Florida Senate - 2021 CS for SB 836
By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability;
and Senators Jones, Pizzo, Polsky, Farmer, Stewart, and Book
585-03338-21 2021836c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to a crime and violence task force;
3 creating the Urban Core Crime and Violence Task Force
4 within the Department of Law Enforcement; providing
5 for membership, duties, and meetings of the task
6 force; requiring state agencies to provide assistance
7 when requested; authorizing the task force to receive
8 exempt or confidential and exempt information and
9 specifying that the information maintains such status;
10 requiring the task force to submit a report to the
11 Governor and Legislature by a specified date;
12 providing for expiration of the task force; providing
13 an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Urban Core Crime and Violence Task Force.—
18 (1) The Urban Core Crime and Violence Task Force, a task
19 force as defined in s. 20.03, Florida Statutes, is created
20 within the Department of Law Enforcement. Except as otherwise
21 provided in this section, the task force shall comply with the
22 requirements of s. 20.052, Florida Statutes.
23 (2)(a) The task force shall consist of 15 members as
24 follows:
25 1. Four members appointed by the Governor, one of whom the
26 Governor shall designate as the chair of the task force.
27 2. Four members appointed by the President of the Senate,
28 two of whom must be members of the Legislative Black Caucus of
29 the Florida Senate.
30 3. Four members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
31 Representatives, two of whom must be members of the Legislative
32 Black Caucus of the Florida House of Representatives.
33 4. A representative from the Florida Sheriffs Association,
34 nominated by the executive director and appointed by the
35 Governor.
36 5. A representative from the Florida Police Chiefs
37 Association, nominated by the executive director and appointed
38 by the Governor.
39 6. The Secretary of Children and Families, or his or her
40 designee.
41 (b) Members must be appointed no later than August 1, 2021.
42 Members serve at the pleasure of the officer who appointed them,
43 and a vacancy on the task force must be filled in the same
44 manner as the original appointment. Members of the task force
45 shall serve without compensation, but are entitled to
46 reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses pursuant to s.
47 112.061, Florida Statutes.
48 (c) The task force shall meet at the call of the chair at a
49 time and location in this state designated by the chair. The
50 task force may not conduct its meetings by teleconference or
51 other electronic means.
52 (3) The task force shall review system failures and the
53 causes of high crime rates and violence in urban core
54 neighborhoods and communities. In addition, the task force shall
55 develop recommendations for solutions, programs, services, and
56 strategies for improved interagency communication between local
57 and state governmental agencies to help facilitate the reduction
58 of crime and violence in urban core neighborhoods and
59 communities.
60 (4) The Department of Law Enforcement shall provide
61 staffing and administrative assistance to the task force in
62 performing its duties. The task force may call upon other state
63 agencies for such professional assistance as may be needed in
64 the discharge of its duties, and such agencies shall provide
65 such assistance in a timely manner.
66 (5) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the task
67 force may request and shall be provided with access to any
68 information or records that pertain to crime or violent
69 incidents in this state’s urban core neighborhoods and
70 communities. Information or records obtained by the task force
71 which are otherwise exempt or confidential and exempt shall
72 retain such exempt or confidential and exempt status, and the
73 task force may not disclose any such information or records.
74 (6) The task force shall submit a report on its findings
75 and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the
76 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by June
77 1, 2023.
78 (7) This section expires June 30, 2023.
79 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.