Gov. DeSantis signs 8 more bills as more than 100 new laws will take effect July 1. Here’s the full list of the latest

As July 1 nears, when more than 100 new laws will take effect in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed another eight measures into law on Friday.

RELATED: Here are all the new Florida laws taking effect July 1

The latest bills deal with everything from law enforcement to affordable housing.

Here’s the full list:

CS/CS/HB 175 – Payment Stablecoin

Establishes a regulatory framework for state-qualified payment stablecoin issuers (“issuers”) that is substantially similar to the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (“GENIUS Act”). The bill establishes issuers as a separate category of money services business (MSB) and authorizes a trust company to obtain certificate of approval to engage in limited issuer activities. Effective October 1, 2026, the bill:

• Prohibits a person from engaging in authorized issuer activity without being licensed as an MSB or obtaining a certificate of approval as a trust company from the Office of Financial Regulation (OFR).
•  Provides factors and requirements that must be met for issuers to become licensed or approved.
• Provides that certain issuers are not required to be licensed or obtain a certificate of approval.
• Limits the activities in which issuers may engage.
• Requires issuers to comply with minimum prudential requirements in accordance with the GENIUS Act.
• Updates provisions in current law to apply to stablecoins.

Issuers that are not required to be licensed or obtain a certificate of approval include federally qualified payment stablecoin issuers or out-of-state state qualified payment stablecoin issuers. The bill provides that stablecoins meeting specified requirements are not a security. Transactions between two individuals not involving an intermediary and other specified transactions are not regulated under the provisions in the bill. The bill requires an issuer with a consolidated total issuance that reaches $10 billion to transition to federal oversight unless a waiver is obtained.

Current laws are updated to apply to stablecoins including anti-money laundering laws and prohibitions against unlicensed activities. Issuers must annually certify to the OFR that the issuer has implemented anti-money laundering and economic sanctions compliance programs that meet certain requirements. The OFR must make the certifications available to the Secretary of Treasury upon request and may revoke an issuer’s license or refer the matter to certified attorneys general in specified circumstances.

The OFR must comply with certification and annual recertification requirements as provided in the GENIUS Act. The bill requires the OFR to submit its initial certification application and recertification application within specified timeframes. The OFR must include relevant information relating to issuers under MSB and trust company provisions in seeking certification for the state regulatory regime for stablecoin issuers.

The OFR is required to adopt rules to implement the bill consistent with certain provisions of the GENIUS Act and has authority to adopt rules relating to several topics to implement the provisions of the bill.

These provisions take effect upon becoming law, except where otherwise provided.

CS/HB 359 – Search Warrants

The bill amends multiple sections of law relating to obtaining search warrants. Specifically, the bill:

• Provides that a judge may authorize a law enforcement officer to appear remotely using audio-video communication technology when seeking a search warrant from the judge.
• Specifies that law enforcement may obtain a search warrant to search an area or areas, using a drone, where evidence that a crime was committed might reasonably be found.
• Expands the circumstances in which a judge may issue a search warrant to authorize this issuance of a warrant to recover a dead body.

Generally, a law enforcement agency must return a search warrant to the issuing court within 10 days, not including the date of issuance. The bill increases the number of days certain search warrants must be returned by to within:

• Twenty days if a search warrant issued to an out-of-state provider for electronic communications data.
• Thirty days if a search warrant is issued to search for and seize specimens from a specific person for DNA analysis and comparison, including blood and saliva samples, or to seize specimens for entry into the DNA database.
• Three hundred sixty five days if a search warrant is issued for a computer, a computer system, or an electronic device, and any data or information contained in such computer, computer system, or electronic device.

The bill specifies a search warrant issued to search for and seize data or information contained in a computer, computer system, or electronic device, the warrant is considered timely executed if the computer, computer system, or electronic device is seized by a law enforcement agency within 10 days of the issuance of the search warrant, not including the date of issuance. A law enforcement agency is not required to complete the analysis or review of data or information contained in a computer, computer system, or electronic device within any specific time if such computer, computer system, or electronic device was timely seized by a law enforcement agency.

These provisions take effect on July 1.

CS/HB 505 – Virtual Currency Kiosks

Establishes a regulatory framework for virtual currency kiosks and protects users of kiosks by:

• Requiring virtual currency kiosk businesses (except licensed money transmitters) to register with the Office of Financial Regulation and updating disciplinary actions and unlicensed activities sections to apply to registered entities.
• Requiring that virtual currency kiosks must:
  • Ask each customer the amount of any other virtual currency transactions that the customer conducted on the same calendar day; and
  • Provide a notice to customers that fraud often begins with contact from strangers lying about their identity and that if the customer was directed to the kiosk by someone the customer does not personally know, the customer should stop the transaction and contact a financial advisor or law enforcement.
• Restricting the total dollar amount of all transactions per customer each calendar day to $2,000 for new customers and $10,000 for existing customers.
• Requiring a customer to be provided with the choice of a physical or electronic receipt that includes specified information.
• Requiring full refunds of fraudulent transactions in specified circumstances.

These provisions take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, except where otherwise provided.

CS/CS/HB 1389 – Affordable Housing

The bill makes a variety of changes regarding the Live Local Act, passed during the 2023 Regular Session, to require the authorization of certain affordable housing developments by local governments under certain conditions. The bill:

• Provides that the preemptions of the Live Local Act permitting the development of affordable housing apply on any property owned by a county, municipality, or school district;
• Provides that the preemptions of the Live Local Act permitting the development of affordable housing apply on a property which is more than 3 acres in size, owned by a religious institution, and has contained a house of public worship for 10 years;
• Provides that, through July 1, 2030, a multifamily or mixed-use development using the preemptions of the Live Local Act may consist of an assemblage of parcels under common ownership or control which are separated by no more than 15 feet of land and limited public pedestrian access;
• Provides that the preemptions of the Live Local Act do not apply in an area subject to a land development regulation intended to retain the open character of land, any area of critical state concern, or any portion of property under a conservation easement;
• Provides that a local government may not utilize other dimensional means such as setbacks or stepbacks to constructively restrict the height of a project authorized by the Live Local Act;
• Provides that farming and farm operations, including the packaging and sale of those products raised on the premises, are excluded from the definitions of commercial, industrial, or mixed-use zoning which would require the local government to approve affordable housing developments; and
• Provides that the Live Local Act may apply if the development is approved by the governing body of an airport where the proposed development is near an airport runway or noise zone.

An applicant for a proposed development authorized under ss. 125.01055(7) or 166.04151(7), F.S., who submitted documentation before July 1, 2026, may proceed under the provisions of law as they existed at the time of submission, or notify the local government of their intent to revise their submission to account for the changes made by the bill.

Related to the Florida Fair Housing Act, the bill clarifies that it is unlawful to discriminate in land use decisions or in the permitting of development based on the financing of a development or proposed development that is for affordable housing, and waives sovereign immunity in cases based on such discrimination.

Related to the missing middle property tax exemption created in the Live Local Act, the bill makes the following changes, applicable to the 2027 tax rolls:

• Defines a multifamily project to include multiple parcels held under common ownership or control developed as one plan, excluding single-family residences and parcels separated by more than 200 feet of land;
• Requires the taxing authority to find that the local availability of affordable units has exceeded the demand for each of the previous 3 years, rather than the most recent year, prior to opting out of the exemption; and
• Allows a development which received a building permit within 4 years before a local government opted out of the exemption to apply for the exemption.

The bill also provides that local governments may provide density bonus incentives to landowners who donate real estate for the purpose of assisting local governments in providing affordable housing to military families that receive the basic allowance for housing.

Finally, the bill directs the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to evaluate the efficacy of using mezzanine finance, or second position short-term debt, to stimulate the construction of owner-occupied affordable housing and evaluate potential for tiny homes to meet affordable housing needs. The report is due by December 31, 2027.

These provisions take effect on July 1.

CS/CS/CS/SB 1452 – Department of Financial Services

The bill revises statutory provisions relating to the Department of Financial Services (DFS) and the head of DFS, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The bill:

My Safe Florida Home Program

• Revises eligibility standards for program inspections and grants to require that the home must be a single-family unit on an individual parcel of land that is either a detached residential property as required by current law or an attached residential property of three stories or less.
• Revises eligibility standards for grants to require that an applicant have low-income or moderate-income. Priority is given first to applicants who have low-income and are 60 years of age or older, and then to moderate-income applicants who are 60 years of age or older. The bill clarifies that DFS may accept applications for My Safe Florida Home hurricane mitigation inspections that are submitted by applicants other than low-income persons or moderate-income persons.
• Provides that DFS may accept a certification directly from the applicant attesting to his or her age if the if the applicant provides such certification in a signed or electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury.
• Clarifies how the age of a home is determined for purposes of grant eligibility, relying on the construction date listed by property appraisers rather than the initial permit date.
• Streamlines program administration and reduces disputes by reinforcing that only improvements recommended in the initial and final inspection reports are eligible for grant funding and clarifies that grants may be used for a roof covering when necessary to complete approved installation of secondary water resistance for the roof.
• Establishes a 24-month deadline to submit a grant application after the initial inspection to eliminate a backlog of inactive applicants and extends the completion deadline for approved improvements to 18 months without requiring an extension request.
• Requires DFS to notify an applicant at least five business days before an application is deemed abandoned. If the applicant responds to the notice and provides good cause for why the application should not be deemed abandoned, DFS may determine the application is not abandoned; or allow the applicant to submit a subsequent grant application to DFS.

Employment of Firefighters

• Authorizes public officials to appoint, employ, promote, and advocate for a relative to be a firefighter if such activity is part of a competitive process provided for in a collective bargaining agreement.

The Division of Workers’ Compensation

• Changes the due date of the Three-Member Panel Report to the Legislature from every two years to every five years, which will provide additional time for the panel to assess the workers’ compensation health care delivery system and provide recommendations to improve the system.
• Extends the amount of time a provider has to file a petition with the DFS to resolve disputes from 45 to 60 days after the receipt of notice of disallowance or adjustment of payment by the carrier.
• Expands the methods by which providers can submit utilization and reimbursement dispute petitions to the DFS from the United States Postal Service certified mail to also include a common carrier with verifiable tracking methods.

The Division of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services

• Specifies licensure disqualification provisions for certain crimes.
  • An applicant who has been found guilty of a felony of the first degree, felony involving specified prohibited conduct or a felony involving moral turpitude is permanently barred from licensure.
  • Provides that an applicant who is found guilty of a felony beyond the scope of the offenses listed above is barred from licensure for 10 years, however, applicants who have completed at least one-half of the disqualifying period may apply for a probationary license for the remainder of the disqualifying period if during that time the applicant has not been found guilty, plead guilty or nolo contendre to any offense.
  • An applicant who is guilty of a misdemeanor directly related to ch. 497, F.S., is barred for five years.
• Requires the Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services to adopt rules to implement these provisions, which:
  • Must include additional disqualifying periods for applicants who have committed multiple criminal offenses.
  • May provide additional factors for disqualification reasonably related to the applicant’s criminal history.
  • Must establish mitigating and aggravating factors.
  • May not reduce disqualifying period to less than five years or reduce the five-year disqualifying period for misdemeanors directly related to ch. 497, F.S.
• Provides that applicants who are subject to a disqualifying period other than a permanent bar from licensure may be granted an exemption from disqualification under certain circumstances.

Enforcement of the Florida Building Code and Fire Prevention Code

• Revises enforcement provisions relating to fire protection, fire suppression, modification, and demolition of a single family or two-family dwelling to provide that such a dwelling does not have a change of occupancy solely due to the use of dwellings or conversion into a dwelling used:
  • By a tax-exempt charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, whose stated purpose relates to supporting people living with a mental health disorder, provided the dwelling has two to four bedrooms, is occupied by no more than six ambulatory adults with a mental disorder, and has no more than two adults assigned to a bedroom; or
  • For residential migrant housing which has a permit from Department of Health pursuant to s. 381.0081, F.S.

Money Services Businesses

• Authorizes a deferred presentment provider to accept redemption of a check not only by cash but also by debit card.
• Provides that Florida only requires a licensed check casher or a deferred presentment provider seeking collection of a returned check to comply with the federal Debt Collection Practices Act if the licensee or provider uses a third-party debt collector or any other name other than its own to collect such debts.

The Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services

• Streamlines the process for transferring an out-of-state license to Florida by removing the requirement for applicants to provide verification of home state license cancellation prior to being approved as a Florida resident licensee. Instead, the prior home state license must be cancelled within 30 days after the Florida resident license has been issued to facilitate the transfer of licensure between states.
• Expands the exemption from an insurance application filing fee to include any veteran honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces, or their spouse.
• Clarifies that a title insurer, acting through a corporate officer, is exempt from ch. 626, F.S., relating to title insurance licensing and appointment requirements.
• Requires a public adjuster to respond to a consumer’s written or electronic request for information in 14 days, mirroring the existing timeline for a public adjuster to respond to the DFS.
• Clarifies that the insurer must obtain the Bail Bond Appointment Form and secure all necessary certifications of the agent, rather than submitting them directly to DFS.

The Division of Unclaimed Property

• Replaces the term, “unclaimed property,” with the term “abandoned property,” throughout ch. 717, F.S.  The bill also revises the definition of “abandoned property”; distinguishes custodial holding from reporting status; and modernizes terminology to reflect current business practices, electronic records, and evolving property types.
• Clarifies the conditions under which intangible property becomes subject to the custody of the DFS. The bill expressly ties custody to the expiration of the applicable dormancy period and the completion of required due diligence, reinforcing the distinction between property that is merely presumed abandoned and property that is reportable and transferable to state custody.
• Clarifies what actions constitute an owner’s expression of continued interest in property. It provides a nonexclusive list of actions that rebut the presumption of abandonment, offering greater consistency in determining dormancy and reducing the likelihood that property will be reported despite meaningful owner engagement. The presumption that property is abandoned may be rebutted by the affirmative demonstration of continued interest by the owner, as well as an authorized representative.
• Revises dormancy triggers for equity interests in business associations and securities accounts by reinstating undeliverable first-class mail or electronic communications as a trigger and extending the dormancy period tied to owner-initiated activity from three to ten years. These changes better reflect meaningful owner inactivity and provide additional time and methods for owners to maintain or reestablish contact before the property is presumed abandoned.
• Requires holders of property presumed abandoned valued at more than $1,000 to send a second notice by certified mail.
• Requires that holders of property presumed abandoned that has a value of $50 or more must use due diligence to locate and notify the apparent owner. At least 90 days, but not more than 180 days before filing a report with DFS, a holder in possession of the property must send a written notice by first class mail or by e-mail to the apparent owner’s last known address or e-mail.
• Revises provisions regarding notice by the DFS to apparent owners of abandoned property to ensure such owners receive clear, accessible, and cost-effective notice after property is reported and remitted to the DFS.
• Revises requirements for the publicly searchable electronic database to include owners with property valued at $10 or more, thereby improving transparency and owner access.
• Provides that securities identified as non-freely transferable or worthless are not reportable, thereby reducing administrative burden.
• Requires holders to certify that reports are complete and all due diligence requirements have been met.
• Requires the submission of a certified copy of a death certificate before the DFS may release wills or trust instruments, thereby protecting sensitive documents.
• Strengthens claim verification requirements for certain claims, including those submitted on behalf of active corporations, by requiring additional identification.
• Clarifies the definition of “conflicting claim” and standardizes procedures for handling conflicting claims, promoting fairness and consistency in claims determinations.
• Provides Legislative findings that laws governing ch. 717, F.S., serve a vital public purpose by protecting the property rights of owners, facilitating the return of abandoned property to its owners, preventing private escheatment, and ensuring that abandoned assets are preserved and safeguarded from waste or misuse.
• Clarifies registration requirements and oversight of claimant representatives, including disclosure obligations, minimum activity thresholds, and grounds for revocation.
• Reorganizes provisions governing the purchase of abandoned property by maintaining existing oversight of claimant representatives while creating a new section governing purchases by persons or entities other than claimant representatives. The bill establishes detailed disclosure and documentation requirements, including minimum formatting standards, notarization, and consumer-protection safeguards to ensure owners receive a substantial portion of the property’s value.

Rule Ratification

• Ratifies rules adopted by DFS and the Financial Services Commission for the Office of Financial Regulation, for implementing ch. 2025-100, L.O.F., which enacts statutory provisions making gold and silver legal tender in Florida. Further, the bill repeals s. 18, ch. 2025-100, L.O.F., thereby preventing the automatic repeal of ch. 2025-100, L.O.F. The result of repealing the automatic repeal clause and ratifying the rules will be for ch. 2025-100, L.O.F., to take effect July 1, 2026.

These provisions take effect upon becoming law.

CS/CS/SB 1568 – Use of Digital Currency by the Department of Financial Services

The bill establishes the Florida Stablecoin Pilot Program (the “program”) which allows the Department of Financial Services (the “Department”) to accept stablecoins for the payment of government fees, purchase, hold, or disburse any payment stablecoins (“stablecoins”) that are designated by the Department and meet certain criteria. The legislative intent of the voluntary program is to yield benefits from acceptance of stablecoins for the payment of governmental fees.

Any yields earned on stablecoins must be credited to the benefit of the state. Within a reasonable time of receiving a payment stablecoin, the Department must convert stablecoins to U.S. currency and credit the applicable account in a qualified public depository, unless an exception applies. The Department must attempt to minimize the amount of potential fees when converting the payment stablecoin.

The bill authorizes the Department to designate one or more stablecoins for the authorized activities. The Department may not engage in any authorized activities, including designating a payment stablecoin, if there are no permitted payment stablecoin issuers approved by the federal or a state government. Designated stablecoins must meet several requirements, including compliance with relevant federal and state laws, having a minimum market capitalization, being fully backed by reserve assets on a one-to-one basis, being subjected to reasonable network or exchange platform fees, and being issued by a permitted payment stablecoin issuer.

An applicant, a licensee, or other program participant may elect to participate in the program and remit designated stablecoins to a compatible digital wallet address designated by the Department. The Department is required to provide a compatible digital wallet address for the receipt of designated stablecoins. A participant that elects to receive authorized disbursements in designated stablecoin must provide the Department with a compatible digital wallet address where payment may be sent.

The Department is authorized to conduct examinations, audits, and investigations of the designated stablecoin issuer to verify asset backing, redeemability, and adherence to consumer protection standards, including standards related to fraud prevention and dispute resolution. The Department is required to coordinate with the Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) when conducting such activity. The Department must monitor and evaluate specific data regarding the program, and submit an annual report to the Governor, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives with specified information.

The bill provides statutory construction to clarify the scope and voluntariness of the program. The bill does not relieve the Chief Financial Officer or the Department from any obligation to secure public funds in a qualified public depository unless an exception applies or the stablecoins are held in a manner similar to United States Treasury obligations. The Department is authorized to give preference to state qualified payment stablecoin issuers approved by the OFR. The bill authorizes the Department to adopt rules to implement the program.

These provisions take effect upon becoming law.

SB 594 – Local Housing Assistance Plans

The bill requires each county and municipality local housing assistance plan under the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program to include a strategy for providing program funds to mobile home owners, including assistance with lot rental payments. The bill specifies that lot rental assistance is an approved home ownership activity for which local governments may award SHIP funds, but such assistance may not exceed the equivalent of six months’ rent. The bill also authorizes funds reserved for the construction, rehabilitation, or emergency repair of eligible housing to be used for the rehabilitation or emergency repairs of mobile homes.

Finally, the bill removes the current law restriction that limits the use of SHIP funds for manufactured housing to 20 percent of the total funds made available in each county and municipality.

These provisions take effect on July 1.

HB 4039 – Solid Waste Disposal Facility in Broward County

Solid Waste Disposal Facility in Broward County; Defines “Monarch Hill Landfill”; requires feasibility study & public hearing before any expansion of Monarch Hill Landfill; provides requirements for study & public hearing.

This law takes effect on Oct. 1.