ORLANDO, Fla. – Nearly 30 new Florida laws took effect earlier this month, including a law that sets more rules surrounding license plates.

That law — House Bill 253 — makes several changes to existing rules regarding motor vehicle crimes in the state.

For example, HB 253 sets up harsher penalties for drivers who try to mimic a police officer with red-and-white lights while trying to pull someone over.

But HB 253 also says that alterations to license plates now constitute a second-degree misdemeanor, rather than a noncriminal traffic violation.

[RELATED: Here are all the new Florida laws that took effect on July 1 ]

This applies to any of the following situations:

Mutilating or defacing a registered license plate

Changing the plate’s color

Applying reflective material,

See Full Page