ORLANDO, Fla. — The new year will bring several new laws to Florida.
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These 2023 laws come from this year’s legislative session and also include bills passed during the December special session.
Some of the bills include a lobbying ban, health screenings and parts of the property insurance bill.
Read: 9 things every Florida homeowner should know about changes to insurance
State lawmakers said the collapsing insurance market will continue to be discussed in 2023.
“Quite frankly, we just can’t keep kicking the can down the road,” said Senator Linda Stewart.
The fight to fix Florida’s failing property insurance is far from over, but some progress was made during the special session.
Read: Pain and no easy fix: Florida prepares to tackle homeowner’s insurance, again
Part of the massive bill included eliminating the assignment of benefits law, which means property owners will no longer be forced to sign over claims to contractors.
Residents in Orlo Vista were hit hard during Hurricane Ian back when the bill was being discussed. Neighbors said skipping that step would be a relief, considering they were told Orlo Vista would not start fixing its infrastructure until February 2024.
“It’s so vast, because so many of us didn’t have proper insurance or didn’t have enough insurance or had no insurance whatsoever,” Janet Buford-Johnson said.
A less controversial law is coming to Florida in 2023 and requires newborns to be tested for congenital cytomegalovirus within three weeks of birth.
Read: 9 Investigates renewed push to screen for infant virus, CMV
The virus, also known as CMV, is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States.
In January, a new law gives local government agencies the option to publish legal notices on public websites, instead of printing them in a newspaper.
Next year, it will be illegal for ex-judges and ex-lawmakers to lobby the legislature or executive branch within six years of leaving office. If they break the rules, they can be fined up to $10,000 and face several other penalties.
Eight new laws go into effect on Jan. 1, including HB 273: Money Services Businesses and SB 336: Uniform Commercial Code.
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