Florida Senate - 2026                                    SB 1490
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       
       
       
       
       36-00785A-26                                          20261490__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to required notice of intent to
    3         contact a victim; creating s. 914.18, F.S.; requiring
    4         specified persons acting on behalf of a criminal
    5         defendant to file a specified notice within a
    6         specified timeframe before contacting a victim in a
    7         criminal proceeding for a specified purpose; providing
    8         applicability; requiring that such notice be filed on
    9         a standard form developed by the state attorney in
   10         each judicial circuit; providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 914.18, Florida Statutes, is created to
   15  read:
   16         914.18 Required notice of intent to contact victim.—
   17         (1) Before any attorney, investigator, or other agent
   18  acting on behalf of a criminal defendant may contact a victim
   19  for the purpose of obtaining information relating to a pending
   20  criminal proceeding, he or she must file a notice of intent to
   21  contact the victim within 72 hours before making, or attempting
   22  to make, such contact. This subsection does not apply to contact
   23  with a victim which occurs during a court proceeding or
   24  deposition.
   25         (2) The notice required under subsection (1) must be filed
   26  on a standard form developed and made available by the state
   27  attorney in each judicial circuit.
   28         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.