5 New Laws Going Into Effect In 2020 In Florida You'll Want To Know About

Starting in the new year, Florida Highway Patrol troopers and other law enforcement will begin ticketing drivers who are caught texting and driving. Texting while driving has been illegal for quite some time, but police weren’t able to specifically stop drivers for it unless they had reason to pull them over for something else. Now, law enforcement can pull drivers over for texting and driving AND ticket them because of it. Fines can be upwards of $60 plus points on your driving record.

According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the minimum wage is increasing in Florida from $8.46 to $8.56 an hour in 2020. Tipped workers will see an increase from $5.44 to $5.54 an hour, in addition to tips. If you’re looking for a bigger pay raise, you’ll have to wait until the elections in November which with a constitutional amendment can see a gradual pay raise to $15 an hour with time.

Anyone under the age of 21 can no longer legally purchase cigarettes, cigars, or other tobacco products. This also includes electronic cigarettes and vaping products which contain nicotine. The new law raises the legal buying age across the country, although many other states besides Florida had already adopted the law. In fact, there are some Florida counties who raised the legal age to buy tobacco last year, including Alachua County, which is home to the University of Florida.

To make a more solidified commitment to being a more veteran-friendly city, Miami held a ceremony back in July and unveiled two new flags: "Honor and Remember" and "Honor and Sacrifice." The veteran-themed "Honor and Remember" flag will become the officially designated Florida emblem on January 1, 2020. The flag was created in order to honor the service and sacrifice of men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who have given their lives in the line of duty. The flag is required to be manufactured in the U.S. and will be displayed at any state-owned building where the U.S. flag is already flown, as well as at state-owned military memorials.

Remember the days when you had to visit a notary in person to get those documents notarized? Well, those days are gone with the new law that allows Floridians to have their legal documents electronically notarized. The way it will work is that the signer and witness(es) can appear before an online notary public either in person or through audio-video communication. There are new protections in place, too, which help boost digital security but also help the notary maintain the same level of professionalism and precision.