Florida Senate - 2025                                    SB 1268
       
       
        
       By Senator Simon
       
       
       
       
       
       3-01003A-25                                           20251268__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Department of Law Enforcement;
    3         repealing ss. 943.031 and 943.042, F.S., relating to
    4         the Florida Violent Crime and Drug Control Council and
    5         the Violent Crime Investigative Emergency and Drug
    6         Control Strategy Implementation Account, respectively;
    7         amending s. 943.0311, F.S.; revising requirements for
    8         a report by the Chief of Domestic Security; amending
    9         ss. 943.041 and 943.17, F.S.; conforming provisions to
   10         changes made by the act; amending s. 943.0313, F.S.;
   11         revising the membership of the Domestic Security
   12         Oversight Council; revising reporting requirements;
   13         amending s. 943.60, F.S.; including the Governor’s
   14         mansion in the definition of the term “Capitol
   15         Complex” for specified provisions; amending s. 943.69,
   16         F.S.; increasing the maximum annual amount that may be
   17         spent for veterinary care of retired police dogs under
   18         a program administered through the department;
   19         amending ss. 914.25 and 914.27, F.S.; conforming
   20         provisions to changes made by the act; providing an
   21         effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Sections 943.031 and 943.042, Florida Statutes,
   26  are repealed.
   27         Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 943.0311, Florida
   28  Statutes, is amended to read:
   29         943.0311 Chief of Domestic Security; duties of the
   30  department with respect to domestic security.—
   31         (4) The chief shall report to the Governor, the President
   32  of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
   33  by November 1 of each year suggestions for specific and
   34  significant security enhancements of any building, facility, or
   35  structure owned or leased by a state agency, state university,
   36  or community college or any entity that has conducted an
   37  assessment under subsection (6). Such suggestions must be
   38  submitted to the Domestic Security Oversight Council for
   39  inclusion in the report required under s. 943.0313(6). The chief
   40  may use utilize the assessments provided under subsection (6) in
   41  making his or her suggestions. The report must shall suggest
   42  strategies to maximize federal funds in support of building or
   43  facility security if such funds are available.
   44         Section 3. Section 943.041, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   45  read:
   46         943.041 Child Exploitation and Crimes Against Children
   47  Criminal Profiling Program.—There is created the Child
   48  Exploitation and Crimes Against Children Criminal Profiling
   49  Program within the department. The program shall perform
   50  investigative, intelligence, research, and training activities
   51  related to child exploitation and other crimes against children.
   52         Section 4. Subsection (5) of section 943.17, Florida
   53  Statutes, is amended to read:
   54         943.17 Basic recruit, advanced, and career development
   55  training programs; participation; cost; evaluation.—The
   56  commission shall, by rule, design, implement, maintain,
   57  evaluate, and revise entry requirements and job-related
   58  curricula and performance standards for basic recruit, advanced,
   59  and career development training programs and courses. The rules
   60  shall include, but are not limited to, a methodology to assess
   61  relevance of the subject matter to the job, student performance,
   62  and instructor competency.
   63         (5) The commission, in consultation with the Florida
   64  Violent Crime and Drug Control Council, shall establish
   65  standards for basic and advanced training programs for law
   66  enforcement officers in the subjects of investigating and
   67  preventing violent crime. After January 1, 1995, Every basic
   68  skills course required in order for law enforcement officers to
   69  obtain initial certification must include training on violent
   70  crime prevention and investigations.
   71         Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and subsection
   72  (6) of section 943.0313, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   73         943.0313 Domestic Security Oversight Council.—The
   74  Legislature finds that there exists a need to provide executive
   75  direction and leadership with respect to terrorism and
   76  immigration enforcement incident prevention, preparation,
   77  protection, response, and recovery efforts by state and local
   78  agencies in this state. In recognition of this need, the
   79  Domestic Security Oversight Council is hereby created. The
   80  council shall serve as an advisory council pursuant to s.
   81  20.03(7) to provide guidance to the state’s regional domestic
   82  security task forces and other domestic security working groups
   83  and to make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature
   84  regarding the expenditure of funds and allocation of resources
   85  related to counter-terrorism and cooperating with and providing
   86  assistance to the Federal Government in the enforcement of
   87  federal immigration laws and domestic security efforts.
   88         (1) MEMBERSHIP.—
   89         (a) The Domestic Security Oversight Council shall be
   90  composed consist of the following voting members:
   91         1. The executive director of the Department of Law
   92  Enforcement.
   93         2. The director of the Division of Emergency Management.
   94         3. The Attorney General.
   95         4. The Commissioner of Agriculture.
   96         5. The State Surgeon General.
   97         6. The Commissioner of Education.
   98         7. The State Fire Marshal.
   99         8. The adjutant general of the Florida National Guard.
  100         9. The state chief information officer.
  101         10. Each sheriff or chief of police who serves as a co
  102  chair of a regional domestic security task force pursuant to s.
  103  943.0312(1)(b).
  104         11. Each of the department’s special agents in charge who
  105  serve as a co-chair of a regional domestic security task force.
  106         12. Two representatives of the Florida Fire Chiefs
  107  Association.
  108         13. One representative of the Florida Police Chiefs
  109  Association.
  110         14. One representative of the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys
  111  Association.
  112         15. One statewide domestic security intelligence
  113  representative, selected by the chair of the Florida Fusion
  114  Center Executive Advisory Board The chair of the Statewide
  115  Domestic Security Intelligence Committee.
  116         16. One representative of the Florida Hospital Association.
  117         17. One representative of the Emergency Medical Services
  118  Advisory Council.
  119         18. One representative of the Florida Emergency
  120  Preparedness Association.
  121         19. One representative of the Florida Seaport
  122  Transportation and Economic Development Council.
  123         (6) REPORTS.—The council shall report annually on its
  124  activities, on or before December 31 of each calendar year, to
  125  the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the
  126  House of Representatives, and the chairs of the committees
  127  having principal jurisdiction over domestic security in the
  128  Senate and the House of Representatives. The report must include
  129  information submitted by the Chief of Domestic Security as
  130  required under s. 943.0311(4).
  131         Section 6. Section 943.60, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  132  read:
  133         943.60 Definitions.—For the purposes of ss. 943.60-943.68,
  134  the term “Capitol Complex” means that portion of Tallahassee,
  135  Leon County, Florida, commonly referred to as the Capitol, the
  136  Historic Capitol, the Senate Office Building, the House Office
  137  Building, the Knott Building, the Pepper Building, the Holland
  138  Building, the Elliot Building, the R.A. Gray Building, and the
  139  associated parking garages and curtilage of each, including the
  140  state-owned lands and public streets adjacent thereto within an
  141  area bounded by and including Calhoun Street, East Pensacola
  142  Street, Monroe Street, Jefferson Street, West Pensacola Street,
  143  Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Gaines Street. The term
  144  includes the State Capital Circle Office Complex located in Leon
  145  County, Florida. The term includes the Governor’s mansion and
  146  the curtilage thereof, located in Leon County, Florida. The term
  147  does not include the Supreme Court Building or the public
  148  streets adjacent thereto. The portion of the Capitol Complex
  149  existing between and including the Elliot Building and the
  150  Holland Building within an area bounded by and including Monroe
  151  Street, Gaines Street, Calhoun Street, and East Pensacola Street
  152  shall be known as “Memorial Park.”
  153         Section 7. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section
  154  943.69, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  155         943.69 Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.—
  156         (5) FUNDING.—
  157         (b) Annual disbursements to a former handler or an adopter
  158  to reimburse him or her for the cost of the retired police dog’s
  159  veterinary care may not exceed $5,000 $1,500 per dog. A former
  160  handler or an adopter of a retired police dog may not accumulate
  161  unused funds from a current year for use in a future year.
  162         Section 8. Subsection (5) of section 914.25, Florida
  163  Statutes, is amended to read:
  164         914.25 Protective services for certain victims and
  165  witnesses.—
  166         (5) The lead law enforcement agency that provides
  167  protective services, as authorized in this section, may seek
  168  reimbursement for its reasonable expenses from the Victim and
  169  Witness Protection Review Committee, pursuant to s. 943.031.
  170  This section does not prevent any law enforcement agency from
  171  providing protective services at the agency’s expense beyond the
  172  4-year maximum period established in this section. Any such
  173  additional expenditures for protective services are not eligible
  174  for the reimbursement provided in this section.
  175         Section 9. Subsections (1) and (4) of section 914.27,
  176  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  177         914.27 Confidentiality of victim and witness information.—
  178         (1) Information held by any state or local law enforcement
  179  agency, state attorney, the statewide prosecutor, the Victim and
  180  Witness Protection Review Committee created pursuant to s.
  181  943.031, or the Department of Law Enforcement which discloses:
  182         (a) The identity or location of a victim or witness who has
  183  been identified or certified for protective or relocation
  184  services pursuant to s. 914.25;
  185         (b) The identity or location of an immediate family member
  186  of a victim or witness who has been identified or certified
  187  pursuant to s. 914.25;
  188         (c) Relocation sites, techniques, or procedures utilized or
  189  developed as a result of the victim and witness protective
  190  services afforded by s. 914.25; or
  191         (d) The identity or relocation site of any victim, witness,
  192  or immediate family member of a victim or witness who has made a
  193  relocation of permanent residence by reason of the victim’s or
  194  witness’s involvement in the investigation or prosecution giving
  195  rise to certification for protective or relocation services
  196  pursuant to s. 914.25;
  197  
  198  is confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1)
  199  and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. Such information
  200  may be shared by law enforcement agencies, state attorneys, and
  201  the statewide prosecutor to facilitate the protective or
  202  relocation services provided pursuant to s. 914.25 and to
  203  support the prosecution efforts of the state attorneys and the
  204  statewide prosecutor. Any information so shared must remain
  205  confidential and exempt in the hands of any agency or entity to
  206  which the information is provided.
  207         (4) The certifying state attorney or statewide prosecutor
  208  may state in writing to the Victim and Witness Protection Review
  209  Committee established pursuant to s. 943.031 that even though
  210  certification for participation in the victim or witness
  211  protective services program is about to expire, disclosure of
  212  information made confidential and exempt by paragraph (1)(a) or
  213  paragraph (1)(b) continues to constitute an unwarranted risk to,
  214  or jeopardizes the safety of, victims, witnesses, or family
  215  members of such victims or witnesses. Accordingly, The
  216  confidential and exempt status of such information shall
  217  continue until the certifying state attorney or statewide
  218  prosecutor determines that disclosure of such information would
  219  not constitute an unwarranted risk to, or jeopardize the safety
  220  of, such persons, and provides written notification to that
  221  effect to the Victim and Witness Protection Review Committee.
  222         Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.