Florida Senate - 2026 SB 814
By Senator Jones
34-00191A-26 2026814__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to emergency alerts; creating s.
3 784.072, F.S.; defining terms; requiring a local law
4 enforcement agency to activate the emergency alert
5 system and issue a Ya Ya Alert to public and private
6 schools and child care facilities under certain
7 circumstances; requiring local law enforcement
8 agencies to create and maintain a list of such schools
9 and facilities within their jurisdictions; providing
10 requirements for the maintenance of such list;
11 providing immunity from civil liability to certain
12 persons for damages for complying in good faith with
13 specified provisions; providing a presumption of good
14 faith; providing construction; requiring the
15 Department of Law Enforcement, in cooperation with
16 specified departments, to activate the emergency alert
17 system and issue an Imminent Threat Alert at the
18 request of a local law enforcement agency under
19 certain circumstances; providing requirements for the
20 issuance of Imminent Threat Alerts; providing immunity
21 from civil liability to certain persons for damages
22 for complying in good faith with specified provisions;
23 providing a presumption of good faith; providing
24 construction; providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Section 784.072, Florida Statutes, is created to
29 read:
30 784.072 Notification of imminent threat to schools and
31 child care facilities or the public; Ya Ya Alert; Imminent
32 Threat Alert.—
33 (1) As used in this section, the term:
34 (a) “Child care facility” has the same meaning as in s.
35 402.302.
36 (b) “Imminent Threat Alert” means a notification issued
37 pursuant to subsection (3) which informs the public that an
38 imminent threat exists such that the lives and safety of people
39 are endangered, including, but not limited to, instances in
40 which a person suspected of killing or causing serious bodily
41 injury to another person or assaulting another person with a
42 deadly weapon has fled the scene of the offense.
43 (c) “Private school” has the same meaning as in s. 1002.01.
44 (d) “Ya Ya Alert” means a notification issued pursuant to
45 subsection (2) which informs public schools, private schools,
46 and child care facilities that an imminent threat exists,
47 including, but not limited to, instances in which a person
48 suspected of killing or causing serious bodily injury to another
49 person or assaulting another person with a deadly weapon has
50 fled the scene of the offense, and which advises the schools and
51 facilities to lock their doors and encourages persons in those
52 schools and facilities to remain in lockdown and be vigilant in
53 watching for and reporting any suspicious activity.
54 (2)(a) If a local law enforcement agency that has
55 jurisdiction over the scene of an incident determines that the
56 scene gives rise to an imminent threat to the public, the agency
57 must activate the emergency alert system and issue a Ya Ya Alert
58 to all public and private schools and child care facilities
59 within a 3-mile radius of the incident location and may activate
60 the system and issue the alert to any other public or private
61 school or child care facility the agency determines is at risk,
62 given its proximity to the incident, including an incident in
63 which all of the following conditions are satisfied:
64 1. A person has been killed or has suffered serious bodily
65 injury, or a person has been assaulted with a deadly weapon by
66 another person.
67 2. The person suspected of committing the offense has fled
68 the scene of the offense.
69 3. The law enforcement agency investigating the offense has
70 determined that the suspect poses an imminent threat to the
71 public safety.
72 (b) For purposes of complying with this subsection, each
73 local law enforcement agency shall create and maintain a list of
74 all public schools, private schools, and child care facilities
75 within its jurisdiction.
76 (c) A public or private school or child care facility may
77 contact local law enforcement agencies to verify that it is
78 included on the list of those that will receive a Ya Ya Alert or
79 to register to be included on the list. A local law enforcement
80 agency must take a private school or child care facility off the
81 list if the school or facility requests that it be taken off the
82 list.
83 (d)1. Upon recording, reporting, transmitting, displaying,
84 or releasing information pertaining to a Ya Ya Alert, the local
85 law enforcement agency with jurisdiction; the Department of Law
86 Enforcement; any state or local law enforcement agency and the
87 personnel of such agency; any radio or television network,
88 broadcaster, or other media representative; any dealer of
89 communications services as those terms are defined in s. 202.11;
90 or any other agency, employee, individual, or entity is immune
91 from civil liability for damages for complying in good faith
92 with this subsection and is presumed to have acted in good faith
93 in recording, reporting, transmitting, displaying, or releasing
94 information pertaining to the Ya Ya Alert. The presumption of
95 good faith is not overcome if a technical or clerical error is
96 made by any agency, employee, individual, or entity acting at
97 the request of the local law enforcement agency having
98 jurisdiction, or if information pertaining to a Ya Ya Alert is
99 incomplete or incorrect because the information received from
100 the local law enforcement agency was incomplete or incorrect.
101 2. This subsection may not be construed to create a duty of
102 the agency, employee, individual, or entity to record, report,
103 transmit, display, or release the Ya Ya Alert information
104 received from the local law enforcement agency having
105 jurisdiction. The decision to record, report, transmit, display,
106 or release information is discretionary with the agency,
107 employee, individual, or entity receiving the information.
108 (3) At the request of a local law enforcement agency, the
109 Department of Law Enforcement, in cooperation with the
110 Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the
111 Department of Transportation, must activate the emergency alert
112 system and issue an Imminent Threat Alert to the public when the
113 local law enforcement agency confirms that an imminent threat to
114 the public exists, including, but not limited to, circumstances
115 in which all of the following conditions have been satisfied:
116 (a) A person has been killed or has suffered serious bodily
117 injury, or a person has been assaulted with a deadly weapon by
118 another person.
119 (b) The person suspected of committing the offense has fled
120 the scene of the offense.
121 (c) The law enforcement agency has determined that the
122 suspect poses an imminent threat to the public safety.
123 (4) An Imminent Threat Alert must, to the extent
124 practicable, provide a detailed description of a suspect’s
125 vehicle or other means of escape, the license plate number of
126 the suspect’s vehicle, or any other available information that
127 may assist in averting further harm or in apprehending the
128 suspect.
129 (5)(a) An Imminent Threat Alert must be immediately
130 disseminated to the public through the emergency alert system
131 and through the use of dynamic message signs located along the
132 State Highway System.
133 (b) If a traffic emergency arises which requires
134 information pertaining to the traffic emergency to be displayed
135 on a dynamic message sign on a state highway in lieu of an
136 Imminent Threat Alert, the agency responsible for posting the
137 Imminent Threat Alert on the dynamic message sign does not
138 violate this section.
139 (c)1. Upon receiving a request to record, report, transmit,
140 display, or release Imminent Threat Alert information from the
141 law enforcement agency having jurisdiction, the Department of
142 Law Enforcement; any state or local law enforcement agency and
143 the personnel of such agency; any radio or television network,
144 broadcaster, or other media representative; any dealer of
145 communications services as those terms are defined in s. 202.11;
146 or any agency, employee, individual, or entity is immune from
147 civil liability for damages for complying in good faith with
148 this subsection and is presumed to have acted in good faith in
149 recording, reporting, transmitting, displaying, or releasing
150 information pertaining to an Imminent Threat Alert. The
151 presumption of good faith is not overcome if a technical or
152 clerical error is made by any agency, employee, individual, or
153 entity acting at the request of the local law enforcement agency
154 having jurisdiction, or if information pertaining to an Imminent
155 Threat Alert is incomplete or incorrect because the information
156 received from the local law enforcement agency was incomplete or
157 incorrect.
158 2. Neither this subsection nor any other law creates a duty
159 of the agency, employee, individual, or entity to record,
160 report, transmit, display, or release the Imminent Threat Alert
161 information received from the local law enforcement agency
162 having jurisdiction. The decision to record, report, transmit,
163 display, or release information is discretionary with the
164 agency, employee, individual, or entity receiving the
165 information.
166 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2026.