In 2023, there were many big changes to legislation in Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed several bills into law this year that had great impact on the community at large.
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Here's a look at some of the biggest changes to Florida's law in 2023:
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Permitless Carry
On July 1, 2023, House Bill 543, commonly known as “Permitless Carry,” went into effect.
This bill authorizes certain qualifying individuals to carry a concealed weapon or firearm in Florida without a concealed weapons or firearms license.
In a 27-13 vote back in March, the Senate passed a bill to eliminate concealed weapons permits, allowing gun owners to carry firearms in the state without the previously required license and training.
While Republican leaders like Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed support for the idea, Democrats, argued that the bill would make Florida — a state with a history of horrific mass shootings — less safe.
Since the law went into effect, experts have pointed to a downward trend in the number of people taking gun safety courses.
According to Florida Politics, the number of people who applied for concealed carry permits, which includes classes, dropped by nearly 64% over the same three-month period a year ago.
Although Florida does not require a permit to purchase a firearm, gun owners still need to apply for a license to carry a concealed firearm — a process that currently involves specific background checks and training.
More than two and a half million Floridians have obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture.
Under the law, initially proposed by Speaker Paul Renner, gun owners wishing to concealed carry would only need to have a valid ID on them while in possession of the firearm.
Although permitless carry makes it easier for Florida gun owners to carry their weapons, the law has no effect on the current requirements for purchasing an actual firearm.
Therefore, those already prohibited from buying a gun under the current law will still be prohibited. The state's current list of requirements for purchasing a firearm, including a minimum age of 21, would not change.
Permanent Alimony
Earlier this year, DeSantis signed a controversial measure that would overhaul the state’s alimony laws, after three vetoes of similar bills and a decade of emotional clashes over the issue.
The measure (SB 1416) included doing away with what is known as permanent alimony.
DeSantis’ approval came a year after he nixed a similar bill that sought to eliminate permanent alimony and set up a formula for alimony amounts based on the length of marriage.
Along with eliminating permanent alimony, the measure sets a process for ex-spouses who make alimony payments to seek modifications to alimony agreements when they want to retire.
It also allows judges to reduce or terminate alimony, support or maintenance payments after considering a number of factors, such as “the age and health” of the person who makes payments; the customary retirement age of that person’s occupation; the "economic impact” a reduction in alimony would have on the recipient of the payments; and the “motivation for retirement and likelihood of returning to work” for the person making the payments.
The bill also set a five-year limit on what is known as rehabilitative alimony.
Under the law, people married for less than three years are not eligible for alimony payments, and those who have been married 20 years or longer are eligible to receive payments for up to 75 percent of the term of the marriage.
The law also allows alimony payers to seek modifications if “a supportive relationship exists or has existed” involving their ex-spouses in the previous year.
Critics argued the provision is vague and could apply to temporary roommates who help alimony recipients cover living expenses for short periods of time.
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Impact of Immigration Law on Driver's Licenses
Driver's licenses from five states are no longer valid in Florida under a new immigration law.
The crackdown on out-of-state licenses is part of a larger immigration legislation signed by the governor.
The bill prohibits the issuance of a driver license to anyone who does not provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S. and specifies that out-of-state driver licenses issued exclusively to undocumented immigrants are invalid in Florida.
Anyone presenting an invalid out-of-state driver license during a traffic stop will be subject to a citation for driving without a valid license.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles published a list of out-of-state license classes that are invalid in Florida.
They include:
- Connecticut licenses that indicate "Not For Federal Identification"
- Delaware licenses that indicate "Driving Privilege Only" or "Not Valid for Identification"
- Hawaii licenses that indicate "Limited Purpose Driver’s License" or "Limited Purpose Instruction Permit" or "Limited Purpose Provisional Driver’s License" or "Not Valid for use for official Federal purposes"
- Rhode Island licenses that indicate "Not for Federal Identification" or "Driver Privilege Card" or "Driver Privilege Permit"
- Vermont licenses that indicate "Not for REAL ID Purposes Driver’s Privilege Card" or "Not for REAL ID Purposes Junior Driver’s Privilege Card" or "Not for REAL ID Purposes Learner’s Privilege Card"
The bill, SB 1718, also requires private companies with over 25 employees to use E-Verify, an online employment verification system, to prove the legal employment eligibility of workers.
Abortion
Abortion is going to remain a major issue in politics, policy and the courts in the U.S. in 2024, even though most of the states that were expected to impose restrictions have already done so.
The abortion landscape has been in flux since the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which touched off a round of abortion policy changes and new litigation about them.
Back in April, DeSantis signed legislation that would ban most abortions after six weeks in Florida.
The Florida law bans abortions at six weeks but creates new exemptions for rape and incest up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. It does not change existing exemptions for life and the health of the mother up to 15 weeks.
Last year, DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature that is currently before the Florida Supreme Court. The six-week ban will be on hold until the court rules on that proposal.
According to Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, the number of women seeking abortions in Florida from other states increased from 3,988 in 2020 to 6,708 just last year.
