TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Friday, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis finalized another 13 state laws, following the arrival of numerous new bills at his office earlier in the week.
This recent set of laws addresses various subjects, including the redefinition of child neglect, required flood disclosures, and efforts to influence weather conditions.
Several of these laws will become effective next month, in addition to more than 90 other laws that have already received approval. The complete list is available for review here.
In the meantime, all of Friday’s new laws are as follows:
SB 56 — Weather Modification
Senate Bill 56 prohibits people from dispersing chemicals or other substances to try to modify the weather, including factors like temperature, climate or sunlight intensity.
This prohibition also extends to geoengineering methods like cloud seeding and Solar Radiation Modification.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 106 — Exploiting Vulnerable Adults
Senate Bill 106 amends state statutes regarding the abuse of elderly people and disabled adults.
The law allows the use of a substitute service for respondents in these cases whose identities can’t be ascertained due to communicating with a victim through a means that makes tracing their identity “impractical.”
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 262 — Trusts
Senate Bill 262 amends the Florida Trust Code to let trustees modify the terms of a first trust to create or fund a second trust as a way to make distributions to beneficiaries.
The law took effect upon being signed.
SB 282 — Warranty Associations
Senate Bill 282 revises financial requirements for service warranty and home warranty associations.
Under state law, warranty associations may forego securing liability insurance and complying with premium writing ratios if they meet the following criteria:
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Have a net worth of at least $100 million;
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Provide the OIR with specified audited financial statements; and
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Provide the OIR with specified filings made with the SEC
But this law will instead allow these associations to provide audited financial statements or specified SEC filings, allowing associations that aren’t publicly traded to be eligible for the exemptions.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 312 — IHMC Corporation
Senate Bill 312 modifies requirements related to the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), Inc.
These changes include requiring the IHMC board of directors to oversee the creation of nonprofit subsidiaries, rather than the Board of Governors.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 316 — Limited Liability Companies
Senate Bill 316 amends the Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act.
More specifically, the bill would provide for the creation of a protected series LLC under state law.
The law is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
SB 538 — Duty Judges
Senate Bill 538 allows circuit court duty judges to hold hearings in places other than their chambers. These judges are responsible for handling urgent matters outside of regular court hours.
The law also repeals the $1,500 per day limit on fees paid to court-appointed arbitrators.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 784 — Plat Reviews
Senate Bill 784 requires local governments to review and approve plat submittals through a designated authority.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 796 — Sewage Systems
Senate Bill 796 grants general permits for the replacement of existing sewage treatment systems so long as the permittee conducts proper reporting, annual inspections and recordkeeping.
In addition, the law allows for the installation of a distributed wastewater treatment unit without further action by the DEP so long as the permittee notifies the agency at least 30 days ahead of time.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 948 — Flood Disclosures
Senate Bill 948 requires landlords and mobile home park owners to disclose certain details about flood risks and past flooding at the property to prospective tenants.
As such, the law also allows tenants who suffer major flood damage after not being given the disclosure to terminate their lease and receive refunds for advance rents paid.
Furthermore, the law requires that people trying to sell their homes must disclose any flood damage that occurred while they lived there.
The law is set to take effect on Oct. 1.
SB 1286 — Harming Children
Senate Bill 1286 amends the definition of “harm and neglect of a child” in state statutes.
The law allows caregivers to let a sufficiently mature child engage in independent, unsupervised activities without automatically considering them harmful or neglectful. This includes:
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Traveling to/from school or nearby locations via bicycle or on foot
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Playing outdoors
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Remaining at home or other places for a “reasonable period of time,” unless doing so endangers the child’s safety
However, the law still considers these actions as harmful if the child is subjected to obvious danger that the caregiver knew or should have known about.
In addition, the law considers a caregiver neglectful is he/she fails to provide the child with the necessary services to maintain the child’s physical and mental health.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 1652 — Public Records (Courts)
Senate Bill 1652 creates a public records exemption for certain information in documents stricken by a court in a noncriminal case.
More specifically, the exemption applies if the court finds that the information is irrelevant, false, defamatory, or could potentially cause unwarranted damage to a person’s reputation.
This sort of material often pops up during vexatious lawsuits, where plaintiffs submit documents that may be considered scandalous or harassing.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 7010 — Public Records (Insurers)
Senate Bill 7010 keeps in place a public record exemption for insolvent insurers whose information is held by the Department of Financial Services.
Per state statutes, the exemption was slated to be automatically repealed on Oct. 2, though this law will allow it to remain.
The law is set to take effect on Oct. 1.
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