Every New Florida Law Taking Effect October 1, and the One That Is About Broward
Minimum wage hits $15 on September 30, the crash reporting threshold jumps to $2,000, rental application fraud becomes a felony, and one law was written specifically about Broward County.
Jump to a section
- First, the one written about Broward
- In your paycheck, starting September 30
- If you rent, or rent out
- If you drive
- If you shop at a convenience store
- Criminal justice changes
- The ones that do not apply here
- What to do about it
Most of the roughly 230 bills Florida lawmakers passed this year became law back on July 1. A smaller batch was held for October 1, and this one lands closer to home: what happens when you crash your car, what a landlord can do about a fake rental application, what your local convenience store can sell, and, in one case, what Broward County has to do before it makes Mount Trashmore any taller.
A note on the count. Most outlets are calling this "about a dozen" laws, but the lists do not match. Some include the minimum wage increase, some do not. Some include local water district bills, some skip them. We compared several and included everything we could confirm, which comes to fifteen measures plus the wage change.
One more change arrives a day early. The last scheduled increase in Florida's minimum wage takes effect September 30.
Here is what actually changes for people in Broward and Palm Beach County.
First, the one written about Broward
HB 4039 requires Broward County to conduct a feasibility study and hold a public hearing before advancing plans to expand the Monarch Hill Landfill, the 500-acre site in unincorporated northern Broward that most people know as Mount Trashmore.
If you are placing it: it sits east of Florida's Turnpike, bounded by Sample, Powerline and Wiles roads, with a mailing address on Wiles Road in Pompano Beach. It borders Pompano Beach, Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach. It has been there since 1965, stands about 225 feet, and is the tallest artificial elevation south of Lake Okeechobee.
Why this matters now. Waste Management has been seeking to expand it both upward and outward, raising the peak from 225 feet to 325 feet, taller than the state Capitol, and adding roughly 24 acres of footprint, which would extend the site's life from about six years to sixteen. Broward commissioners postponed a decision in late 2024 after opposition from residents and city leaders in Coconut Creek, Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach, then approved an expansion in early 2025.
So this law arrives on top of a fight that has already been running for two years. The practical effect is that future expansion plans cannot advance without a feasibility study and a public hearing first.
It is the only measure on the October 1 list written specifically about Broward County, and it got almost no coverage outside of legislative summaries.
In your paycheck, starting September 30
Florida's minimum wage rises $1 to $15 an hour on September 30, the final scheduled increase under the constitutional amendment voters approved in 2020.
That amendment set the wage at $10 on September 30, 2021, and added a dollar every September 30 since. This is the last of those steps. From here, future increases are tied to inflation rather than a fixed schedule.
Tipped workers: the base wage goes from $10.98 to $11.98 an hour on the same date.
For comparison, the federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour, where it has sat since July 2009.
Note the date. This is the one change on the list that does not wait for October 1, and payroll for the last day of September is affected.
If you rent, or rent out
HB 1293 creates a new crime called fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling unit.
Taking possession of a home using a false identity, forged or counterfeit documents, or by impersonating another applicant becomes a third-degree felony.
The part that matters beyond the criminal charge is what it does to the lease. Fraudulent entry is treated as a noncurable violation, which means a landlord can terminate the rental agreement over it, and a tenant who receives notice has seven days to vacate.
Noncurable is the key word. In most lease disputes a tenant gets an opportunity to fix the problem. Here there is no cure period.
The National Apartment Association, which tracks this kind of legislation, notes that rental application fraud has grown more sophisticated, including forged documents, identity theft and AI-generated applications. Property owners in both counties should expect screening procedures to be revisited.
If you drive
SB 488 is a broad transportation bill that passed nearly unanimously, 36-0 in the Senate and 108-1 in the House. Most of it deals with motor fuel taxes and commercial carriers. Four pieces affect ordinary drivers.
The crash reporting threshold goes from $500 to $2,000. Under the old rule, a fender bender with $600 in apparent damage triggered an immediate reporting requirement to law enforcement. Now that floor is $2,000.
This is a bigger change than it sounds, and it cuts both ways. Fewer minor crashes require a report. But if you are in one and skip the report, you may find yourself without a police record of the crash when you file an insurance claim. Consider documenting the scene yourself regardless.
License plate frames are clarified. A 2025 law created confusion about decorative frames and borders. The 2026 legislation states plainly that frames are allowed as long as they do not obscure the plate's primary features: the letters, numbers and the registration sticker.
Disabled veterans get two changes worth knowing. A disabled veteran may now keep the unique alphanumeric designation on a "DV" plate when it is reissued, renewed or transferred. Tax collectors are authorized to issue disabled veteran plates immediately on demand to qualified applicants. And eligible applicants may choose either a wheelchair symbol plate or a "DV" designation plate in lieu of a disabled parking permit.
The department can email you more often. The law expands the types of transactions in which the DHSMV may use email instead of the U.S. Postal Service to reach customers.
One claim to be careful about. Several outlets are reporting that SB 488 requires proof of residency and lawful presence, via REAL ID, a U.S. passport, or a foreign passport with Form I-94, in order to register a vehicle. We read the Florida Senate Transportation Committee's official summary of the bill in full. It says only that the bill "amends requirements related to the application process for motor vehicle registrations," with no mention of documentation of residency or lawful presence anywhere in it.
That does not prove the reporting wrong, since a committee summary is a summary and not the bill text. But it does mean the claim is not supported by the state's own published description. If you are registering a vehicle after October 1, call your county tax collector and ask what to bring rather than relying on a news roundup.
SB 490 is the companion to SB 488, and this one is now settled. Some outlets described it as a bill about emailed license suspension notices; others as a public records exemption. The Senate's summary is explicit: SB 488 is linked to SB 490, which creates public record exemptions for email addresses the DHSMV collects and uses to send notices and orders. In other words, SB 488 lets the department email you more, and SB 490 keeps the email address it uses out of public records.
One more in SB 488 that matters to cities. The bill addresses how communications providers place or relocate equipment in the public right-of-way, and limits the power of local authorities to impose conditions on those permits. Every municipality in Broward and Palm Beach issues those permits.
Specialty license plates (SB 246, which absorbed HB 639). This one appears under two bill numbers in coverage because the House version was substituted by the Senate bill. It starts the pre-sales process for new specialty plates, reported to include Ultimate Fighting Championship, Miami Northwestern Alumni Association, Outsider, St. Petersburg College and First Responders Resiliency. Published lists of which plates are included vary considerably, so check with the DHSMV before counting on a specific one.
It also tightens accountability: organizations with specialty plates must file financial reports with the state on time or risk having their plates canceled and funding cut off. And it changes the Fraternal Order of Police plate, removing the requirement that buyers provide a notarized membership verification letter, which widens who can buy it.
If you shop at a convenience store
SB 432, known as Meg's Law, bans licensed tobacco and nicotine retailers from possessing or selling nitrous oxide. Violations are a third-degree felony.
There are carve-outs for grocery stores, supermarkets and finished food products that use nitrous oxide purely as a propellant, so whipped cream is not the target here. Nitrous canisters sold at smoke shops are.
The same law creates new trafficking offenses and mandatory penalties for xylazine, the veterinary sedative that has been turning up in the illicit drug supply, while exempting approved veterinary uses.
Criminal justice changes
HB 397, the Victim Safety in Pretrial Release Act. Willfully violating a no-contact order while out on pretrial release for a qualifying violent crime becomes a standalone offense. A first violation is a first-degree misdemeanor; a second or later violation can be charged as a third-degree felony. Officers may make a warrantless arrest with probable cause, and the person must be held until first appearance.
SB 1332 creates a career offender registry, structured much like the sexual offender registry. Habitual violent felony offenders, violent career criminals and three-time violent felony offenders must register annually with their local sheriff, providing address, phone number, employment, vehicles, professional licenses and immigration status.
They must report changes of address, phone number or employment within 48 hours, register in person within 48 hours of release or of establishing residence in Florida, and carry the marking "775.261" on their driver's license or state ID. Each failure to register can be charged as a separate third-degree felony.
HB 429 changes how police identify gang members. A spouse can now make the identification, online admissions of gang membership count, and the number of times a person must be observed with gang members drops from four to two. The law also defines "gang-related language" to include statements, codes, symbols or terminology signaling affiliation.
HB 757 raises the penalty for firing a gun near a school. Unlawfully discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, during school hours or during official school activities, is upgraded to a second-degree felony. That is the most serious new penalty on this list.
HB 189 overhauls gaming regulation, modernizing oversight under the Florida Gaming Control Commission with clearer statutory definitions and stiffer criminal penalties for illegal gambling and unauthorized sports wagering promotions.
HB 1525 makes it a third-degree felony to observe a child under 16 for sexual gratification while intentionally exposing sexual organs in a lewd manner, whether or not the child is aware of being observed.
HB 559 raises animal cruelty penalties. It creates a new third-degree felony for adults who involve minors in animal fighting, baiting or sexual offenses involving animals. Children charged would undergo psychological evaluation and, if recommended, treatment. Reported fine increases for repeated local animal-control violations range up to $2,500, $5,000 and $7,500, though we were not able to confirm those figures from the bill text.
The ones that do not apply here
HB 4093 reduces the Fellsmere Water Control District from 34,441 acres to 14,090 acres and converts it from an independent special district to a dependent district of Indian River County. HB 4095 creates the Headwaters Water Control District, also in Indian River County.
Both are on the October 1 list, and neither affects Broward or Palm Beach.
What to do about it
Hourly workers and employers: confirm payroll reflects $15, and $11.98 for tipped positions, starting September 30 and not October 1.
Landlords and property managers: review your screening and your lease language before October 1. The noncurable designation and the seven-day vacate window are new tools, but using them correctly matters.
Drivers: the higher crash threshold does not mean skipping documentation is smart. Photograph the scene and exchange information regardless.
Anyone registering a vehicle after October 1: call ahead and ask what documents to bring, given the unresolved question above.
Anyone near Mount Trashmore: watch for the feasibility study and public hearing. That hearing is now required before an expansion can advance.
Sources
Florida Senate Transportation Committee, 2026 Bill Summary, SB 488
Florida House of Representatives, CS/HB 1293, Fraudulent Entry of Residential Dwellings
FOX 35 Orlando, "New Florida laws take effect Oct. 1: Here's what to know," September 2026
National Apartment Association, "Rental Application Fraud To Become Crime in Florida," June 2026
ClickOrlando, "Here are all of the new Florida laws taking effect next month," September 1, 2026
Newsweek, "New Laws Taking Effect October 1," September 22, 2026
Florida Senate, House Bill 639 (2026), substituted by CS/SB 246
Florida Senate, 2026 Bill Summaries, HB 757
Broward.US, "A bigger Broward landfill whose peak may reach 325 feet?"
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Florida's minimum wage go to $15?
September 30, 2026, not October 1. It is the final scheduled $1 increase under the 2020 constitutional amendment. Future increases will be based on inflation.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Florida?
It rises from $10.98 to $11.98 an hour on September 30, 2026.
Do I still have to report a minor car crash in Florida?
The threshold for the immediate reporting requirement rises from $500 to $2,000 in apparent damage on October 1. Below that, the requirement no longer applies, but documenting the crash yourself is still wise for insurance purposes.
Are license plate frames legal in Florida?
Yes, as clarified by the 2026 legislation, as long as the frame does not obscure the plate's letters, numbers or registration sticker.
What is HB 1293?
A new law effective October 1, 2026 that makes it a third-degree felony to take possession of a residential rental using a false identity, forged documents or by impersonating another applicant. It also treats fraudulent entry as a noncurable lease violation, allowing a landlord to terminate the lease, with a seven-day window for the tenant to vacate.
Is nitrous oxide illegal in Florida now?
As of October 1, licensed tobacco and nicotine retailers are barred from possessing or selling it, with violations charged as a third-degree felony. There are exceptions for grocery stores, supermarkets and finished food products that use it as a propellant.
Which new law affects Broward County specifically?
HB 4039 requires Broward County to conduct a feasibility study and hold a public hearing before advancing plans to expand the Monarch Hill Landfill, the 500-acre site in unincorporated northern Broward known locally as Mount Trashmore. It borders Pompano Beach, Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach.
What is the penalty for firing a gun near a school in Florida?
As of October 1, unlawfully discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours or official school activities is a second-degree felony under HB 757.
Do I need new documents to register a vehicle after October 1?
Several outlets report that SB 488 requires proof of residency and lawful presence via REAL ID, a U.S. passport or a foreign passport with Form I-94. The Florida Senate Transportation Committee's official summary of the bill does not mention any such requirement, referring only to amended registration application requirements. Call your county tax collector and ask what to bring.
Did anything change for disabled veteran license plates?
Yes. Under SB 488, a disabled veteran may keep the unique alphanumeric designation on a DV plate when it is reissued, renewed or transferred. Tax collectors can issue disabled veteran plates immediately on demand to qualified applicants, and eligible applicants may choose a wheelchair symbol plate or a DV plate in lieu of a disabled parking permit.
How many new laws take effect October 1?
Outlets are reporting "about a dozen," but the published lists do not match one another. We counted fifteen measures plus the minimum wage increase. Most of the roughly 230 measures passed in the 2026 session took effect July 1 or upon the governor's signature.