summary
Introduced
11/25/2025
11/25/2025
In Committee
12/12/2025
12/12/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to injunctions for protection; amending s. 784.046, F.S.; defining the terms "serious violence by a known person" and "serious bodily injury"; creating a cause of action for an injunction for protection in cases of serious violence by a known person; specifying the persons who have standing to file such injunction for protection in circuit court if specified conditions are met; prohibiting the clerk of the court from assessing a fee for the filing of such injunction for protection; requiring the clerk of the court to provide the petitioner with a certified copy of such injunction for protection; providing requirements for such petition for injunction for protection; providing requirements for a temporary or final judgment on such injunction for protection; requiring the clerk of the court to electronically transmit copies of specified documents within a certain timeframe after a court issues such injunction for protection; requiring law enforcement officers to accept a certified copy of such injunction for protection from the petitioner and immediately serve it upon a respondent; providing requirements for inclusion of such injunction for protection in a specified statewide communication system; requiring hb547-00 that a respondent be held in custody if he or she is arrested for committing an act of serious violence by a known person in violation of an injunction for protection until being brought before the court; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; making technical changes; amending ss. 44.407, 61.13, 61.1825, 394.4597, 394.4598, 741.313, 784.047, 784.048, and 934.03, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; reenacting ss. 28.2221 (8)(a), (c), and (d), 28.35(2)(i), 57.105(8), 61.1827(1), 741.311(2), 741.315(2), 790.401(2)(e) and (3)(c), 901.15(6), 901.41(5), 921.141(6)(p), 921.1425(7)(j), 921.1427(7)(i), and 934.425(3), F.S.; relating to electronic access to official records, Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, the awarding of attorney fees, identifying information concerning applicants for and recipients of child support services, Hope Card Program for persons issued orders of protection, recognition of foreign protection orders, risk protection orders, when arrest by a law enforcement officer without a warrant is lawful, prearrest diversion programs, aggravating factors relating to a sentence of death or life imprisonment for capital felonies, aggravating factors relating to a sentence of death or life imprisonment hb547-00 for capital sexual battery, aggravating factors relating to a sentence of death or life imprisonment for capital human trafficking of vulnerable persons for sexual exploitation, and installation or use of tracking devices or applications, respectively, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 784.046, F.S., in references thereto; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill creates a new legal category called "serious violence by a known person" and expands Florida's existing injunction for protection laws to include this new type of protective order. The bill defines "serious violence" as an act of violence between individuals who know each other that causes "serious bodily injury", which is specifically defined as a physical condition creating a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily function. Individuals who have been victims of such serious violence, or parents/legal guardians of minor children who have been victims, can now file a protective injunction in circuit court, provided they have reported the violence to law enforcement and are cooperating with any criminal proceedings. The bill amends multiple sections of Florida statutes to incorporate this new category of protection, including provisions related to court procedures, law enforcement responsibilities, and restrictions on the respondent. The new injunction type follows similar procedural requirements as existing injunctions for repeat, dating, and sexual violence, such as prohibiting the clerk of court from charging filing fees, requiring law enforcement to serve the injunction, and creating mechanisms for electronic transmission of injunction information. The bill aims to provide additional legal protections for victims of serious violence by someone they know, with the law set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version) (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/547 |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/547/BillText/Filed/PDF |
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