Legal notices no longer need be published in newspapers
Governmental agencies are no longer required to publish legal notices in local newspapers or on their websites.
HB 7049, signed by the Gov. Ron DeSantis last May, took effect New Year’s Day and modifies long-standing provisions of Florida law that requires legal notices to be included in local newspapers.
The bill gives a governmental agency the option to publish its legal notices on the publicly accessible website of the county in which it lies instead of in a printed newspaper or on a newspaper’s website if doing so would cost less than publishing legal notices in a newspaper.
Proponents have made repeated attempts over the years to repeal the newspaper requirement for legal notices, arguing that local governments shouldn’t be forced to subsidize the papers.
Newspapers publishers have warned that the loss of advertising revenue associated with the notices will further hurt the struggling industry.
