187 new laws were signed into law during Florida’s 2019 state session. Almost all have already gone into effect. For those that haven’t, they will likely take effect tomorrow. Among those most likely to impact you to are the final phase of Florida’s texting while driving law, the digital prescriptions, online notarized documents, Florida’s minimum wage and 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 handwritten 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 laws 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 on January 14th.
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