House Bill hb0371c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 371

        By the Committee on Utilities & Telecommunications and
    Representatives Spratt, Kendrick, Stansel, Alexander, Kyle,
    Harrington, Miller, Sorensen, Bense, Goodlette, Maygarden,
    Jennings, Flanagan, Smith and Littlefield



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to electric utility service

  3         interruptions; creating s. 768.138, F.S.;

  4         providing electric utilities with an absolute

  5         defense in certain actions for certain law

  6         enforcement assistance activities under certain

  7         circumstances; providing an effective date.

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  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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11         Section 1.  Section 768.138, Florida Statutes, is

12  created to read:

13         768.138  Interruption of electric utility service by

14  order of law enforcement; immunity.--The good faith compliance

15  by an electric utility, as defined in s. 366.02, or the

16  utility's personnel, to a law enforcement order to interrupt

17  or disconnect electric service to a location for the purpose

18  of aiding law enforcement personnel in the performance of

19  their duties shall constitute an absolute defense for the

20  electric utility and its personnel to any civil, criminal, or

21  administrative action arising out of such interruption or

22  disconnection so long as the electric utility and its

23  personnel exercise reasonable care in their actions.

24         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

25  law.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.