Florida Senate - 2013 SB 118 By Senator Benacquisto 30-00168-13 2013118__ 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 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1. Section 871.015, Florida Statutes, is created to 13 read: 14 871.015 Unlawful protests.— 15 (1) As used in this section, the term “other protest 16 activities” means any action that is disruptive or that is 17 undertaken to disrupt or disturb a funeral, burial, or memorial 18 service. 19 (2) A person may not knowingly picket or engage in other 20 protest activities or knowingly cause picketing or other protest 21 activities to occur within 500 feet of the property line of a 22 residence, cemetery, funeral home, house of worship, or other 23 location during or within 1 hour before or 1 hour after the 24 conducting at such places of a funeral or burial of, or a 25 memorial service for, a military service member, an emergency 26 response worker, an elected official, or a minor. 27 (3) A person who violates this section commits a 28 misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 29 775.082 or s. 775.083. 30 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2013.