The Florida Senate

943.325  Blood or other biological specimen testing for DNA analysis.--

(1)(a)  Any person who is convicted or was previously convicted in this state for any offense or attempted offense enumerated in paragraph (b), and any person who is transferred to this state under Article VII of the Interstate Compact on Juveniles, ¹part V of chapter 985, who has committed or attempted to commit an offense similarly defined by the transferring state, who is either:

1.  Still incarcerated, or

2.  No longer incarcerated, or has never been incarcerated, yet is within the confines of the legal state boundaries and is on probation, community control, parole, conditional release, control release, or any other type of court-ordered supervision,

shall be required to submit two specimens of blood or other biological specimens approved by the Department of Law Enforcement to a Department of Law Enforcement designated testing facility as directed by the department.

(b)1.  Chapter 794, chapter 800, s. 782.04, s. 784.045, s. 810.02, s. 812.133, or s. 812.135

2.  Effective July 1, 2002, and contingent upon specific appropriation, s. 812.13 or s. 812.131

3.  Effective July 1, 2003, and contingent upon specific appropriation, chapter 787 or s. 782.07

4.  Effective July 1, 2004, and contingent upon specific appropriation, any forcible felony, as described in s. 776.08, aggravated child abuse, as described in s. 827.03(2), aggravated abuse of an elderly person or a disabled adult, as described in s. 825.102(2), or any felony violation of chapter 790 involving the use or possession of a firearm.

5.  Effective July 1, 2005, and contingent upon specific appropriation, any felony offense.

(c)  As used in this section, the term "any person" includes both juveniles and adults committed to a county jail or committed to or under the supervision of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice, including persons incarcerated in a private correctional institution operated under contract pursuant to s. 944.105

(d)  Any person who was previously convicted in this state for any offense or attempted offense enumerated in subparagraph (b)1., subparagraph (b)2., or subparagraph (b)3. and who is still incarcerated or in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice must submit, not less than 45 days before his or her presumptive date of release from such incarceration or commitment, two specimens of blood or other approved biological specimens as directed by the Department of Law Enforcement to a testing facility designated by the department.

(2)  The withdrawal of blood for purposes of this section shall be performed in a medically approved manner using a collection kit provided by, or accepted by, the Department of Law Enforcement and only by or under the supervision of a physician, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, duly licensed medical personnel, or other trained and competent personnel. The collection of other approved biological specimens shall be performed by any person using a collection kit provided by, or accepted by, the Department of Law Enforcement in a manner approved by the department, as directed in the kit, or as otherwise found to be acceptable by the department.

(3)  Upon a conviction of any person for any offense under paragraph (1)(a) which results in the commitment of the offender to a county jail, correctional facility, or juvenile facility, the entity responsible for the facility shall assure that the blood specimens or other biological specimens required by this section and approved by the Department of Law Enforcement are promptly secured and transmitted to the Department of Law Enforcement. Personnel at the jail, correctional facility, or juvenile facility shall collect the specimens as part of the regular processing of offenders committed to the jail or facility. If the person is not incarcerated following such conviction, the person may not be released from the custody of the court at the time of sentencing or released pursuant to a bond or surety until the blood specimens or other approved biological specimens required by this section have been taken by the sheriff or his or her designee. The sheriff shall secure, process, and transmit the specimens to the Department of Law Enforcement in a timely manner.

(4)  If any blood specimens or other approved biological specimens submitted to the Department of Law Enforcement under this section are found to be unacceptable for analysis and use or cannot be used by the department in the manner required by this section, the Department of Law Enforcement may require that another set of blood specimens or other approved biological specimens be taken as set forth in subsection (11).

(5)  The Department of Law Enforcement shall provide the specimen vials, mailing tubes, labels, or other appropriate containers and instructions for the collection of blood specimens or other approved biological specimens. The specimens shall thereafter be forwarded to the designated testing facility for analysis to determine genetic markers and characteristics for the purpose of individual identification of the person submitting the sample.

(6)  In addition to the specimens required to be submitted under this section, the Department of Law Enforcement may receive and utilize other blood specimens or other approved biological specimens. Any analysis, when completed, shall be entered into the automated database maintained by the Department of Law Enforcement for such purpose, as provided in this section, and shall not be included in the state central criminal justice information repository.

(7)  The results of a DNA analysis and the comparison of analytic results shall be released only to criminal justice agencies as defined in s. 943.045(10), at the request of the agency. Otherwise, such information is confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

(8)  The Department of Law Enforcement and the statewide criminal laboratory analysis system shall establish, implement, and maintain a statewide automated personal identification system capable of, but not limited to, classifying, matching, and storing analyses of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and other biological molecules. The system shall be available to all criminal justice agencies.

(9)  The Department of Law Enforcement shall:

(a)  Receive, process, and store blood specimen samples or other approved biological specimen samples and the data derived therefrom furnished pursuant to subsection (1), pursuant to a requirement of supervision imposed by the court or the Parole Commission with respect to a person convicted of any offense specified in subsection (1), or as specified in subsection (6).

(b)  Collect, process, maintain, and disseminate information and records pursuant to this section.

(c)  Strive to maintain or disseminate only accurate and complete records.

(d)  Adopt rules prescribing the proper procedure for state and local law enforcement and correctional agencies to collect and submit blood specimen samples and other approved biological specimen samples pursuant to this section.

(10)(a)  The court shall include in the judgment of conviction for an offense specified in this section, or a finding that a person described in subsection (1) violated a condition of probation, community control, or any other court-ordered supervision, an order stating that blood specimens or other approved biological specimens are required to be drawn or collected by the appropriate agency in a manner consistent with this section and, unless the convicted person lacks the ability to pay, the person shall reimburse the appropriate agency for the cost of drawing and transmitting the blood specimens or collecting and transmitting other approved biological specimens to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The reimbursement payment may be deducted from any existing balance in the inmate's bank account. If the account balance is insufficient to cover the cost of drawing and transmitting the blood specimens or collecting and transmitting other approved biological specimens to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 50 percent of each deposit to the account must be withheld until the total amount owed has been paid. If the judgment places the convicted person on probation, community control, or any other court-ordered supervision, the court shall order the convicted person to submit to the drawing of the blood specimens or the collecting of other approved biological specimens as a condition of the probation, community control, or other court-ordered supervision. For the purposes of a person who is on probation, community control, or any other court-ordered supervision, the collection requirement must be based upon a court order, or as otherwise provided by the person in the absence of a court order. If the judgment sentences the convicted person to time served, the court shall order the convicted person to submit to the drawing of the blood specimens or the collecting of other approved biological specimens as a condition of such sentence.

(b)  The appropriate agency shall cause the specimens to be drawn or collected as soon as practical after conviction but, in the case of any person ordered to serve a term of incarceration as part of the sentence, the specimen shall be drawn or collected as soon as practical after the receipt of the convicted person by the custodial facility. For the purpose of this section, the appropriate agency shall be the Department of Corrections whenever the convicted person is committed to the legal and physical custody of the department. Conviction information contained in the offender information system of the Department of Corrections shall be sufficient to determine applicability under this section. The appropriate agency shall be the sheriff or officer in charge of the county correctional facility whenever the convicted person is placed on probation, community control, or any other court-ordered supervision or form of supervised release or is committed to the legal and physical custody of a county correctional facility.

(c)  Any person previously convicted of an offense specified in this section, or a crime which, if committed in this state, would be an offense specified in this section, and who is also subject to the registration requirement imposed by s. 775.13, shall be subject to the collection requirement of this section when the appropriate agency described in this section verifies the identification information of the person. The collection requirement of this section does not apply to a person as described in s. 775.13(5).

(d)  For the purposes of this section, conviction shall include a finding of guilty, or entry of a plea of nolo contendere or guilty, regardless of adjudication or, in the case of a juvenile, the finding of delinquency.

(e)  If necessary, the state or local law enforcement or correctional agency having authority over the person subject to the sampling under this section shall assist in the procedure. The law enforcement or correctional officer so assisting may use reasonable force if necessary to require such person to submit to the withdrawal of blood specimens or the collection of other approved biological specimens. Any such withdrawal or collection shall be performed in a reasonable manner. A hospital, clinical laboratory, medical clinic, or similar medical institution; a physician, certified paramedic, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or other personnel authorized by a hospital to draw blood; a licensed clinical laboratory director, supervisor, technologist, or technician; or any other person who assists a law enforcement officer is not civilly or criminally liable as a result of withdrawing blood specimens according to accepted medical standards when requested to do so by a law enforcement officer or any personnel of a jail, correctional facility, or juvenile detention facility, regardless of whether the convicted person resisted the drawing of blood specimens. A person other than the subject required to provide the biological specimens who collects or assists in the collection of approved specimens other than blood is not civilly or criminally liable if a collection kit provided by, or accepted by, the Department of Law Enforcement is utilized and the collection is done in a manner approved by the department, as directed in the kit, or is performed in an otherwise reasonable manner.

(f)  If a judgment fails to order the convicted person to submit to the drawing of the blood specimens or the collecting of other approved biological specimens as mandated by this section, the state attorney may seek an amended order from the sentencing court mandating the submission of blood specimens or other approved biological specimens in compliance with this section. As an alternative, the department, a state attorney, the Department of Corrections, or any law enforcement agency may seek a court order to secure the blood specimens or other approved biological specimens as authorized in subsection (11).

(11)  If the Department of Law Enforcement determines that a convicted person who is required to submit blood specimens or other approved biological specimens under this section has not provided the specimens, the department, a state attorney, or any law enforcement agency may apply to the circuit court for an order that authorizes taking the convicted person into custody for the purpose of securing the required specimens. The court shall issue the order upon a showing of probable cause. Following issuance of the order, the convicted person shall be transported to a location acceptable to the agency that has custody of the person, the blood specimens or other approved biological specimens shall be withdrawn or collected in a reasonable manner, and the person shall be released if there is no other reason to justify retaining the person in custody. An agency acting under authority of an order under this section may, in lieu of transporting the convicted person to a collection site, secure the blood specimens or other approved biological specimens at the location of the convicted person in a reasonable manner. If the convicted person resists providing the specimens, reasonable force may be utilized to secure the specimens and any person utilizing such force to secure the specimens or reasonably assisting in the securing of the specimens is not civilly or criminally liable for actions taken. The agency that takes the convicted person into custody may, but is not required to, transport the person back to the location where the person was taken into custody.

(12)  Unless the convicted person has been declared indigent by the court, the convicted person shall pay the actual costs of collecting the blood specimens or other approved biological specimens required under this section.

(13)  If a court, a law enforcement agency, or the Department of Law Enforcement fails to strictly comply with this section or to abide by a statewide protocol for collecting blood specimens or other approved biological specimens, such failure is not grounds for challenging the validity of the collection or the use of a specimen, and evidence based upon or derived from the collected blood specimens or other approved biological specimens may not be excluded by a court.

History.--s. 1, ch. 89-335; s. 9, ch. 93-204; s. 3, ch. 94-90; s. 52, ch. 95-283; s. 19, ch. 96-322; s. 447, ch. 96-406; s. 8, ch. 98-81; s. 14, ch. 98-251; s. 7, ch. 98-417; s. 1, ch. 2000-233; s. 2, ch. 2000-328; s. 3, ch. 2001-58; s. 3, ch. 2001-97; s. 9, ch. 2001-125; s. 6, ch. 2001-127; s. 2, ch. 2003-18; s. 2, ch. 2004-290; s. 22, ch. 2006-2.

¹Note.--Redesignated as part XIII of chapter 985 by s. 1, ch. 2006-120.