Florida Senate - 2025 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1444
Ì130156ÈÎ130156
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
04/16/2025 .
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The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
(Collins) recommended the following:
1 Senate Substitute for Amendment (633166) (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Delete lines 70 - 223
5 and insert:
6 Section 1. Effective July 1, 2025, subsection (7) is added
7 to section 112.1815, Florida Statutes, to read:
8 112.1815 Firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical
9 technicians, and law enforcement officers; special provisions
10 for employment-related accidents and injuries.—
11 (7) An individual who is certified as a first responder and
12 has a physical disability resulting from an amputation may
13 continue to serve as a first responder if he or she meets the
14 first responder certification requirements without an
15 accommodation.
16 Section 2. Effective July 1, 2025, section 112.195, Florida
17 Statutes, is created to read:
18 112.195 Florida Medal of Valor and Florida Blue/Red Heart
19 Medal.—
20 (1)(a) There is created the Florida Medal of Valor for
21 first responders as defined in s. 112.1815 and related
22 personnel. The medal may be awarded only to a first responder or
23 related personnel who goes above and beyond the call of duty to
24 save the life of an individual.
25 (b) There is created the Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal. The
26 medal shall be awarded to a law enforcement officer,
27 firefighter, correctional officer, or correctional probation
28 officer who is injured in the line of duty.
29 (2) The Governor, or his or her designee, may present the
30 awards. The awards shall be issued and administered through the
31 Department of Law Enforcement. A resident of this state or an
32 employing agency in this state must apply for the Florida Medal
33 of Valor or the Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal on behalf of the
34 potential recipient.
35 (3)(a) An application for a medal under this section must
36 be considered and acted upon by a board charged with the duty of
37 evaluating the appropriateness of the application. The board
38 shall be composed of five members as follows:
39 1. Three members appointed by the Governor.
40 2. One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of
41 Representatives.
42 3. One member appointed by the President of the Senate.
43 (b) Members of the board shall serve 2-year terms. Any
44 vacancy on the board must be filled within 3 months. At least
45 three board members must be active, retired, or former law
46 enforcement officers or firefighters.
47 Section 3. Section 316.2675, Florida Statutes, is created
48 to read:
49 316.2675 Vehicle kill switches; prohibited uses.—
50 (1) A person may not use any device that can be remotely
51 activated to disable a vehicle’s engine or to prevent a
52 vehicle’s engine from starting unless he or she is:
53 (a) The owner of the vehicle;
54 (b) A law enforcement officer acting in the course and
55 scope of his or her duties to prevent the commission of a
56 felony; or
57 (c) Acting for or on behalf of a company that offers a
58 subscription, recurring payment program, or lease in connection
59 with the vehicle.
60 (2) A person who violates subsection (1) commits a
61 misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.
62 775.082 or s. 775.083.
63 (3) This section does not apply to the manufacturer of a
64 vehicle.
65 Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 775.0823, Florida
66 Statutes, is amended to read:
67 775.0823 Violent offenses committed against specified
68 justice system personnel.—The Legislature does hereby provide
69 for an increase and certainty of penalty for any person
70 convicted of a violent offense against any law enforcement or
71 correctional officer, as defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6),
72 (7), (8), or (9); against any state attorney elected pursuant to
73 s. 27.01 or assistant state attorney appointed under s. 27.181;
74 against any public defender elected pursuant to s. 27.50 or
75 regional counsel appointed pursuant to s. 27.511(3); against any
76 court-appointed counsel appointed under s. 27.40 or defense
77 attorney in a criminal proceeding; or against any justice or
78 judge of a court described in Art. V of the State Constitution,
79 which offense arises out of or in the scope of the officer’s
80 duty as a law enforcement or correctional officer, the state
81 attorney’s or assistant state attorney’s duty as a prosecutor or
82 investigator, the public defender or regional counsel acting in
83 his or her capacity as defense counsel, the court-appointed
84 counsel or defense attorney in a criminal proceeding acting in
85 his or her capacity as defense counsel, or the justice’s or
86 judge’s duty as a judicial officer, as follows:
87 (2) For attempted murder in the first degree as described
88 in s. 782.04(1), a sentence pursuant to s. 775.082, s. 775.083,
89 or s. 775.084 with a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years
90 imprisonment.
91
92 Notwithstanding s. 948.01, with respect to any person who is
93 found to have violated this section, adjudication of guilt or
94 imposition of sentence shall not be suspended, deferred, or
95 withheld.
96 Section 5. Section 790.051, Florida Statutes, is amended to
97 read:
98 790.051 Exemption from licensing requirements; law
99 enforcement officers.—Law enforcement officers and correctional
100 probation officers, as defined in s. 943.10(3), are exempt from
101 the licensing and penal provisions of this chapter when acting
102 at any time within the scope or course of their official duties
103 or when acting at any time in the line of or performance of
104 duty.
105 Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
106 790.052, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
107 790.052 Carrying concealed firearms; off-duty law
108 enforcement officers.—
109 (1)(a) All persons holding active certifications from the
110 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission as law
111 enforcement officers or correctional officers as defined in s.
112 943.10(1), (2), (6), (7), (8), or (9), all judges, and all state
113 attorneys and assistant state attorneys shall have the right to
114 carry, on or about their persons, concealed firearms, during
115 off-duty hours, at the discretion of their superior officers,
116 and may perform those law enforcement functions that they
117 normally perform during duty hours, utilizing their weapons in a
118 manner which is reasonably expected of on-duty officers in
119 similar situations.
120 Section 7. Subsection (4) is added to section 817.49,
121 Florida Statutes, to read:
122 817.49 False reports of commission of crimes; penalty.—
123 (4) The Legislature finds that the false reporting of
124 crimes is a threat to public safety and a threat to the safety
125 of law enforcement officers and other first responders. As such,
126 the Legislature encourages each state attorney to adopt a pro
127 prosecution policy for the false reporting of crimes as
128 prohibited in this section.
129 Section 8. Effective July 1, 2025, paragraph (a) of
130 subsection (12) of section 790.06, Florida Statutes, is amended
131 to read:
132 790.06 License to carry concealed weapon or concealed
133 firearm.—
134 (12)(a) A license issued under this section does not
135 authorize any person to openly carry a handgun or carry a
136 concealed weapon or concealed firearm into:
137 1. Any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05;
138 2. Any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station;
139 3. Any detention facility, prison, or jail;
140 4. Any courthouse;
141 5. Any courtroom, except that nothing in this section does
142 not preclude precludes a judge from carrying a concealed weapon
143 or concealed firearm or determining who will carry a concealed
144 weapon or concealed firearm in his or her courtroom. This
145 subparagraph does not grant a judge the ability to prevent a
146 person, who is otherwise authorized under this chapter to carry
147 a concealed weapon or concealed firearm in a courthouse, from
148 carrying such a concealed weapon or concealed firearm in any
149 area of the courthouse other than his or her courtroom;
150 6. Any polling place;
151 7. Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public
152 school district, municipality, or special district;
153 8. Any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof;
154 9. Any school, college, or professional athletic event not
155 related to firearms;
156 10. Any elementary or secondary school facility or
157 administration building;
158 11. Any career center;
159 12. Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense
160 alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which
161 portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such
162 purpose;
163 13. Any college or university facility unless the licensee
164 is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such
165 college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal
166 electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes
167 and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile;
168 14. The inside of the passenger terminal and sterile area
169 of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from
170 carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is
171 encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as
172 baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or
173 15. Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited
174 by federal law.
175 Section 9. Effective July 1, 2025, paragraph (c) of
176 subsection (1) and subsection (4) of section 937.021, Florida
177 Statutes, are amended to read:
178 937.021 Missing child and missing adult reports.—
179 (1) Law enforcement agencies in this state shall adopt
180 written policies that specify the procedures to be used to
181 investigate reports of missing children and missing adults. The
182 policies must ensure that cases involving missing children and
183 adults are investigated promptly using appropriate resources.
184 The policies must include:
185 (c) Standards for maintaining and clearing computer data of
186 information concerning a missing child or missing adult which is
187 stored in the Florida Crime Information Center, the National
188 Crime Information Center, and the National Missing and
189 Unidentified Persons System. The standards must require, at a
190 minimum, a monthly review of each case entered into the Florida
191 Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information
192 Center, an annual review of each case entered into the National
193 Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and a determination of
194 whether the case should be maintained in the databases database.
195 (4)(a) Upon the filing of a police report that a child is
196 missing by the parent or guardian, the Department of Children
197 and Families, or a community-based care provider, the law
198 enforcement agency receiving the report shall immediately inform
199 all on-duty law enforcement officers of the missing child
200 report, communicate the report to every other law enforcement
201 agency having jurisdiction in the county, and within 2 hours
202 after receipt of the report, transmit the report for inclusion
203 within the Florida Crime Information Center and, the National
204 Crime Information Center, and the National Missing and
205 Unidentified Persons System databases, and shall, within 90 days
206 after receipt of the report, transmit the report to the National
207 Missing and Unidentified Persons System. A law enforcement
208 agency may not require a reporter to present an order that a
209 child be taken into custody or any other such order before
210 accepting a report that a child is missing.
211 (b) Upon the filing of a credible police report that an
212 adult is missing, the law enforcement agency receiving the
213 report shall, within 2 hours after receipt of the report,
214 transmit the report for inclusion within the Florida Crime
215 Information Center and, the National Crime Information Center,
216 and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
217 databases, and shall, within 90 days after receipt of the
218 report, transmit the report to the National Missing and
219 Unidentified Persons System.
220 Section 10. Effective July 1, 2025, paragraph (b) of
221 subsection (3) of section 937.022, Florida Statutes, is amended
222 to read:
223 937.022 Missing Endangered Persons Information
224 Clearinghouse.—
225 (3) The clearinghouse shall:
226 (b) Provide a centralized file for the exchange of
227 information on missing endangered persons.
228 1. Every state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency
229 shall submit to the clearinghouse information concerning missing
230 endangered persons.
231 2. Any person having knowledge may submit a missing
232 endangered person report to the clearinghouse concerning a child
233 or adult younger than 26 years of age whose whereabouts is
234 unknown, regardless of the circumstances, subsequent to
235 reporting such child or adult missing to the appropriate law
236 enforcement agency within the county in which the child or adult
237 became missing, and subsequent to entry by the law enforcement
238 agency of the child or person into the Florida Crime Information
239 Center and, the National Crime Information Center, and the
240 National Missing and Unidentified Persons System databases. The
241 missing endangered person report shall be included in the
242 clearinghouse database.
243 3. Only the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over
244 the case may submit a missing endangered person report to the
245 clearinghouse involving a missing adult age 26 years or older
246 who is suspected by a law enforcement agency of being endangered
247 or the victim of criminal activity.
248 4. Only the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over
249 the case may make a request to the clearinghouse for the
250 activation of a state Silver Alert or a Purple Alert involving a
251 missing adult if circumstances regarding the disappearance have
252 met the criteria for activation of the Silver Alert Plan or the
253 Purple Alert.
254 Section 11. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 500.92,
255 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
256 500.92 Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act.—
257 (3) It is unlawful to sell, deliver, barter, furnish, or
258 give, directly or indirectly, any kratom product, including any
259 kratom product that is adulterated with synthesized or semi
260 synthesized kratom alkaloids or constituents or that contains a
261 level of 7-hydroxymitragynine in the alkaloid fraction which is
262 greater than 2 percent, to a person younger than who is under 21
263 years of age.
264 (4) A person who violates violation of subsection (3)
265 commits is a misdemeanor of the first second degree, punishable
266 as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
267
268 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
269 And the title is amended as follows:
270 Delete lines 2 - 27
271 and insert:
272 An act relating to public safety; amending s.
273 112.1815, F.S.; authorizing first responder amputees
274 to continue to serve as first responders under certain
275 circumstances; creating s. 112.195, F.S.; creating the
276 Florida Medal of Valor and the Florida Blue/Red Heart
277 Medal; providing requirements for such medals;
278 creating a board to evaluate applications for awarding
279 such medals; providing for board membership; creating
280 s. 316.2675, F.S.; prohibiting the use of motor
281 vehicle kill switches; providing criminal penalties;
282 providing an exception; amending s. 775.0823, F.S.;
283 providing a minimum mandatory sentence for attempted
284 murder of specified justice system personnel; amending
285 s. 790.051, F.S.; providing correctional probation
286 officers with the same firearms rights as law
287 enforcement officers; amending s. 790.052, F.S.;
288 providing that specified persons may carry concealed
289 firearms under certain circumstances and use them in
290 the same manner as on-duty law enforcement officers;
291 amending s. 817.49, F.S.; providing legislative
292 findings concerning prosecution of the false reporting
293 of crimes; amending s. 790.06, F.S.; providing
294 construction regarding a judge preventing the carrying
295 of concealed weapons or concealed firearms in a
296 courthouse; amending ss. 937.021 and 937.022, F.S.;
297 revising requirements for the reporting of missing
298 persons information; amending s. 500.92, F.S.;
299 prohibiting the selling, delivering, bartering,
300 furnishing, or giving of specified kratom products to
301 persons younger than a specified age; providing
302 increased criminal penalties; amending s. 951.27,