The Florida Senate

784.081  Assault or battery on specified officials or employees; reclassification of offenses.--Whenever a person is charged with committing an assault or aggravated assault or a battery or aggravated battery upon any elected official or employee of: a school district; a private school; the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind; a university developmental research school; a state university or any other entity of the state system of public education, as defined in s. 228.041; an employee or protective investigator of the Department of Children and Family Services; or an employee of a lead community-based provider and its direct service contract providers, when the person committing the offense knows or has reason to know the identity or position or employment of the victim, the offense for which the person is charged shall be reclassified as follows:

(1)  In the case of aggravated battery, from a felony of the second degree to a felony of the first degree.

(2)  In the case of aggravated assault, from a felony of the third degree to a felony of the second degree.

(3)  In the case of battery, from a misdemeanor of the first degree to a felony of the third degree.

(4)  In the case of assault, from a misdemeanor of the second degree to a misdemeanor of the first degree.

History.--s. 3, ch. 96-293; s. 293, ch. 99-8; s. 11, ch. 2001-68.