Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 768
       
       
        
       By Senator Stewart
       
       
       
       
       
       17-00940-24                                            2024768__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the duty to report certain deaths;
    3         amending s. 406.12, F.S.; reclassifying the criminal
    4         penalty for failure or refusal to report certain
    5         deaths and information to the district medical
    6         examiner or for engaging in specified conduct related
    7         to such deaths; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Section 406.12, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   12  read:
   13         406.12 Duty to report; prohibited acts.—It is the duty of
   14  any person in the district where a death occurs, including all
   15  municipalities and unincorporated and federal areas, who becomes
   16  aware of the death of any person occurring under the
   17  circumstances described in s. 406.11 to immediately report such
   18  death and circumstances forthwith to the district medical
   19  examiner. Any person who knowingly fails or refuses to report
   20  such death and circumstances, who refuses to make available
   21  prior medical or other information pertinent to the death
   22  investigation, or who, without an order from the office of the
   23  district medical examiner, willfully touches, removes, or
   24  disturbs the body, clothing, or any article upon or near the
   25  body, with the intent to alter the evidence or circumstances
   26  surrounding the death, commits shall be guilty of a felony
   27  misdemeanor of the third first degree, punishable as provided in
   28  s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   29         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.