| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to community residential homes; amending |
| 3 | s. 419.001, F.S.; requiring the provision of security for |
| 4 | community residential homes serving residents referred by |
| 5 | criminal justice agencies; providing an effective date. |
| 6 |
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| 7 | WHEREAS, municipalities and their communities are plagued |
| 8 | with and given the responsibility of addressing the inadequacies |
| 9 | of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Department of |
| 10 | Juvenile Justice, the Department of Children and Family |
| 11 | Services, and the Agency for Health Care Administration, which |
| 12 | do not have adequate facilities to provide services for their |
| 13 | present and future wards, and |
| 14 | WHEREAS, there are no longer enough state institutions to |
| 15 | house those with mental disabilities within the State of |
| 16 | Florida, and |
| 17 | WHEREAS, these same disabled individuals end up committing |
| 18 | crimes, being arrested, and thus becoming defendants in criminal |
| 19 | cases within the state, and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, these accused defendants are being housed in |
| 21 | community residences throughout our communities without the |
| 22 | adequate safeguards that exist within the criminal justice |
| 23 | system, and |
| 24 | WHEREAS, many of these same defendants may be tried for |
| 25 | their crimes and found not guilty by reason of insanity and are |
| 26 | still housed in these same types of residential homes within our |
| 27 | communities, and |
| 28 | WHEREAS, additional security measures need to be provided |
| 29 | to save our citizens from further acts by these individuals, |
| 30 | NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 31 |
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| 32 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 33 |
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| 34 | Section 1. Subsection (12) is added to section 419.001, |
| 35 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 36 | 419.001 Site selection of community residential homes.-- |
| 37 | (12) A community residential home that serves residents |
| 38 | who are referred by a criminal justice agency, as defined in s. |
| 39 | 943.045(10), shall provide 24-hour security at that location in |
| 40 | order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the other |
| 41 | residents and of the citizens in the surrounding community. |
| 42 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |