FLORIDA (WJHG/WECP) – More than 100 new laws went into effect in Florida on July 1st.
A full list is available on the Florida Senate’s Bill List page; here are a few of the new laws:
HB 1159- Sexual Offenses strengthens laws against child sexual abuse, increases penalties and mandatory minimum sentences for offenders and adds/adjusts penalties for related offenses.
HB 445 — Dangerous Crimes (“Missy’s Law”): According to the Florida House of Representatives website, this law requires the court to immediately take into custody a person who pleads guilty, no contest to, or is found guilty of a dangerous crime.
The law allows the person to remain in custody without bond until sentencing. It also revises the meaning of what legally counts as a “dangerous crime.”
SB 484 — Data Centers gives local government the ability to keep authority over planning and land development rules for places that use an abnormally large amount of electricity (like data centers).
It also sets some statewide rules for how they obtain power and water and calls for a study of their impacts.
According to the Florida House of Representatives website SB 182 protects students at certain charter schools from being kicked out because of poor grades.
Students in specific grades must be taught cursive writing.
Each district must set rules requiring portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in every public school, if the legislature funds it.
HB 1279 — Education updates requirements for virtual education, allows students to carry any FDA-approved epinephrine device (not just auto-injectors) and makes a range of other education changes.
According to the HB 1279 Analysis, this bill also authorizes districts with D/F schools to offer teacher pay incentives to support staffing.
HB 1217 — Prohibited Governmental Policies Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions stops state or local government agencies from adopting “net zero” climate policies.
SB 1471 — Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations
According to the Florida House of Representatives website, this law creates a state process to officially designate domestic/foreign terrorist organizations.
It also makes it a crime to train with them, provide them with material support, or join and act under their direction with certain intent.
It lets the state dissolve corporations designated as terrorist organizations in some cases and restricts certain student fee waivers and public funds for students who promote those groups.
To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WJHG on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Email news@wjhg.com. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Keep up with all the biggest headlines on the WJHG News app, and check out what’s happening outside using the WJHG Weather app.
Copyright 2026 WJHG. All rights reserved.