Florida Senate - 2013                                     SB 240
       
       
       
       By Senator Clemens
       
       
       
       
       27-00255-13                                            2013240__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to protest activities; 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, burial, or memorial service; 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, burial, or memorial service” means any
   16  service offered or provided in connection with the final
   17  disposition, memorialization, interment, entombment, or
   18  inurnment of human remains or cremated human remains.
   19         (b) “Protest activities” means any action, including
   20  picketing, that is undertaken with the intent to interrupt or
   21  disturb a funeral, burial, or memorial service.
   22         (2) A person may not knowingly engage in protest activities
   23  or knowingly cause protest activities to occur within 500 feet
   24  of the property line of any residence, cemetery, funeral home,
   25  house of worship, or other location during or within 1 hour
   26  before or 1 hour after the conducting of a funeral, burial, or
   27  memorial service at that place.
   28         (3) A person who violates this section commits a
   29  misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
   30  775.082 or s. 775.083.
   31         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2013.