Florida Senate - 2013                              CS for SB 118
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senators Benacquisto
       and Evers
       
       
       
       591-01686-13                                           2013118c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to funerals and burials; creating s.
    3         871.015, F.S.; providing definitions; prohibiting
    4         engaging in protest activities within a specified
    5         distance of the property line of the location of a
    6         funeral or burial; providing an exception; providing
    7         criminal penalties; providing an effective date.
    8  
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Section 871.015, Florida Statutes, is created to
   12  read:
   13         871.015 Unlawful protests.—
   14         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   15         (a) “Funeral or burial” means a service or ceremony offered
   16  or provided in connection with the final disposition,
   17  memorialization, internment, entombment, or inurnment of human
   18  remains or cremated human remains.
   19         (b) “Funeral procession” has the same meaning as provided
   20  in s. 316.1974.
   21         (c) “Protest activities” means any action, including
   22  picketing, which is undertaken with the intent to interrupt or
   23  disturb a funeral or burial.
   24         (2) A person may not knowingly engage in protest activities
   25  or knowingly cause protest activities to occur within 500 feet
   26  of the property line of a residence, cemetery, funeral home,
   27  house of worship, or other location during or within 1 hour
   28  before or 1 hour after the conducting of a funeral or burial at
   29  that place. This subsection does not prohibit protest activities
   30  that occur adjacent to that portion of a funeral procession
   31  which extends beyond 500 feet of the property line of the
   32  location of the funeral or burial.
   33         (3) A person who violates this section commits a
   34  misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
   35  775.082 or s. 775.083.
   36         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2013.