Florida’s 2023, 2024, and 2025 legislative sessions produced a long list of recent laws passed in Florida that touch guns, lawsuits, insurance, housing, condo safety, immigration, minors online and at work, and more. Most took effect on July 1 of the year they passed, but several have staggered dates running into 2026. Here is what actually changed and when it applies to you.
Concealed Carry Without a Permit
House Bill 543, from the 2023 session, removed the requirement to hold a concealed weapon license before carrying a concealed firearm. If you already meet the eligibility criteria for a license — at least 21, no felony convictions, no disqualifying mental health adjudications — you can carry concealed without paying a fee or completing a training course.1Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. House Bill 543 FAQ The state still issues concealed carry licenses for anyone who wants one, which remains useful for reciprocity with other states.
Carrying without a license means you must have valid ID on you and show it to any law enforcement officer who asks.2Florida Senate. House Bill 543 The list of prohibited places did not change. Schools, courthouses, polling places, government meetings, and bars remain off-limits, and carrying in a restricted location is a second-degree misdemeanor.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm Someone who is ineligible to carry at all, such as a convicted felon, faces more serious charges regardless of location.
Two-Year Deadline to Sue for Negligence
House Bill 837 took effect March 24, 2023, and it cut the statute of limitations for general negligence claims from four years to two. If you were hurt in a car accident, a slip-and-fall, or any other negligence-based incident on or after that date, you have two years from the injury date to file suit.4Florida Senate. House Bill 837 – Civil Remedies The clock runs whether or not you have filed an insurance claim or are still negotiating with an adjuster.
HB 837 also moved Florida from pure comparative negligence to a modified system, so a plaintiff found more than 50 percent at fault generally cannot recover, and it created a rebuttable presumption that the standard lodestar fee calculation is sufficient for attorney fee awards. A separate presumption limits owner liability for certain crimes on the premises when specified security measures are in place.
Property Insurance Reform
Senate Bill 2A, passed in a December 2022 special session and taking effect in 2023, rewrote the ground rules for property insurance disputes. One-way attorney fees are gone. Under the old rule, a policyholder who won even partially could recover attorney fees from the insurer, but insurers who prevailed could not recover from the policyholder. That asymmetry drove a heavy litigation culture, and it is now eliminated.
SB 2A also banned the assignment of benefits in property insurance, so a homeowner can no longer sign over policy rights to a contractor who then bills and sues the insurer directly. The window to file an initial property insurance claim shrank from two years to one year, and bad-faith claim rules tightened. Policyholders have less leverage in coverage disputes as a result.
Fast-Track Removal of Unauthorized Occupants
House Bill 621, signed in 2024, lets property owners bypass a full civil eviction when someone is occupying a home without permission. The owner files a verified complaint with the county sheriff confirming their identity and right to the property and establishing that the occupant entered unlawfully, was told to leave, and is not a current or former tenant with a pending legal dispute.5Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 82.036 – Unlawful Occupation of Residential Property
Once the sheriff verifies the complaint, they serve the occupant with a notice to vacate immediately. The sheriff charges the same fee as for serving a writ of possession, typically around $90, and the owner can request a stand-by while locks are changed and belongings are moved to the property line at an additional hourly rate.5Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 82.036 – Unlawful Occupation of Residential Property Presenting a forged lease or deed is a first-degree misdemeanor. An unauthorized occupant who intentionally causes $1,000 or more in damage faces second-degree felony charges, and advertising the sale or rental of a property you do not own is a first-degree felony.6Executive Office of the Governor. Governor DeSantis Signs Legislation to End the Squatters Scam in Florida
Live Local Act and the Rent Control Ban
Senate Bill 102, the Live Local Act, passed in 2023 and prohibits local governments from adopting or maintaining any rent control measure.7Florida Senate. CS/SB 102 – Housing In exchange, it offers tax breaks to developers of affordable units. Housing affordable to residents earning up to 80 percent of area median income can qualify for a full property tax exemption on those units, and projects serving the 80 to 120 percent AMI range can receive a 75 percent exemption.8Florida Senate. Bill Analysis and Fiscal Impact Statement – SB 1520
The Act also forces local governments to approve multifamily and mixed-use residential developments in areas zoned commercial or industrial, provided the project includes affordable units, and it requires localities to publish a list of government-owned properties suitable for affordable housing. Senate Bill 328, a 2024 follow-up effective May 16, 2024, clarified how density and zoning preemptions apply and added restrictions near military installations.
Condo Inspection Deadlines Through 2026
After the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida enacted SB 4-D requiring milestone structural inspections of condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller. Buildings within three miles of the coast must complete their first inspection by December 31 of the year the building turns 25; inland buildings have until age 30. Reinspections follow every 10 years.
For many buildings, that deadline lands on December 31, 2026. Phase 1 is a visual assessment by a licensed engineer or architect, due within 180 days of the local building department’s notice. If substantial structural deterioration turns up, a more detailed Phase 2 inspection follows. Within 45 days of receiving the completed report, the condo board must file it with the building department, distribute a summary to owners, and post it on the association’s website if one exists.
Missing these deadlines can trigger $500 daily fines, code compliance hearings, and referral for an unsafe building determination, which can lead to a vacate order. Board members can face personal liability for breaching fiduciary duty. Separately, every condo association must complete a Structural Integrity Reserve Study, with the initial deadline extended to December 31, 2025. The 2025 session added HB 393, creating a My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program for hurricane mitigation grants — but only for associations that have already complied with their milestone inspection and reserve study requirements.9MyFloridaCFO. Property Insurance Changes
Public Camping Ban
House Bill 1365, effective October 1, 2024, prohibits counties and municipalities from allowing people to camp or sleep on public property, including building grounds, rights-of-way, parks, and sidewalks, unless the county has established a designated area certified by the Department of Children and Families.10Florida Senate. CS/CS/HB 1365 – Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping Designated sites must meet minimum standards including clean running water, functional restrooms, security, and access to mental health services.11Florida Association of Counties. Public Sleeping and Camping
The law carves out an exception for declared emergencies such as hurricanes. Starting January 1, 2025, any resident or business owner can sue a local government that fails to enforce the ban. If a complaint is filed and the local government does not address it within five days, the lawsuit can seek a court order compelling enforcement.
Immigration, E-Verify, and Transportation Offenses
Senate Bill 1718, effective July 1, 2023, put in place a broad immigration framework covering employment, transportation, and hospital reporting. Every private employer with 25 or more employees must use the federal E-Verify system to confirm work eligibility for every new hire. If the Department of Commerce finds three failures to use E-Verify within any 24-month period, the penalty is $1,000 per day until the employer proves compliance. An employer gets a 30-day cure period after the first notice of noncompliance, but repeat violations can lead to suspension of all business licenses.12The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 448.095 – Employment Eligibility
SB 1718 also made it a third-degree felony to knowingly transport into Florida someone who entered the United States unlawfully and has not been inspected by federal authorities since. Penalties increase if the person transported is a minor, if five or more people are involved, or if the defendant has a prior human smuggling conviction.13Florida Senate. Immigration – 2023 Bill Summaries Hospitals that accept Medicaid must ask about immigration status on admission forms and submit quarterly reports to the Agency for Health Care Administration on the number of patients not lawfully present. The law states this reporting should not interfere with emergency medical care.14Florida Senate. CS/CS/SB 1718 – Immigration
Social Media Age Rules for Minors
House Bill 3, signed in 2024, bars social media platforms from allowing children under 14 to create accounts and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. Platforms must use age-verification methods and delete existing accounts for children under 14. Parents can request termination of any account belonging to a child under 16.15Florida Senate. CS/CS/HB 3 – Online Protections for Minors Knowing or reckless violations can trigger civil enforcement by the Department of Legal Affairs under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, with penalties up to $50,000 per violation plus attorney fees.
Enforcement has been contested. A federal district judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the law in June 2024 on First Amendment grounds. In late 2025, a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted Florida’s request to stay that injunction 2-1, so the state can enforce the law while the broader legal challenge continues.
Florida Digital Bill of Rights
Senate Bill 262, signed in 2023, created the Florida Digital Bill of Rights. It applies only to the largest technology companies. To qualify as a covered “controller,” a company must generate more than $1 billion in global gross annual revenue and meet at least one additional criterion: over half its revenue from online advertising, operation of a consumer smart speaker with a voice assistant, or an app store with at least 250,000 applications.16Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 501.702 – Definitions Mid-sized businesses are not covered.
For consumers, the law creates the right to confirm what personal data a covered company holds about you, access and delete that data, and opt out of its sale. Sensitive data, including information about race, religious beliefs, mental health, and precise geolocation, gets extra protection. Companies must give clear notice before selling sensitive or biometric data and cannot use facial recognition for surveillance without explicit consent. Businesses must process opt-out requests within 45 days, and penalties involving minors can be tripled.17Executive Office of the Governor. Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to Create a Digital Bill of Rights for Floridians
Work Rules for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
House Bill 49, signed in March 2024, eliminated most work-hour restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds and lets them work the same daily and weekly hours as adults. The law also removed the requirement that these older minors take a 30-minute break every four consecutive hours and lifted the six-consecutive-day work limit. Both of those still apply to workers 15 and younger.18Florida Senate. CS/CS/HB 49 – Employment and Curfew of Minors Staff Analysis
One rule remains for 16- and 17-year-olds: they cannot start work before 6:00 a.m. on days when school is scheduled the following day. The law also expanded work opportunities for minors in home education or virtual instruction programs, allowing work during what would otherwise be school hours.19MyFloridaLicense.com. Child Labor
2025 Session Additions
Senate Bill 948, effective October 1, 2025, requires landlords to give prospective tenants a written flood disclosure before or at the time a lease is signed. The disclosure must cover any flooding damage known during the landlord’s ownership, insurance claims filed, and any assistance received for repairs. If the landlord skips it and the tenant later suffers substantial flood damage to personal property, the tenant can terminate the lease in writing and vacate within 30 days, and the landlord must refund prorated rent.9MyFloridaCFO. Property Insurance Changes
House Bill 913, effective July 1, 2025, requires condominium association insurance policies to carry replacement value coverage at an amount set by an appraisal conducted at least every three years. That closes the gap many associations discovered after recent hurricanes when policies covered only a fraction of actual rebuilding costs. HB 715 created a 10-day cancellation window for roofing contracts signed within 180 days of a declared state of emergency, aimed at storm-chaser contractors who lock homeowners into inflated contracts after hurricanes.9MyFloridaCFO. Property Insurance Changes On the criminal side, SB 612 addresses unlawful distribution of controlled substances resulting in death, and SB 106 strengthens protections against financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.20Florida Senate. 2025 Bill Summaries