Florida Senate - 2019                                     SB 498
       
       
        
       By Senator Powell
       
       
       
       
       
       30-00895-19                                            2019498__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fire safety and prevention;
    3         creating s. 633.217, F.S.; prohibiting a person from
    4         committing or attempting to commit certain acts to
    5         influence firesafety inspectors; providing criminal
    6         penalties; providing an effective date.
    7          
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Section 633.217, Florida Statutes, is created to
   11  read:
   12         633.217 Influencing a firesafety inspector.—
   13         (1) A person may not influence a firesafety inspector by:
   14         (a) Threatening, coercing, tricking, persuading,
   15  interfering with, or otherwise influencing, or attempting to
   16  threaten, coerce, trick, persuade, interfere with, or otherwise
   17  influence, the firesafety inspector into violating any provision
   18  of the Florida Fire Prevention Code, any rule adopted by the
   19  State Fire Marshal, or any provision of this chapter.
   20         (b) Offering any compensation to the firesafety inspector
   21  to induce a violation of the Florida Fire Prevention Code, any
   22  rule adopted by the State Fire Marshal, or any provision of this
   23  chapter.
   24         (2) A person who violates subsection (1) commits a
   25  misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
   26  775.082 or s. 775.083. A person who violates subsection (1) a
   27  second or subsequent time commits a felony of the third degree,
   28  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   29         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2019.