By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that Governor DeSantis signed 10 bills into law this past Friday?
These new laws will impact Floridians and may be helpful to some. Here are some of those bills that may apply to you.
SB 810 which identifies e-cigarettes and vaping products as “tobacco products.” It also raises the age to purchase tobacco products—including tobacco cigarettes, dip and chew as well as e-cigarettes—from age 18 to 21. This new law goes into effect on January 1, 2021.
The shark finning law, SB 680, with an October 1st start date would expand on a 2017 law already in place that increased penalties for people who remove fins from sharks and discard the rest of the shark into the ocean. Specifically, the new law bans the import, export and sale of shark fins which are considered a delicacy in parts of Asia, especially China.
On October 1st, a new law (HB 1135) takes effect that allows an increase in the number of “specialty tag” license plates. The increase will now number 150 and includes plates for the Universities of Georgia, Auburn and Alabama. The new law creates a “super tag” template for nine black fraternities and sororities dubbed the “Divine9”—Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Phi and Iota Phi Theta.
Regarding protections for military veterans, Governor DeSantis signed a bill making it a first-degree felony to victimize 10 or more veterans out of at least $50,000.
DeSantis has now signed 187 bills into law from the 2020 Florida legislative session, including the $92.2 billion budget (HB 5001) and vetoed three measures. Most of the 2020 bills including the budget went into effect on the July 1st start of the fiscal year.
Look for DeSantis to possibly sign some new bills that address the violence and anarchy in our streets.