On October 1, almost thirty new laws will go into force in the state. One of the laws that will cause a lot of debate is one that will limit where homeless people can sleep.
Other steps include making a license plate for Parrot Heads who are living the life of the late singer Jimmy Buffett and making home buyers give more information about floods.
There are 34 laws that were passed during the 2024 legislative session that will go into action. HB 1365, which makes changes for homeless people, is the most important of these.
House bill sponsor Sam Garrison, R-Fleming Island, said in June, after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of an Oregon city’s law that made it illegal to camp in public, “Florida has chosen to reject comfortable inaction and tackle this problem head on.”
Because of a new rule in Florida, cities and towns can’t let people sleep in public buildings or on public rights of way. It would be up to the local governments to decide where homeless people can sleep.
As part of another part of the bill, people who live or own businesses will be able to sue local governments civilly if they let people sleep or camp on public land. On January 1, that part of the law will become law.
In the past few months, communities have been scrambling to try to follow the rules. Dean Trantalis, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, said he hoped Gov. Ron DeSantis would put off implementation.
“We’re doing everything we can to fix it.” Trantalis said at a meeting on September 1 that the program to help civilians who are homeless had grown in size and staffing over the past year because it was seen as important. “However, the state’s order is a heavy burden.”
Miami-Dade County has thought about using “tiny houses,” which are run by an organisation for the homeless called the Homeless Trust, as temporary housing to keep bars from being overloaded.
To deal with the rule, Jacksonville put together a $13.6 million plan that included more outreach teams, more shelter beds, and a person in the mayor’s office whose job it was to deal with homeless issues.
“It’s not enough to just keep people off the streets.” “It’s about making sure they can fit in with our society,” Mayor Donna Deegan said in July.
The budget for the fiscal year 2024–2025 and most of the bills passed during this year’s congressional session went into effect on July 1. Other rules that will start on October 1 are listed below:
- HB 403: Creates several potential new license plates, including a “Margaritaville” plate — in honor of Buffett — to benefit the SFC Charitable Foundation, Inc. Other potential new plates include Universal Orlando Resort;” “Support General Aviation;” “Recycle Florida;” “Boating Capital of the World;” and “The Villages: May All Your Dreams Come True.”
- HB 549: Makes it a third-degree felony to be part of a group of five or more people who overwhelm a merchant to conduct retail theft.
- SB 718: Makes it a second-degree felony for people who possess fentanyl or similar drugs that result in first responders suffering overdoses or serious injuries.
- SB 758: Makes changes to laws about using tracking devices, with exemptions provided under certain circumstances for law-enforcement officers, parents of minors, caregivers of seniors and vehicle owners.
- SB 764: Requires medical facilities and rape crisis centers to transfer sexual-assault evidence kits to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement within 30 days.
- SB 1036: Increases criminal penalties for immigrants who are arrested for felonies after illegally re-entering the U.S. following deportation for earlier crimes.
- HB 1049: Requires disclosing information to home buyers such as whether the properties have had flood damage and notification that homeowners’ insurance policies don’t include coverage for flood damage.
- HB 1235: Makes a series of changes related to sexual offenders and sexual predators, including changing requirements about reporting to authorities at least 48 hours before moving to another state.
- HB 1389: Makes changes related to digital voyeurism, including increasing criminal penalties if offenders are age 19 or older and are family members or hold positions of authority over victims.
- SB 1628: Includes requiring local governments to complete business impact statements before adopting comprehensive plan amendments and land development regulations.