By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that as of October1, 2025, there are almost 30 new laws in Florida set to take effect?
Some of these new laws include significant changes to criminal penalties, business taxes, and tenant disclosures. The most notable change is the elimination of the state sales tax on commercial leases, commonly known as the business rent tax, which will save businesses an estimated $1.15 billion in the current fiscal year and $1.53 billion in the next. This tax, which had been in place since 1968, was a long-standing priority for business groups.
Here are some of the new laws that may impact you:
- HB 113 increases penalties for motorists who flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, reclassifying the offense on the Criminal Punishment Code’s severity chart and raising the minimum felony charge.
- HB 253 makes it a third-degree felony to use vehicle lights to stop another person or impersonate law enforcement, and increases penalties for tampering with license plates.
- HB 687, known as “Trenton’s Law,” enhances penalties for repeat DUI, BUI, and vehicular homicide offenses, and makes a first refusal to submit to a breath or urine test a second-degree misdemeanor.
- SB 150, known as “Trooper’s Law,” creates a third-degree felony for restraining dogs outside during natural disasters.
- SB 168, the “Tristin Murphy Act,” establishes new diversion programs for individuals with mental illnesses to prevent incarceration for non-violent offenses.
- SB 1386 increases penalties for assault or battery on utility workers, especially when they are working on critical infrastructure.
- SB 1804 makes sex trafficking of children under 12 or mentally incapacitated individuals punishable by the death penalty, requiring a sentencing hearing to determine the penalty.
- SB 948 requires landlords, developers, and mobile home park owners to disclose flood risks and past flooding information to prospective tenants.
- HB 1049 creates criminal penalties for harassing or retaliating against judges and other court officials.
- HB 777 increases penalties for luring or enticing children, expanding the offense to include luring a child out of a building, home, or vehicle.
- HB 1455 establishes mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of sexual offenses, making them ineligible for gain-time or early release.
- HB 1451 makes sexual cyber-harassment a third-degree felony if done for financial gain, extends the statute of limitations, and allows victims to sue.
- HB 437 increases penalties for tampering with a court-ordered electronic monitoring device based on the original offense.
- HB 479 allows courts to order restitution to property owners after a driver leaves the scene of a crash.
- HB 757 makes it a second-degree felony to possess a lewd image with intent to promote it, and a third-degree felony to solicit child pornography.
- HB 1351 revises reporting requirements for sexual predators and offenders, requiring them to report work locations and phone numbers.
- HB 4033 changes the status of the San Carlos Estates Water Control District to a dependent special district of the City of Bonita Springs