Florida Senate - 2021                             CS for SB 1234
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senator Boyd
       
       
       
       
       
       590-03537-21                                          20211234c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to false reports of crimes; amending
    3         s. 817.49, F.S.; defining the term “public safety
    4         agency”; authorizing enhanced fines for the willful
    5         making of false reports of crimes under certain
    6         circumstances; providing an effective date.
    7          
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Section 817.49, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   11  read:
   12         817.49 False reports of commission of crimes; penalty.—
   13         (1) A person who whoever willfully imparts, conveys, or
   14  causes to be imparted or conveyed to a any law enforcement
   15  officer false information or reports concerning the alleged
   16  commission of any crime under the laws of this state, knowing
   17  such information or report to be false, when in that no such
   18  crime has had actually been committed, commits shall upon
   19  conviction thereof be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first
   20  degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   21         (2)(a) As used in this subsection, the term “public safety
   22  agency” means a law enforcement agency, a professional or
   23  volunteer fire department, an emergency medical service, an
   24  ambulance service, or any other public entity that provides
   25  first responder services to respond to crimes, to assist victims
   26  of crimes, or to apprehend offenders.
   27         (b) In addition to the criminal penalty for violating
   28  subsection (1), if the offense results in:
   29         1. A response by a federal, a state, a district, a
   30  municipal, or any other public safety agency to address the
   31  reported crime, and the combined cost incurred by all responding
   32  agencies exceeds $1,000, the person may be sentenced to pay a
   33  fine of up to $5,000.
   34         2. Great bodily harm, permanent disfigurement, or permanent
   35  disability as a proximate result of lawful conduct arising out
   36  of a response, the person may be sentenced to pay a fine of up
   37  to $7,500.
   38         3. Death as a proximate result of lawful conduct arising
   39  out of a response, the person may be sentenced to pay a fine of
   40  up to $10,000.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.