TALLAHASSEE — Floridians are bracing for a slew of fresh laws to kick in on Jan. 1, 2026, hitting areas like health insurance perks, better safeguards for animals, condo board rules, and more.
State tallies indicate over 100 measures cleared during the 2025 session are set to go live that day. Sure, a bunch are just nitty-gritty fixes to old statutes, but a handful look ready to shake up day-to-day stuff in meaningful ways for regular residents and government workers.
Breast Examinations | SB 158
Turning to health care, state group insurance plans must fully cover diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations — such as ultrasounds or MRIs — without imposing co-pays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs on employees. The measure applies to exams deemed medically necessary for those at higher risk of breast cancer.
Patient Refunds | SB 1808
Additionally, another health-related change requires providers and facilities to refund patient overpayments within 30 days of discovery. Under SB 1808, failure to comply could result in fines up to $500 for facilities or disciplinary action against individual practitioners.
Fertility Preservation | HB 677
State workers facing cancer diagnoses will gain coverage for fertility preservation services if treatments could impair reproductive abilities, as mandated by the new rules. Also, the timeline for health insurers to demand repayment of overpaid claims from licensed psychologists shrinks from 30 months to 12 months, aligning this group with other providers.
Aggravated Animal Cruelty | HB 255
Shifting to animal welfare, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is directed to create a publicly accessible online database listing individuals convicted of animal cruelty offenses. Dubbed “Dexter’s Law,” HB 255 establishes a searchable registry to assist pet adoption agencies in screening applicants.
Pet Insurance | HB 655
Florida is rolling out its inaugural set of rules for pet insurance with HB 655, officially treating it like a form of property insurance. Under the new guidelines, insurers have to lay out exactly how they figure claims, spell out any mandates for vet checkups, and give customers a full 30 days to back out of a policy penalty-free during that “free look” window. Plus, it cracks down on shady tactics by banning companies from pitching pet wellness plans as if they’re real insurance.
Condominium and Cooperative Associations | HB 913
For condominium owners, HB 913 imposes stricter transparency requirements on associations with 25 or more units. To improve accountability and oversight, boards are now required to promptly post meeting minutes and video recordings of virtual meetings online.
In local government matters, local governments face new hurdles when raising impact fees, with ordinances requiring unanimous approval under certain conditions to limit increases.
Other new laws taking effect include updates to insurance claim processes and various administrative tweaks, though the bulk won’t dramatically alter daily routines for most Floridians.