The following are several of those new laws. (Follow to the end of this piece for one which will effect a wide swath of Florida’s population.)
- Hazing (SB 1080): It is a third-degree felony to engage in hazing which results in a permanent injury, with immunities for witnesses who report the incident to 911. This arose from a death which occurred following a college fraternity hazing incident.
- Child-like sex dolls (SB 160): It is a first-degree misdemeanor to sell, give, or show child-like sex dolls, escalating to a third-degree felony for subsequent violations.
- Police dogs and horses (SB 96): It is a second-degree felony (with potential prison time from five to 15 years) to kill or injure police, fire, or search-and-rescue dogs or police horses. This arose from the deaths of responder animals.
- Veterans’ courts (SB 910): This expands the eligibility of court-ordered treatment alternatives to a large number of veterans and active duty military personnel.
Each of those and the other new laws are significant.
The following, however, will impact all people who operate vehicles on Florida’s roads. And text or type (such as telephone numbers or e-mails) while operating those vehicles.
‘Long story, short’…Starting October 1, 2019 drivers must be hands-free when operating electronic devices in vehicles while located in school and work zones (HB 107). Period.
Easy. Do not text when in those areas. Better yet, if it is necessary to operate a mobile device while in a vehicle go hand-free, disable the device while the vehicle is operating, or (best practice) shut off the cellphone or even put it in the vehicle’s trunk.
Starting October 1, 2019 drivers must be hands-free when operating electronic devices in vehicles while located in school and work ones (HB 107). Period.
To save ink (actually electrons…), this topic has already been addressed extensively in this series of articles. To see the details please (re)visit “Texting While Driving Laws”, which includes further links to the Governor’s issuing press release, statute, and legislative history.
Happy and careful motoring! Contact me when you are done, but not while you are operating your vehicle…
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Only one footnote in this article…But proper attribution of sources is essential.
1 See https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/09/30/new-state-laws-take-effect-october-1, https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/bills.aspx
– For more information, call Philip N. Kabler of the Gainesville, FL office of Bogin, Munns & Munns at 352.332.7688, where he practices in the areas of business, banking, real estate, and equine law. He has taught business and real estate law courses at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business Administration and Levin College of Law and is the President-Elect of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association.
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NOTICE: The article above is not intended to serve as legal advice, and you should not rely on it as such. It is offered only as general information. You should consult with a duly licensed attorney regarding your Florida legal matter, as every situation is unique. Please know that merely reading this article, subscribing to this blog, or otherwise contacting Bogin, Munns & Munns does not establish an attorney-client relationship with our firm. Should you seek legal representation from Bogin, Munns & Munns, any such representation must first be agreed to by the firm and confirmed in a written agreement.
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