When living your day to day life, it is easy to lose track of what is happening in the state capitol. In fact, the news of a new law may take some time to make it into the mainstream and to become a part of your routine. In order to be sure that you understand what legislators have been doing, we are providing a short synopsis of 2019 Florida laws enacted which may impact your life.
Ranging from driving laws to immigration issues and cannabis use, here are some of the laws you may find interesting.
2019 Florida Laws That Affect Your Life
Texting and driving
We all understand the devastating effect of texting and driving. Texting is implicated in 1.6 million car accidents per year, and resulted in 390,000 injuries in the United States so far this year. Drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to cause injury or harm to themselves or another driver. With more than 21% of drivers on the road admitting that they text and drive, it is clear that we need solutions. A new law enacted in Florida this year allows law enforcement to pull people over and issue citations for texting as a primary offense (as opposed to a secondary offense when another violation was the premise for the stop.) Law enforcement officers are given authority to pull over an individual not only for cell phone use, but tablets and any other electronic devices. There is also a provision for additional penalties for texting and driving in a school zone.
Sanctuary cities ban
In a heated political environment, the Florida legislature took on the immigration issue of sanctuary cities. The new law enacted in 2019 requires local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and mandates. This effectively bans sanctuary cities across the state (there are no sanctuary cities currently in Florida).
Proponents of the bill assure the estimated 200,000 undocumented immigrants in Florida that if they are law-abiding, they should not be fear the new law. Opponents of the bill maintain that it may be utilized as a mechanism to deport people for minor offenses.
More Affordable Drug Availability / Opiod Crisis
The 2019 Florida laws included the permission for two prescription drug importation programs. Designed to help Floridians to have access to more affordable prescription drugs, the new laws involve allowing drugs to be imported from other countries, primarily Canada. These laws are subject to strict regulation and are still evolving.
New laws have also allowed the state access to drug databases, to determine corporate liability in the opioid crisis. The state has initiated lawsuits against large drugstore chains, alleging that they have been party to the crisis by inappropriately providing the addictive drugs.
Home Gardens :
Many do not even realize that this was considered illegal before the 2019 law, but it is now legal for Floridians to grow fruit and vegetables in their own front yards. Although they can do so without fear of reprisal of the government, many state residents are still prohibited from such a garden by their home association covenants.
Hemp Farms:
As hemp continues to be accepted by the mainstream for uses ranging from building materials to clothing, Florida has agreed to establish and support an agricultural hemp program. The program will permit citrus farmers to legally supplement their groves with hemp production. (Hemp is related to marijuana but contain only trace amounts of THC.)
Do You Need a Personal Injury Attorney?
If you believe that you have been a victim of someone else’s negligence, or if you have any questions involving Florida law – call the attorneys at Probinsky & Cole. We are Sarasota personal injury experts who are committed to making sure that your rights are protected.
