Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1234
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì182662.Î182662                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




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