{"id":3596,"date":"2019-12-23T13:37:28","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T18:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.greatflorida.com\/?p=3596"},"modified":"2026-05-12T20:32:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:32:45","slug":"florida-laws-going-into-effect-jan-1-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/2019\/florida-laws-going-into-effect-jan-1-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Laws Going into Effect Jan. 1 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the start of the new year, come some new laws taking effect in Florida. Here is what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Texting
\nand Driving<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile many drivers admit to using a cell phone while driving, most agree it is safer to eliminate the practice,\u201d says Dustyn Shroff<\/a>, Vice President of Great Florida Insurance<\/a>, Florida\u2019s leading independent auto insurance<\/a> agency.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/safety.nsc.org\/road-to-zero-safety-priority-statement-distracted-driving<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A new law strengthens the ban on texting and driving. Drivers
\nmust go completely hands-free when driving through school crossings, school
\nzones and active work zones. The offense is now considered a primary offense
\nmeaning law enforcement can pull you over if they see you on the phone. Using
\ndevices while driving in these zones will get you a moving violation ($60 base)
\nand three points on your driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n

The National Safety Council <\/a>reports a percent decrease in drivers using cell phones since last year. Statewide bans are believed to have helped this number go down in recent years.<\/p>\n

Law
\nEnforcement Animals<\/strong><\/p>\n

A new law provides greater protection for police and fire
\ndepartment animals. Anyone who kills or severely injures a police, fire or
\nsearch-and-rescue dog or police horse, will be charged with a second-degree
\nfelony. This increases the amount of possible prison time from 5 to 15 years.<\/p>\n

The American Kennel Club<\/a> (AKC), reports police dogs assist law enforcement in most commonly, apprehension. But law enforcement dogs are also used with detection as well as search and rescue.<\/p>\n

Hazing<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHazing used to be considered harmless activities for initiation into a group, but kids are taking it to far,\u201d says Dustyn Shroff<\/a>, Vice President of Great Florida Insurance<\/a>, Florida\u2019s top independent auto insurance<\/a> agency.<\/p>\n

This new anti-hazing law expands punishment beyond the person
\nwho conducts the hazing. Third-degree felony charges can be brought against
\nindividuals who help coordinate or solicit others during a hazing act where the
\nvictim is permanently injured or dies. The law also offers immunity for those
\nwho call 911 or campus security for medical help during a hazing incident.<\/p>\n

These new laws should help better protect our communities and eliminate
\nabuses, providing an increase in overall safety. <\/p>\n

GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a> wants to wish you a Joyful Holiday and Happy New Year. <\/p>\n

GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a> offers competitive and affordable auto insurance<\/a> to cover all your needs. Contact us today.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/florida-auto-insurance<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the start of the new year, come some new laws taking effect in Florida. Here is what you need to know. Texting and Driving \u201cWhile many drivers admit to using a cell phone while driving, most agree it is safer to eliminate the practice,\u201d says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of Great Florida Insurance, Florida\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":3608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,6,1,5,7,8,90,82,89,9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3596","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-auto-insurance","8":"category-boat-insurance","9":"category-commercial-insurance","10":"category-floridainsurance","11":"category-homeowners-insurance","12":"category-motorcycle-insurance","13":"category-renters-insurance","14":"category-rideshare-insurance","15":"category-rv-insurance","16":"category-travel-insurance","17":"category-umbrella-insurance"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3596"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14156,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions\/14156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}