TALLAHASSEE, Florida — As the new year approaches, several provisions from bills passed in Florida’s 2025 legislative session will take effect on January 1, 2026.
In healthcare and insurance, providers will face stricter timelines for refunding patient overpayments. Under the new rules from Senate Bill 1808, healthcare practitioners and facilities must issue refunds within 30 days of determining an overpayment, with potential penalties including fines or disciplinary action for non-compliance. This applies to direct patient payments but not insurer overpayments.
State employees will see expanded coverage under group health plans. Diagnostic and supplemental breast exams, such as MRIs and ultrasounds, will be fully covered without cost-sharing like co-pays or deductibles under Senate Bill 158.
Additionally, policies issued on or after January 1 will include coverage for standard fertility preservation services for those facing cancer treatments that could cause infertility, as mandated by House Bill 677.
Insurance regulations are also tightening. Pet insurance providers must provide clearer explanations of claim decisions, including details on waiting periods and distinctions from wellness programs, under House Bill 655. Meanwhile, insurers and HMOs will have a reduced 12-month window (down from 30 months) to seek overpayment recoveries from licensed psychologists, per Senate Bill 944.
Animal welfare advocates are welcoming the launch of “Dexter’s Law” (House Bill 255), named after a brutally killed shelter dog. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will debut a public, searchable online database listing individuals convicted of or who pleaded guilty or no contest to aggravated animal cruelty. The tool aims to help adoption agencies screen applicants and deter future offenses, building on enhanced penalties already in place.
For housing, condominium associations with 25 or more units must comply with expanded digital transparency requirements under amendments from prior sessions (primarily House Bill 1021 (2024), with compliance delayed to 2026). These buildings will need to maintain a website or mobile app with a password-protected section for owners, posting official records such as meeting minutes, videos, budgets, contracts, and bids. This lowers the previous threshold and allows associations to fulfill some records requests digitally.
Other notable changes include ethics reforms extending a six-year lobbying ban on the Legislature and executive branch for former judges and lawmakers leaving office after January 1, 2026. Tax-related updates lower thresholds for mandatory electronic filing in certain contexts.
On toll roads, while a statewide 50% discount program for frequent users (35+ transactions per month) concluded earlier in 2025, local programs like Central Florida‘s E-PASS volume savings continue to offer discounts up to 25% on select expressways.
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