Florida’s new laws for 2020
Bottom Line: 187. That’s how many new laws were signed into law during Florida’s 2019 state session. Almost all have already gone into effect. For those that haven’t, most will take effect tomorrow. Among those most likely to impact you to are these...
- The final phase of Florida’s texting while driving law
- Digital prescriptions
- Online notarized documents
- Florida’s minimum wage
- Florida’s state session
So, what changes with these new laws effective January 1st?
Texting & hands-free driving: All law enforcement agencies are to enforce Florida’s new texting while driving and hands-free law by issuing citations rather than warnings. First time offenses are $30 plus court fees. Subsequent offenses are $60 plus court fees and three points against your driver’s license.
Digital prescriptions: All physicians are required to create and provide digital prescriptions. This is aimed at easier access for patients to prescribed drugs, fewer errors by pharmacists that may have trouble reading hand written scripts and tracking of prescription drug prices.
Online notarized documents: All legal documents that require notarization may be completed online. Gone are the days when you’d physically have to track down a notary and/or witness to complete legal transactions. This includes real-estate transactions, trusts and wills.
Florida’s minimum wage: Florida’s annual inflation adjustment for minimum wage raises the hourly minimum income ten cents per hour to $8.56 per hour. That’s a 1.2% increase reflecting the low level of inflation in the economy.
As these phase in, we’ll soon be in the mix of the 2020 legislative session which kicks off earlier than before under another new law passed in the 2019 state session. The session begins January 14th.