Florida is set to enact several significant laws in 2026, impacting animal welfare, health care, and consumer protections.

These laws will affect thousands of Florida residents, from state employees and pet owners to health care patients, and signal an ongoing commitment to transparency, consumer rights, and welfare oversight within the state.

Why It Matters

These new statutes reflect a trend among U.S. states to address gaps in federal legislation by introducing locally tailored reforms. 

What To Know

The four new laws that will take effect in Florida are:

1. Pet Insurance Disclosure Requirements (HB 655)

This law mandates that pet insurance providers must clearly declare how claims are assessed and approved, while outlining any requirements for medical exams. 

Insurers can exclude preexisting conditions and set waiting periods for certain illnesses—but not for accidents. Applicants can review and return policies within a set time frame.

Insurers cannot base eligibility on wellness program participation and cannot require medical exams for policy renewals (though exams may be required after purchase).

2. Public Animal Cruelty Offenders Registry (HB 255, “Dexter’s Law”)

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is required to host a public, searchable database of individuals convicted or pleading guilty/no contest to animal cruelty offenses under “Dexter’s Law,” which was named after a shelter dog that was discovered beheaded in a Pinellas County park shortly after being adopted. 

The database is designed to provide greater oversight to shelters, breeders, and the public, helping prevent individuals with prior offenses from adopting or purchasing animals.

3. Full Coverage for State Employee Breast Examinations (SB 158) 

Under this law, enrollees in Florida’s state health insurance plans will not be subject to out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic or supplemental breast examinations, ensuring early detection services are more accessible.

4. Technical Changes in Taxation and Benefits Administration

Florida is enacting technical and administrative changes affecting state-level tax processes and benefits administration. 

These changes are designed to improve efficiency and increase transparency, though detailed provisions have yet to be widely summarized.

What People Are Saying

The text of the Pet Insurance and Wellness Programs bill, introduced by Representative Kaylee Tuck of Lake Placid, says that it “requires pet insurers to make certain disclosures to pet insurance applicants and policyholders, including a summary of their bases or formulas for the determination of claim payments under the pet insurance policy.”

Animal advocate Debbie Darino, who pushed for “Dexter’s Law,” said: “This is the first database that’s been implemented in the entire state of Florida. Anybody charged with animal cruelty in the state of Florida, every day, electronically, it updates, and your name will go in there. Makes it a lot easier for people to find abusers.”

Senator Lori Berman of Palm Beach, sponsor of SB 158, wrote: “SB 158 prohibits the state group insurance program from imposing any cost-sharing liability for diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations in any contract or plan for state employee health benefits that provides coverage for diagnostic breast examinations or supplemental breast examinations. 

“The prohibition is effective January 1, 2026, consistent with the start of the new plan year. The bill provides that if, under federal law, this prohibition would result in health savings account ineligibility under s. 223 of the Internal Revenue Code, the prohibition applies only to health savings account qualified high-deductible health plans with respect to the deductible of such a plan after the person has satisfied the minimum deductible under such plan.”

What Happens Next

State agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Office of Insurance Regulation, will begin implementing these laws in early 2026.

The animal cruelty offenders registry is expected to launch on the FDLE website, with ongoing updates as individuals are added.

Insurance companies must update consumer-facing documents and disclosures on pet policies, while state health plans adjust processes to ensure employees are not billed for covered breast examinations.