| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to funerals, burials, and memorial |
| 3 | services; creating s. 871.015, F.S.; providing a |
| 4 | definition; prohibiting picketing or engaging in other |
| 5 | protest activities within a specified distance of the |
| 6 | property line of the location of a funeral, burial, or |
| 7 | memorial service for certain persons; providing |
| 8 | criminal penalties; providing an effective date. |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Section 1. Section 871.015, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 13 | to read: |
| 14 | 871.015 Unlawful protests.- |
| 15 | (1) As used in this section, the term "other protest |
| 16 | activities" means any actions that are disruptive or undertaken |
| 17 | to disrupt or disturb a funeral, burial, or memorial service. |
| 18 | (2) A person may not knowingly picket or engage in other |
| 19 | protest activities, and a person may not knowingly cause |
| 20 | picketing or other protest activities to occur, within 500 feet |
| 21 | of the property line of any residence, cemetery, funeral home, |
| 22 | house of worship, or other location during or within 1 hour |
| 23 | before or 1 hour after the conducting of a funeral, burial, or |
| 24 | memorial service at that place for any military service member, |
| 25 | emergency response worker, elected official, or minor. |
| 26 | (3) A person who violates this section commits a |
| 27 | misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. |
| 28 | 775.082 or s. 775.083. |
| 29 | Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2012. |