Four new Florida laws take effect in January. Here’s what they may mean for you
A new year also means new laws in Florida.
The Florida Legislature passed the laws earlier this year and they take effect Jan. 1, 2024:
▪ SB 784 gives local law enforcement agencies the ability to create a registry of people with mental health issues — a bill that is also known as the “Protect Our Loved Ones Act,” according to Senate analysis.
▪ SB 76 gives Florida residents an extra month to reserve a campsite, giving them a one-month advantage over non-residents.
▪ SB 1534 concerns pretrial release and detention.
▪ SB 7056 puts the state’s Department of Children and Families back in charge of handling child abuse investigations as opposed to leaving that duty to seven Florida counties that had assumed that role previously — including the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
READ MORE: What you should know about Florida lawmakers’ push to ease child labor laws
Here’s a breakdown on how four of the new laws may affect you:
Campsites
The law: This law allows Florida residents to reserve a campsite at one of the state’s 175 parks one month before nonresidents. This means residents who can show proof that they live in the state can reserve 11 months out from the date of the reservation, while limiting non-Florida residents to reservations 10 months out.
What to know: Over 32 million people visited one of Florida’s 175 parks during fiscal year 2021-2022. While three-quarters of these visitors — about 75% — were non-local, meaning they traveled from more than 50 miles away to get to one of the parks, Florida residents, perhaps because they are more used to creepy-crawly things going bump in the night, have on average, made up 61% of all overnight visitors.
Special needs registry
The law: The “Protect Our Loves One Act” allows local law enforcement agencies to create a registry of people with special needs so that officers have more information on people with certain mental health issues, physical disabilities or other disabilities or conditions when they come in contact with these individuals or are called to handle crisis situations.
What to know: According to the bill, developmental disabilities listed may include autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome and Phelan-McDermid syndrome.
Parents and guardians, with proof that they are indeed a parent or guardian or other legal authority, may voluntarily enroll minors and incapacitated individuals in the registry.
The registry may include an enrollee’s demographic and contact information, and information related to their disability or condition. Contact information of the person or persons who have enrolled individuals on the registry must also be included.
There is a process to remove oneself from the registry, according to the bill.
SB 784 “authorizes local law enforcement agencies to provide information from the registry to law enforcement officers to assist in performance of their official duties,” according to the Senate’s analysis.
Pretrial issues
The law: This law, which appears to have been part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pushback to the bail reform effort that at one point was progressing in Miami-Dade up until January, makes clear that only a judge can set, reduce or alter someone’s bail.
The bill requires that the Florida Supreme Court create a uniform statewide bond schedule.
The bill provides circumstances under which someone charged with a crime can’t be released prior to a first hearing.
Among the court’s considerations: The nature and circumstances of the offense charged; the weight of the evidence against the defendant; the defendant’s family ties, length of residence in the community, employment history, financial resources, and mental condition; past and present conduct, including any record of convictions, previous flight to avoid prosecution or failure to appear at court proceedings; the nature and probability of danger which the defendant’s release poses to the community.
A revision: The bill also revises the term “dangerous crime” to include manslaughter when either driving under the influence or boating under the influence, trafficking in any controlled substance, as well as extortion and written threats to kill.
Child abuse investigations
The law: This law requires that the seven Florida counties that were handling child abuse investigations instead of the Department of Children and Families give those responsibilities back to the state.
Counties named: These seven counties will give control to the DCF to perform child protective investigations by Jan. 1: Broward, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Seminole and Walton.
What to know: According to the Senate’s analysis, the sheriffs’ offices total amount for child protective investigative services devoted to the seven county’s sheriff’s offices was just over $59 million. The Broward Sheriff’s Office had the largest chunk of that funding at just over $15 million.
In April, the DCF reported in a bill analysis that in the two decades since 1998 that the state started allowing the specified sheriff’s offices to perform child protective investigations, Florida’s child welfare system “has evolved” and recognized DCF’s “renewed commitment to prevention-focused programming” as some of the reasons for the switchover.
The bill also specifies that all staff who are in good standing and employed by each respective sheriff’s office for the provision of child protective services before Jan. 1, 2024, when the law goes into effect, can have the option to transfer their employment to the DCF.
