House Bill 481 creates a new exception under state law regarding anchoring boats.
While local governments aren’t typically allowed to regulate the anchoring of vessels outside of mooring fields, this law now lets counties with a population of at least 1.5 million do so.
More specifically, regulation is allowed in the following instances:
-
If the vessel is anchored for at least one hour;
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If the boat is anchored anytime between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise; and
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If this continues for more than 30 days in a six-month period
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
HB 715 — Roofing Services
House Bill 715 expands the scope of work for licensed roofing contractors under state law.
More specifically, this law now includes the valuation and enhancement of roof-to-wall connections for structures with wood roof decking.
However, the law also narrows the time period for a 10-day cancellation period that lets a homeowner cancel a roofing contract without penalty.
Now, the cancellation period is only available if the contract is within 180 days of a declared state of emergency.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
HB 735 — Water Access Facilities
House Bill 735 lets marine manufacturers participate in the state’s Clean Marina Program, which gives participating facilities a 10% discount on their annual lease fee for sovereign submerged lands.
In addition, the law expands a state program to provide grants for boating projects, such as publicly-owned parking for boat-hauling vehicles and trailers.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1137 — Fuel Source Restrictions
House Bill 1137 prohibits local governments from restricting the types of fuel sources for energy production that can be used by a wide array of utility companies.
In addition, the law prevents these local governments from prohibiting the use of an appliance — such as a grill or stove — that uses those types of fuel sources.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1359 — Pawn Shop Database
House Bill 1359 requires the state to look into the possibility of creating a statewide pawn data database for law enforcement to use.
“Pawn data” refers to information about sales and purchases at secondhand dealers like pawn shops.
Such information is already required under state law to be reported to local law enforcement, though this potential database would be connected across all agencies in the state.
The feasibility study is slated to be finished by Jan. 1, 2026, which is when state officials will bring the results of the study to lawmakers.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 384 — State-Owned Lands
Senate Bill 384 amends the procedure for municipal annexation, the process whereby local governments bring new land under their jurisdiction.
The law will require a local government to notify each member of the local Legislative delegation before the first public hearing on a proposal to annex state-owned lands.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 388 — Wildlife Management
Senate Bill 388 specifies that the Grants and Donations Trust Fund must be used for grant and donor agreement activities, regardless of the source of funding for those activities.
The law also lets the FWC use proceeds from the Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund for law enforcement purposes.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 678 — Pawnbroker Transaction Forms
Senate Bill 678 allows transaction forms used by pawnbrokers to be in digital format, rather than requiring print format only.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 830 — Migrant Vessels
Senate Bill 830 prohibits people and firms from leaving a “migrant vessel” in state waters.
Under this law, a “migrant vessel” refers to the following:
“…Irregularly constructed and equipped maritime vessel designed, intended, or used for the purpose of undocumented immigrant transportation, which was built or assembled using or combining makeshift or improvised materials or material components and meets at least one of the following criteria:
1. The vessel was not constructed by a boat manufacturer.
2. The vessel was not assigned a hull identification number.”
Senate Bill 830 (2025)
Migrant vessels on public property must be removed within five days of notice; otherwise, it can be disposed of by law enforcement.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 1388 — Boater Freedom Act
Senate Bill 1388 — dubbed the “Boater Freedom Act” — establishes that law enforcement officers may not board any vessels or pull a vessel over without probable cause.
This rule takes effect regardless of whether the owner of the vessel is on board, and it means that officers may not pull a vessel over simply to make a safety or marine sanitation equipment inspection.
Instead, the law requires state agencies to create a “Florida Freedom Boater” safety inspection decal for boaters demonstrating proper use and storage of safety equipment.
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