The new year brings new laws.<\/p>\n
While most bills passed during the 2025 legislative session are already active, here are five notable bills Floridians should know take effect on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
Animal cruelty database<\/p>\n
HB 255<\/a>, has already mostly taken effect.<\/p>\n It\u2019s called Dexter\u2019s Law<\/a>, named after a dog that was adopted from an animal shelter but was found beheaded shortly after in a Pinellas County park.<\/p>\n Provisions of the bill increasing criminal penalties for serious cases of animal cruelty became active over the summer.<\/p>\n But the legislation also directs the state to create a public online database of animal abusers by the new year.<\/p>\n Pet insurance recognized<\/p>\n HB 655<\/a>, creates a regulatory framework for pet insurance in Florida, starting Jan. 1.<\/p>\n It changes the definition of property insurance to include pet insurance, bringing pet policies under clearer state oversight. It increases consumer protections, caps waiting periods and creates a 30-day free-look period.<\/p>\n It also bans insurers from misrepresenting \u201cpet wellness\u201d plans as actual coverage, causing some consumers to think plans covering things like annual check-ups would also help with emergency care.<\/p>\n Breast cancer checks<\/p>\n Under SB 158<\/a>, those insured by the state won\u2019t be charged out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary diagnostic breast cancer exams as well as imaging for those with increased risk of the disease.<\/p>\n Condominium affordability<\/p>\n High costs hitting condominium owners are, in part, driven by safety standards created after the 2021 deadly condo collapse<\/a> in Surfside. Condo communities are required to have mandatory inspection and fixes \u2014 plus reserve funds to cover them.<\/p>\n But some provisions of a condo affordability bill<\/a>, HB 913<\/a>, are kicking in. They require more transparency from condo board associations, including by requiring those with more than 25 units to quickly post important records online.<\/p>\n Those records include video recordings of meetings \u2014 if the meetings are held over video conference \u2014 as well as meeting minutes.<\/p>\n Large portions of the measure are already in effect.<\/p>\n Patient overpayment refund<\/p>\n