The Florida Senate

316.1935  Fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer; aggravated fleeing and eluding.--

(1)  It is unlawful for the operator of any vehicle, having knowledge that he or she has been directed to stop such vehicle by a duly authorized law enforcement officer, willfully to refuse or fail to stop the vehicle in compliance with such directive or, having stopped in knowing compliance with the directive, willfully to flee in an attempt to elude the officer, and a person who violates this subsection shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed 1 year, or by fine not to exceed $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(2)  Any person who, in the course of unlawfully fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer in an authorized law enforcement patrol vehicle with agency insignia and other jurisdictional markings prominently displayed on the vehicle with siren and lights activated pursuant to subsection (1), having knowledge of an order to stop by a duly authorized law enforcement officer, causes the law enforcement officer to engage in a high-speed vehicle pursuit commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(3)  Any person who, in the course of unlawfully leaving or attempting to leave the scene of an accident in violation of s. 316.027 or s. 316.061, having knowledge of an order to stop by a duly authorized law enforcement officer:

(a)  Willfully refuses or fails to stop in compliance with such an order, or having stopped in knowing compliance with such order, willfully flees in an attempt to elude such officer; and

(b)  As a result of such fleeing or eluding, causes injury to another person or causes damage to any property belonging to another person

commits aggravated fleeing or eluding, a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. The felony of aggravated fleeing or eluding constitutes a separate offense for which a person may be charged, in addition to the offense of unlawfully leaving the scene of an accident which the person had been in the course of committing or attempting to commit when the order to stop was given.

(4)  The court may revoke, for a period not to exceed 1 year, the driver's license of any operator of a motor vehicle convicted of a violation of subsection (1), subsection (2), or subsection (3).

History.--s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 1, ch. 76-31; s. 4, ch. 85-309; s. 52, ch. 89-282; s. 1, ch. 94-276; s. 896, ch. 95-148.

Note.--Former s. 316.019.