WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – In a news conference on Tuesday in Winter Haven, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on another handful of bills — adding to the list of over 180 new laws that have been approved so far this year.
The latest laws mainly deal with crime to at least some extent, which DeSantis touched on during the “Law & Order State” conference.
“These bills reinforce our commitment to making Florida the most law enforcement-friendly state in the union — and the worst state in which to commit crimes," he wrote.
We stand for law and order. Today in Winter Haven, I was proud to sign five bills to enhance public safety and support law enforcement:
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 16, 2026
✔️ SB 432: Establishes trafficking penalties for xylazine, a dangerous drug commonly known as “tranq”, and enacts tougher penalties for… pic.twitter.com/2EX41rLZyF
Those aren’t the only laws that DeSantis OK’ed on Tuesday, though. A few others dealt with issues like special districts and courts.
Per state officials, the full list of laws signed on Tuesday is as follows:
SB 156 — Jayson Raynor Act
Senate Bill 156 — dubbed the “Jayson Raynor Act” in honor of a slain Daytona Beach officer — expands law enforcement officers’ protection from a citizen’s use of force during an arrest.
More specifically, the law prohibits anyone from using or threatening force to resist any arrest or detention, or to resist an officer who is performing official duties in good faith.
[WATCH: DeSantis discusses new ‘Jason Raynor Act’]
The law also provides that those guilty of manslaughter must be sentenced to life imprisonment without the eligibility of release upon conviction if the offense was committed against such officers.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
HB 177 — Conflict of Interest
House Bill 177 refers to capital cases in which the CCCRC represents an indigent defendant but determines that it can’t continue to provide representation due to conflicts of interest or similar reasons.
In these scenarios, a judge may appoint a CCCRC from a different region to represent the defendant rather than a private attorney under certain conditions.
The law takes effect on July 1.
HB 397 — Pretrial Release
House Bill 397 creates a new criminal offense for purposefully violating an order of no contact imposed by a court as a condition of pretrial release after the suspect was arrested over violent offenses.
Under this law, the new offense is treated as a first-degree misdemeanor, with subsequent violations being bumped up to third-degree felonies.
The law takes effect on Oct. 1.
HB 429 — Gang Members
House Bill 429 revises what constitutes a “criminal gang member” under state law.
Current law defines this as someone who meets at least two points from a list of criteria, such as admitting to criminal gang membership or having a criminal gang’s tattoo.
But under this law, even more criteria will be added, such as admitting online to being a gang member or being identified as such by a live-in spouse.
The law takes effect on Oct. 1.
SB 432 — Xylazine Trafficking
Senate Bill 432 provides that selling or manufacturing certain forms of xylazine is a first-degree felony, with a mandatory 3-year prison term.
The law also creates a first-degree felony for trafficking in xylazine, with mandatory minimum sentencing depending on how much xylazine was involved in the offense.
The law takes effect on Oct. 1.
SB 436 — Felony Battery
Senate Bill 436 expands the list of qualifying prior offenses that allow for misdemeanor battery to be upgraded to a third-degree felony.
More specifically, if someone has a prior conviction of resisting an officer with violence, any subsequent battery charges may be bumped up to a third-degree felony.
The law takes effect on July 1.
HB 477 — Drug Paraphernalia
House Bill 477 expands the type of narcotic-drug testing products excluded from the definition of “drug paraphernalia.”
More specifically, the law excludes products that are used solely to determine whether a controlled substance contains xylazine.
The law takes effect on July 1.
HB 1019 — Firefighting Foam
House Bill phases out the use of firefighting foam that contains intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The law takes effect on July 1.
SB 1332 — Career Offenders
Senate Bill 1332 makes several changes to registration requirements for career offenders in the state.
For example, the law requires initial registration in person at the sheriff’s office within 48 hours of establishing a residence or release, and it expands the list of required information to include addresses, vehicles, professional licenses, and immigration status.
Furthermore, the law requires career offenders to have their driver’s license and ID cards marked with “775.261″ — the statute number of the Florida Career Offender Registration Act.
The law takes effect on Oct. 1.
HB 1525 — Indecent Exposure
House Bill 1525 creates a third-degree felony for indecent exposure of sexual organs while observing a child under 16 years of age for the purpose of sexual arousal.
This crime applies if either of the following is true:
- The person is intentionally exposing his/her sexual organs in a lewd or lascivious manner
- The person intentionally performs any sexual act that doesn’t involve actual physical or sexual contact with the child, such as sadomasochistic abuse, bestiality, masturbation or simulation of sexual activity
The law takes effect on Oct. 1.
HB 4061 — Land Reserve Stewardship District
House Bill 4061 creates the Land Reserve Stewardship District, an independent special district in Hillsborough County.
The district is responsible for installing, operating and maintaining community infrastructure.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
HB 4091 — University Town Center
House Bill 4091 creates the University Town Center Improvement District, an independent special district in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
The district is responsible for installing, operating and maintaining stormwater and flood control facilities.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
HB 5401 — State Court System
House Bill 5401 terminates the Mediation and Arbitration Trust Fund within the State Courts System.
All current balances and revenues of the fund will instead be transferred to the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund.
The law takes effect on July 1.