Lots Of New Laws In Florida

July 1, 2009

A total of 160 new laws went into effect Wednesday in Florida, including a laws that deal with cigarette taxes, pharmacies and a property insurance increase.

Here are dozen of the new laws that started July 1 in Florida:

  1. Cigarette Tax Increase. A $1 per pack increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes. It will provide an estimated $900 million for cancer research and Medicaid expenses. Cigars are exempt, but all other tobacco products like cigarettes, and pipe and smokeless tobacco are included.
  2. Pill Database. A law covering a database of addictive prescription drugs goes into effect. The Department of Health actually has until October 2010 to issue guidelines on how to use the database to doctors and clinic.s
  3. Property Insurance Rate Increase. Citizens Property Insurance can now raise rates 10 percent beginning January 1, 2010, and another 10 percent each year for at least the next five years. Private insurers will also find it easier to implement rate increase up to 10 percent under the new law.
  4. KidCare. The waiting period to enroll children under 18 into the state subsidized Florida Kidcare program has been reduced from six months to two. There are more than 1.5 million children in the program. A family of four with income less than $44,000 would qualify for the program. Copayments are just $10 to $20per month.
  5. Property Tax Appeals. It is now easier to challenge the county’s assessed value on your property. Instead of you proving the government wrong, now the government has to prove that they are right. More taxpayers are expected to have an easier time winning their appeals.
  6. Bright Futures. A major cut in the Bright Futures scholarship program begins today. Instead of paying all of the tutition expenses for deserving Florida students, the program will now pay just $95 to $125 per semester hour. The end result: Most Bright Futures scholarship students will now be paying thousands of dollars more for college.
  7. No Crash Tax. A new law prohibits counties from charging fees for police or other emergency response to crash scenes.
  8. Phone Rates. Phone companies can now raise their rates up to 10 percent per year, no questions asked. The Public Service Commissions says that competition will keep phone rates from skyrocketing.
  9. School Textbooks. Lose an old school textbook? You will now have to pay full price for the book, regardless of how old or damaged it might have been.
  10. Burial At School? Florida universities can now opt to create a location on campus to store the ashes of deceased alumni.
  11. Zero Tolerance At School. Schools no longer have to report “petty” misdemeanors to law enforecement.  Stealing lunch money and rolling campus with toilet paper will no longer mean a police record.
  12. Tougher Sex Registry Rules. New rules say that sex offenders and predators must provide home and cell phone numbers when the register for the state’s database.

Comments

8 Responses to “Lots Of New Laws In Florida”

  1. concerned on July 5th, 2009 1:07 pm

    lets see, on the lottery: how many years has it been in operation? and what benefits have you seen?? many people buy that ticket every week in hopes of getting rich or at least bettering their life, and how many people from here have actually won anything I bet you can count them on one hand! but keep on buying those tickets people… who knows someone just coming through the area pick up a ticket and guess what…they win!!! how great for them, can’t you realize that the florida lottery system was not sat up for our children, the government and outsiders benefit from this goodness it has gone on for too long but as long as the farmer, construction worker, security(which is a joke) and any other low paying job you need to keep buying that ticket to benefit someone but you can bet it won’t be you!!!

  2. C. Faye Williamson on July 5th, 2009 9:04 am

    I have never totally understood the lottery system and I don’t claim to now but if the change in the law results in more students being able to participate in the college program then I am for it. I do think we need a techinal college for the kids with the basic arts taught as well under thus program. These colleges could also be set up alongside or within the same parameters that the arts colleges now occupy. I have been to many state and states like South Carolina have Greenville Tech college, or Mussouri has Ozark Techinal College. Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher or a doctor. Some kids would like to be Air Conditioning techs, or veternary techs. Companies in South Carolina will go to Greenville Tech for their employees. Greenville Tech will train them for you. We need some kind of guaranteed work program like that for our tax dollars.

  3. Bob on July 5th, 2009 8:16 am

    Come on folks, lets get real. No one promised all your children a college education. No one can relate to this better than myself. Sacrifices have to be made for education from the time that child is born. It’s called putting your priorties in order. You have to forget about boats,ATV’s,vacations on the spur of a moment.etc. You start putting away a small portion of your income and touch it for no reason and 18 years later that amount will amaze you. Scholarships are great and any amount helps out,but you have to lay the ground work yourself.

  4. how the lottery works on July 3rd, 2009 11:54 pm

    When the lottery came out it sounded SO GREAT to everyone because it would HELP FUNDS FLOW into the schools. Well, it does…and it doesn’t.

    The LOTTERY money is a SUBSTITUTE for STATE FUNDS, not IN ADDITION to. Yeah, the citizens received a slippery slope they tried to climb up.

    If the state says your school district gets $100,000 and the Lottery system is giving your district $20,000, one would BELIEVE your district gets $120,000.

    WRONG.

    The Lottery gives you the $20k, and the state now only gives you $80,000, since the lottery ‘helps fund’ the school districts. Where’s that other $20,000 go? Your guess is as good as mine.

    OH, and btw, when I received my Bright Futures scholarship after graduating high school in 1994, we didn’t get a FULL tuition waiver–we received a fixed dollar amount. PERIOD! If I remember correctly it was just under $2,000/semester. Be glad your children can still get SOMETHING out of it from the state.

  5. dirty on July 2nd, 2009 6:54 pm

    As with everything else our gov. stands for we have fallen . They have failed us and continue to fail us. I am so ready to move out of florida but other states are prob. just as dirty

  6. shrug on July 2nd, 2009 3:49 pm

    Let’s see, 95-125 bucks per semester hour is still good. Graduating students will just need to apply for other scholarships, grants, and loans to make up the rest. Just like anyone else going to college, or going back to college has to do. I had to take out a student loan to complete my degree, once you get a job in said degree field just make small payments per month to pay it off.

    There’s no free rides anymore, people should think about working towards something even if it means paying it back in the long run instead of looking for the government to float the bill at the expense of tax payers.

  7. A very dissapointed florida parent on July 2nd, 2009 10:20 am

    What are Florida legislators thinking?

    Our teen-age daughter is now a Senior at Northview High and she has always been a dedicated student to her acedemics and in her performances in school. When she learned in her 8th and 9th grade year that if she applied herself even harder with her academics, completed her community hours and test well on ACT or SAT, she could acheive the 100% Bright Futures Scholarship, but now it’s pulled right out from under her and many other bright and hard working students like her that were doing the same thing. This new law is their REWARD?

    How many struggling parents in Bratt,Florida have thousands of dollars to pull out of their back pocket and/or their empty bank accounts to pay for this new law that clearly is not looking out for our young people’s future any longer? Believe me, they are few and far between!

    I am wondering, is there an accountability site/link available to view how the lottery money is spent and explains just exactly why this messure was necessary to implement at our young peoples expence?

  8. parent on July 2nd, 2009 12:13 am

    What happen to the lottery money that is suppose to be used to help children living in the state of Flordia go to school? What will the state do with this extra money Give their self a raise.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News