FrankGoortani/open-us-law huggingface dataset:
Fla. Stat. § 673.1191 — Florida Code / Title XXXIX / Chapter 673 / Part I / Section 673.1191
673.1191 Notice of right to defend action.
Status: in_force

In an action for breach of an obligation for which a third person is answerable over pursuant to this chapter or chapter 674, the defendant may give the third person written notice of the litigation, and the person notified may then give similar notice to any other person who is answerable over. If the notice states that the person notified may come in and defend and that failure to do so will bind the person notified in an action later brought by the person giving the notice as to any determination of fact common to the two litigations, the person notified is so bound unless after seasonable receipt of the notice the person notified does come in and defend.

History: s. 2, ch. 92-82.
Fla. Stat. § 812.136 — Florida Code / Title XLVI / Chapter 812 / Section 812.136
812.136 Mail theft.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) “Mail” means any letter, postal card, parcel, envelope, package, bag, or any other sealed article addressed to another, along with its contents. (b) “Mail depository” means a mail box, letter box, mail route, or mail receptacle of a postal service, an office of a postal service, or mail carrier of a postal service, or a vehicle of a postal service or any other authorized receptacle. (c) “Postal service” means the United States Postal Service or its contractors, or any commercial courier that delivers mail.

(2) Any of the following acts constitutes mail theft: (a) Knowingly removing mail from a mail depository or taking mail from a mail carrier of a postal service with an intent to either temporarily or permanently: 1. Deprive the intended recipient of such mail of his or her right to the mail. 2. Appropriate the mail to his or her own use or the use of any person not entitled to the use of such mail. (b) Knowingly obtaining custody of mail by fraud or deception with an intent to either temporarily or permanently: 1. Deprive the intended recipient of such mail of his or her right to the mail. 2. Appropriate the mail to his or her own use or the use of any person not entitled to the use of the mail. (c) Selling, receiving, possessing, transferring, buying, or concealing mail in violation of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b), while knowing or having reason to know the mail was obtained illegally.

(3) Any of the following constitutes theft of or unauthorized reproduction of a mail depository key or lock: (a) Knowingly obtaining or using, or endeavoring to obtain or use, any key or lock used by a postal service for a mail depository with the intent to either temporarily or permanently: 1. Deprive the owner of such key or lock of his or her right to such key or lock. 2. Appropriate the key or lock to his or her own use or the use of any person not entitled to the use of such key or lock. (b) Knowingly and unlawfully making, forging, or counterfeiting any such key or possessing any such key or lock adopted by a postal service with the intent to unlawfully or improperly use, sell, or otherwise dispose of the key or lock, or to cause the key or lock to be unlawfully or improperly used, sold, or otherwise disposed. (c) Selling, receiving, possessing, transferring, buying, or concealing a key or lock obtained in violation of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) while knowing or having reason to know such key or lock was obtained illegally.

(4)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), a violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (b) A second or subsequent violation of this section is a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.084.

History: s. 79, ch. 2025-22.
Fla. Stat. § 718.5014 — Florida Code / Title XL / Chapter 718 / Part V / Section 718.5014
718.5014 Ombudsman location.
Status: in_force

The ombudsman shall maintain his or her principal office at a place convenient to the offices of the division which will enable the ombudsman to expeditiously carry out the duties and functions of his or her office. The ombudsman may establish branch offices elsewhere in the state upon the concurrence of the Governor.

History: s. 8, ch. 2004-345; s. 14, ch. 2021-99; s. 23, ch. 2021-135.
Fla. Stat. § 517.0616 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 517 / Section 517.0616
517.0616 Disqualification.
Status: in_force

(1) A registration exemption under s. 517.061(11), s. 517.0611, or s. 517.0612 is not available to an issuer if, at the time the issuer makes an offer for the sale of a security, the issuer; a predecessor of the issuer; an affiliated issuer; a director, executive officer, or other officer of the issuer participating in the offering; a general partner or managing member of the issuer; a beneficial owner of 20 percent or more of the issuer’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power; or a promoter connected with the issuer in any capacity at the time of such sale would be disqualified under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 506(d), 17 C.F.R. s. 230.506(d), as amended.

(2) The disqualification under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 506(d), 17 C.F.R. s. 230.506(d), as amended, does not apply to any other person or entity listed in such rule.

History: s. 9, ch. 2024-168; s. 5, ch. 2025-28.
Fla. Stat. § 585.48 — Florida Code / Title XXXV / Chapter 585 / Part II / Section 585.48
585.48 Policy and purpose of ss. 585.50-585.59.
Status: in_force

Because of the existing and increasing possibility of the occurrence of highly contagious, infectious, and communicable diseases in the animals of this state, which threaten their destruction or productivity, and because certain known agents and vectors are instrumental in the spread of certain highly contagious, infectious, and communicable diseases in animals, it is hereby found and declared to be necessary to regulate the feeding of garbage.

History: s. 1, ch. 28313, 1953; s. 39, ch. 59-457; s. 34, ch. 90-321.
Fla. Stat. § 475.272 — Florida Code / Title XXXII / Chapter 475 / Part I / Section 475.272
475.272 Purpose.
Status: in_force

In order to eliminate confusion and provide for a better understanding on the part of customers in real estate transactions, the Legislature finds that the intent of the Brokerage Relationship Disclosure Act is to provide that:

(1) Disclosed dual agency as an authorized form of representation by a real estate licensee in this state is expressly revoked;

(2) Disclosure requirements for real estate licensees relating to authorized forms of brokerage representation are established;

(3) Single agents may represent either a buyer or a seller, but not both, in a real estate transaction; and

(4) Transaction brokers provide a limited form of nonfiduciary representation to a buyer, a seller, or both in a real estate transaction.

History: s. 3, ch. 97-42; s. 8, ch. 98-250; s. 5, ch. 99-384.
Fla. Stat. § 627.446 — Florida Code / Title XXXVII / Chapter 627 / Part II / Section 627.446
627.446 Advanced explanation of benefits.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section, the term “health insurer” means a health insurer issuing individual or group coverage or a health maintenance organization issuing coverage through an individual or a group contract.

(2) Each health insurer shall prepare an advanced explanation of benefits upon receiving a patient estimate from a facility pursuant to s. 395.301(1). The health insurer must provide the advanced explanation of benefits to the insured no later than 1 business day after receiving the patient estimate from the facility or, in the case of a service scheduled at least 10 business days in advance, no later than 3 business days after receiving such estimate. The health insurer must provide an advanced explanation of benefits to the insured no later than 3 business days after the date on which the health insurer receives a request from the insured.

(3) At a minimum, the advanced explanation of benefits must include detailed coverage and cost-sharing information pursuant to the No Surprises Act, Title I of Division BB of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260.

History: s. 6, ch. 2024-183.
Fla. Stat. § 559.802 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 559 / Part VIII / Section 559.802
559.802 Franchises; exemption.
Status: in_force

(1) The sale of a franchise is exempt from this part if: (a) The franchise meets the definition of that term as defined by the Federal Trade Commission regulations entitled, “Disclosure Requirements and Prohibitions Concerning Franchising and Business Opportunity Ventures,” as set forth in 16 C.F.R. ss. 436.1 et seq.; and (b) Before offering for sale or selling a franchise to be located in this state or to a resident of this state, the franchisor files a notice with the department, on a form adopted by the department, stating that the franchisor is in substantial compliance with the requirements of the Federal Trade Commission rule and pays a fee in an amount set by the department not exceeding $100.

(2) The initial exemption granted under this section is for a period of 1 year after the date of filing the notice, and it may be renewed each year for an additional 1-year period upon filing a notice for renewal and paying a renewal fee in an amount set by the department, not exceeding $100.

(3) The department may require only the name of the applicant, the name of the franchise and the name under which the applicant intends to, or does, transact business, if different, the applicant’s principal business address, and the applicant’s federal employer identification number.

(4) The department may adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section.

History: s. 3, ch. 93-244; s. 39, ch. 2013-251.
Fla. Stat. § 526.121 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 526 / Part I / Section 526.121
526.121 Pricing restrictions; separation of gasolines.
Status: in_force

(1) The posting at retail service stations of a different price for the same grade of gasoline dispensed from one pump than from another pump supplied from a common storage at the same service station when represented to be and is sold as the same quality of gasoline is unlawful.

(2) This section shall not be construed to prohibit a price differential between a cash sale and a credit sale of the same grade of gasoline or between self-service pumps and attendant-controlled pumps supplied from a common storage at the same service station.

History: s. 1, ch. 67-506; s. 7, ch. 74-162; s. 1, ch. 82-26.
Fla. Stat. § 403.864 — Florida Code / Title XXIX / Chapter 403 / Part VI / Section 403.864
403.864 Public water supply accounting program.
Status: in_force

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature to require a yearly accounting of funds, overhead, personnel, and property used by the department and the Department of Health and its units, including each of the county health departments, in conducting their respective responsibilities for the state public water supply program. Such accounting shall be presented to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by the department and the Department of Health no later than February 1 of each year.

(2) In furtherance of this intent, the Department of Health and the department shall jointly develop an accounting program for use by the department and the Department of Health and its units, including the county health departments, to determine the funds, overhead, personnel, and property used by each of the departments in conducting its respective public water supply functions and responsibilities for each fiscal year. The accounting program shall provide information sufficient to satisfy state auditing and federal grant and aid reporting requirements and shall include provisions requiring the Department of Health to: (a) Segregate, from an accounting standpoint, funds distributed to county health departments for public water supply functions from other county health department trust funds. (b) Segregate, from an accounting standpoint, funds distributed to the central and branch laboratories of the Department of Health for public water supply functions from other laboratory funds. (c) Require each county health department, the central and each branch laboratory of the Department of Health, and any other entity of the Department of Health involved in and carrying out public water supply functions to account to the Department of Health on a semiannual basis for the funds received, from whatever source, and used for public water supply functions. (d) Require each county health department, the central and each branch laboratory of the Department of Health, and any other entity of the Department of Health involved in carrying out public water supply functions either wholly or partially with funds, either federal or state, received from the department through an interagency agreement or other means to account to the department on a semiannual basis for such funds received and used for public water supply functions.

History: s. 15, ch. 77-337; s. 100, ch. 79-164; s. 5, ch. 95-144; s. 173, ch. 99-8; s. 113, ch. 2001-266.
Fla. Stat. § 77.083 — Florida Code / Title VI / Chapter 77 / Section 77.083
77.083 Judgment.
Status: in_force

Judgment against the garnishee on the garnishee’s answer or after trial of a reply to the garnishee’s answer shall be entered for the amount of his or her liability as disclosed by the answer or trial. Instead of scire facias, the court may subpoena the garnishee to inquire about his or her liability to or possession of property of the defendant. No judgment in excess of the amount remaining unpaid on the final judgment against the defendant or in excess of the amount of the liability of the garnishee to the defendant, whichever is less, shall be entered against the garnishee.

History: s. 27, ch. 67-254; s. 3, ch. 83-97; s. 10, ch. 87-224; s. 392, ch. 95-147.
Fla. Stat. § 766.307 — Florida Code / Title XLV / Chapter 766 / Section 766.307
766.307 Hearing; parties; discovery.
Status: in_force

(1) The administrative law judge shall set the date for a hearing no sooner than 60 days and no later than 120 days after the filing by a claimant of a petition in compliance with s. 766.305. The administrative law judge shall immediately notify the parties of the time and place of such hearing, which shall be held in the county where the injury occurred unless otherwise agreed to by the parties and authorized by the division.

(2) The parties to the hearing shall include the claimant and the association.

(3) Any party to a proceeding under ss. 766.301-766.316 may, upon application to the administrative law judge setting forth the materiality of the evidence to be given, serve interrogatories or cause the depositions of witnesses residing within or without the state to be taken, the costs thereof to be taxed as expenses incurred in connection with the filing of a claim. Such depositions shall be taken after giving notice and in the manner prescribed for the taking of depositions in actions at law, except that they shall be directed to the administrative law judge before whom the proceedings may be pending.

History: s. 66, ch. 88-1; s. 19, ch. 91-46; s. 2, ch. 94-106; s. 310, ch. 96-410.
Fla. Stat. § 784.071 — Florida Code / Title XLVI / Chapter 784 / Section 784.071
784.071 Assault or battery on a law enforcement officer; missing while in line of duty; blue alert.
Status: in_force

(1) At the request of an authorized person employed at a law enforcement agency, the Department of Law Enforcement, in cooperation with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Department of Transportation, shall activate the emergency alert system and issue a blue alert if all of the following conditions are met: (a)1. A law enforcement officer has been killed, has suffered serious bodily injury, or has been assaulted with a deadly weapon; or 2. A law enforcement officer is missing while in the line of duty under circumstances evidencing concern for the law enforcement officer’s safety; (b) The suspect has fled the scene of the offense; (c) The law enforcement agency investigating the offense determines that the suspect poses an imminent threat to the public or to other law enforcement officers; (d) A detailed description of the suspect’s vehicle, or other means of escape, or the license plate of the suspect’s vehicle is available for broadcasting; (e) Dissemination of available information to the public may help avert further harm or assist in the apprehension of the suspect; and (f) If the law enforcement officer is missing, there is sufficient information available relating to the officer’s last known location and physical description, and the description of any vehicle involved, including the license plate number or other identifying information, to be broadcast to the public and other law enforcement agencies, which could assist in locating the missing law enforcement officer.

(2)(a) The blue alert shall be immediately disseminated to the public through the emergency alert system by broadcasting the alert on television, radio, and the dynamic message signs that are located along the state’s highways. (b) If a traffic emergency arises requiring that information pertaining to the traffic emergency be displayed on a highway message sign in lieu of the blue alert information, the agency responsible for displaying information on the highway message sign is not in violation of this section.

History: s. 1, ch. 2011-72.
Fla. Stat. § 595.403 — Florida Code / Title XXXV / Chapter 595 / Section 595.403
595.403 State policy.
Status: in_force

The Legislature, in recognition of the demonstrated relationship between good nutrition and the capacity of students to develop and learn, declares that it is the policy of the state to provide standards for school food and nutrition services and to require each school district to establish and maintain an appropriate school food and nutrition service program consistent with the nutritional needs of students. To implement that policy, the state shall provide funds to meet the state National School Lunch Act matching requirements. The funds provided shall be distributed in such a manner as to comply with the requirements of the National School Lunch Act.

History: s. 30, ch. 2013-226.
Fla. Stat. § 670.205 — Florida Code / Title XXXIX / Chapter 670 / Part II / Section 670.205
670.205 Erroneous payment orders.
Status: in_force

(1) If an accepted payment order was transmitted pursuant to a security procedure for the detection of error and the payment order erroneously instructed payment to a beneficiary not intended by the sender, erroneously instructed payment in an amount greater than the amount intended by the sender, or was an erroneously transmitted duplicate of a payment order previously sent by the sender, the following rules apply: (a) If the sender proves that the sender or a person acting on behalf of the sender pursuant to s. 670.206 complied with the security procedure and that the error would have been detected if the receiving bank had also complied, the sender is not obliged to pay the order to the extent stated in paragraphs (b) and (c). (b) If the funds transfer is completed on the basis of a payment order that erroneously instructed payment to a beneficiary not intended by the sender or that was an erroneously transmitted duplicate of a payment order previously sent by the sender, the sender is not obliged to pay the order and the receiving bank is entitled to recover from the beneficiary any amount paid to the beneficiary to the extent allowed by the law governing mistake and restitution. (c) If the funds transfer is completed on the basis of a payment order that erroneously instructed payment in an amount greater than the amount intended by the sender, the sender is not obliged to pay the order to the extent the amount received by the beneficiary is greater than the amount intended by the sender. In that case, the receiving bank is entitled to recover from the beneficiary the excess amount received to the extent allowed by the law governing mistake and restitution.

(2) If the sender of an erroneous payment order described in subsection (1) is not obliged to pay all or part of the order, and the sender receives notification from the receiving bank that the order was accepted by the bank or that the sender’s account was debited with respect to the order, the sender has a duty to exercise ordinary care, on the basis of information available to the sender, to discover the error with respect to the order and to advise the bank of the relevant facts within a reasonable time, not exceeding 90 days, after the bank’s notification was received by the sender. If the bank proves that the sender failed to perform that duty, the sender is liable to the bank for the loss the bank proves it incurred as a result of the failure, but the liability of the sender may not exceed the amount of the sender’s order.

(3) This section applies to amendments to payment orders to the same extent it applies to payment orders.

History: s. 1, ch. 91-70.
Fla. Stat. § 15.052 — Florida Code / Title IV / Chapter 15 / Section 15.052
15.052 Official state pie.
Status: in_force

Key lime pie is designated as the official Florida state pie.

History: s. 1, ch. 2006-236.
Fla. Stat. § 627.6403 — Florida Code / Title XXXVII / Chapter 627 / Part VI / Section 627.6403
627.6403 Payment of acupuncture benefits to certified acupuncturists.
Status: in_force

Any policy of individual health insurance that provides coverage for acupuncture shall cover the services of an acupuncturist certified pursuant to chapter 457 under the same conditions that apply to services of a licensed physician.

History: ss. 1, 3, ch. 87-176; s. 114, ch. 92-318.
Fla. Stat. § 332.09 — Florida Code / Title XXV / Chapter 332 / Section 332.09
332.09 Federal funds and aid.
Status: in_force

A municipality is authorized to accept, receive, and receipt for federal moneys, and other moneys, either public or private, for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, or operation of airports and other air navigation facilities, and sites therefor, and to comply with the provisions of the laws of the United States and any rules and regulations made thereunder for the expenditure of federal moneys upon such airports and other air navigation facilities.

History: s. 9, ch. 22846, 1945.
Fla. Stat. § 270.16 — Florida Code / Title XVIII / Chapter 270 / Section 270.16
270.16 Preservation of equity of state in lands sold; board of trustees may compromise unpaid balance.
Status: in_force

In the sale of state lands or other state property, whether made in the name of the state or in the name of any state agency, when such sale is or has been made upon the basis of partial payment or payments upon said lands or other property and the remainder or balance of payment or payments is or was secured by note or notes, in turn secured by mortgage or mortgages, or other paper or instrument obligating the lands or property, or any part thereof, to the payment of any remaining or balance of payment or payments, the equity and interest of the state or any state agency making such sale as represented by said notes, mortgages, or other such instruments, shall never be extinguished, canceled or impaired so long as the obligation to the state or state agency shall remain unpaid or unfulfilled; provided, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund may, in its discretion, compromise, or compound, any unpaid balance on any contract to purchase any lands over which said board of trustees has jurisdiction and control, where such contract to purchase is secured by a mortgage, if no less than 25 percent of the agreed purchase price has been theretofore paid.

History: s. 1, ch. 15641, 1931; CGL 1936 Supp. 1771(6); s. 2, ch. 61-119; ss. 27, 35, ch. 69-106.